Ancient Secrets
by lazerbear7
Summary: A great power long forgotten by history sleeps beneath the land of Remnant. After thousands of years in slumber they rejoin the world and bring either new beginnings, or the end to everything on their never-ending quest for knowledge.
1. Chapter 1

The fractured moon hung in the sky above the city of Vale as it had for many years, and those on the streets continued about their nightly lives as if there was nothing to worry about. All of them were completely unaware of the thing many of them would call a monster that was starting to walk the streets. It was something from an age long past, and that had clung to the earth with a determination to strong to be broken by a force as small as death.

While he knew that some would think of him as a monster, Naze had never considered himself to be particularly evil. Sure, he had stooped to some acts of depravity every once in a while, but some acts that some would consider evil were required to bring about charities that others would consider blessings. He could understand why others bearing the title of lich had stooped to such depths as actively embracing evil, but simply didn't share the need to increase his own power through the detriment of all others. Things that he could get through the deaths of others could be gotten though just a small bit of patience. Small for him, lifetimes for others.

He brought his hands up into view. The corpse he had stolen to temporarily house him seemed to be holding up quite well. The skin was pale and looked like it was starting to tighten, but he had made sure that it wouldn't decompose. The disguise was doing its job well enough, he had gotten a few queer looks, but little more. He spied another one of the things that had been something of a mystery to him thus far, a shop for something called "dust". He had head a few men talking about robberies centering around this "dust", so he assumed that it was something valuable. He took a few of the gold coins from one of his pockets and flipped them around his fingers, wondering if he had enough to purchase some of this dust.

He walked across the smooth black street and pushed the door open. An old man waved to him from behind a table. He approached the man, gazing around the shop interestedly. There were many, he would guess hundreds of what looked like gemstones cut into various prisms hung in display cases all over the shop, and large tubes lining the walls that looked like they were filled with colored sand. He wondered what all this was for. The man behind the counter smiled welcomingly at him and said in a raggedy voice "What can I do for you?"

Naze looked around the large room again, than looked to the man. "So this is a dust shop, eh?" the man smiled again and nodded. Nathan pointed to one of the crystals in the display between him and the man and said "Can I see that one?" in a curious voice.

The man raised an eyebrow and regarded him cautiously, but opened the back of the display and pulled the red prism out and handed it over carefully. Naze took it, and as soon as his fingers touched it he could feel the magical energy thrumming through the crystal. The energy was an unmistakable hot, the kind that only elemental magic could be. He knew that the power inside of the crystal must have been very powerful for him to feel so strongly through the relatively weak link to him that the body had.

He handed the crystal back to the man, who looked relieved that he had not tried to take it. He was about to ask what exactly dust was used for when the door to the shop behind him was thrown open, causing it to slam loudly against the wall. Both men already in the shop turned their attention to the source of the noise, and found themselves facing something that neither one was expecting.

A group of about seven men were coming through the door, all of them carrying what looked like weapons. The foremost one of the group held up his weapon and pointed it towards the man behind the counter, saying "Give us the dust." in a deathly serious tone. Naze noted with interest both the strange white mask and the pair of small antlers protruding from the man's forehead.

Another of the men held up his weapon towards Naze and said "Put your hands up and turn out your pockets." while taking a few steps toward him. He let out a frustrated sigh. He hadn't anticipated fighting in this body, and had therefor not prepared for it. He doubted that he would even be able to cast any magic without causing extreme damage to the body. So he came down to a question; was it worth it? He took a moment to weigh the question in him mind. The man took another step towards him, and pushed the end of his weapon into Naze's face, shouting "Put your hands up!"

Naze glanced behind him at the cut gems of elemental power, and an idea popped into his head. Not one that particularly complemented the years upon years of study of the arcane, but sometimes simple problems required simple solutions. He closed his fist and drove it through the glass display case, opening his hand briefly to get a gem in his hand. He could feel shards of the glass embed themselves in his arms and hands, and felt glad that the flesh was already dead.

With the gem in hand, he spun as quickly as he could and raised his arm to the head level of the man who was threatening him. The sharp end of the gem buried itself in the temple of the man, and he crumpled to the floor. The rest of the robbers turned their attention to him quickly, and leveled their weapons on him. Without hesitation, they all fired on him.

Numerous bursts of energy drove themselves through Naze's current body, each one accompanied by a loud percussive sound. The last of the barrage pushed him against the edge of the display case. There seemed to be some expectancy hanging in the air, as if everyone was expecting him to crumple to the floor. He knew the opportunity for scaring people when he saw it.

He started to laugh. It wasn't a hearty laugh, but more of a chuckle than anything else, twisted into a wet gurgling sound thanks to one of the holes in his chest. He couldn't see their faces through their masks, but their body language made it clear that they were put off, to say the least. He raised an arm towards the downed man, and blasted as much necromantic power through the corpse as possible. The magic coiled out from his hand and encircled the corpse like a snake, lifting it from the ground and standing it limply up on its feet. As this happened, the necromantic energy started to distort the spell that he had used to keep his current body from decaying, now instead causing his hands to shrivel and blacken.

The magic flowing from his hands stopped, and the body of the robber now stood still under its own power. Without hesitating, Naze commanded it to attack the others who had come with it, and it did. It's slow and shambling movements made Naze cringe as the quality of his work displayed itself in front of him, but it did attack with the weapon still clutched in its hand, each twitch of its finger causing another earsplitting discharge of energy.

The two men closest to the newly-made zombie decided that it would be a good idea to tackle it, and found that they were right. Both men held the creature's arms down with their knees, talking to it as if they could bring the man out of whatever trance they thought he was in.

It seemed that things were calming down when a cry from outside the shop rang out and grabbed the attention of the robbers. Naze looked past them and saw something that he wasn't entirely sure how to interpret. A quintet of teenage-looking girls was standing on the other side of the street, each one in a practiced battle stance and holding weapons that were almost as befuddling as the warriors themselves.

One of the girls held what looked to him like a dueling rapier, but on the handle of the blade there was a complex mechanism and several vials of the same colored sand that was in tubes along the walls of the shop. The next weapon that Naze was able to identify was a scythe, one that he had always approved of whether it was being used to harvest a crop or lives. It seemed to have additional functions however, if the numerous metal additions along the handle as well as the blade itself were anything to judge by.

The next weapon was fairly easy to identify and divine the primary function of, it being a pair of bright yellow gauntlets that looked hard enough to crack a skull easily. There was a belt of small cartridges wrapped around an area about halfway up the gauntlets, and he assumed that those did something as well. The last weapon looked fairly unassuming in comparison to the others, it looking like a small black version of the weapons the robbers were using, only with the addition of a long black blade on the top.

Naze was starting to feel like he was picking up on a common motif for each of the weapons. Each one seemed to have some thus-indeterminate amount of secondary uses. With the weaponry of the newcomers determined to some degree, he turned his attention to the fighters themselves. His second look at them proved just as, if not more confusing as his first. They were all teenage girls, all built svelte to the point that he doubted that they would be able to fight very affectively. Each one seemed to have one primary color as well, which puzzled him. It had always been his opinion that members of a team (assuming that they were a team) should garb themselves similarly. One was red, one was white, one was black, and one was yellow.

In the half second that it had taken him to process this information, they had already started their charge. The first one to meet with their adversary was the one clad in yellow, and the secondary function of her gauntlets was reviled. Strong blasts of an unfocused magic energy pounded their way out of the gauntlets and slammed into the nearest robber. The man was blown off of his feet and thrown to the ground. The other three girls entered the fight quickly, and Naze would've loved nothing more than to watch them fight, but at some point the two men who had been holding his zombie down had gotten up to turn and face their new opponents, apparently interpreting the four girls as a larger threat than the zombie. Under normal circumstances they might have been right, but the red crystal of elemental power lodged in the side of its head changed the situation slightly.

The girl in a red hood over a black skirt slammed the blade of her scythe into the ground and seemed to take aim down its length. Whether she meant to or not, the first shot from her weapon flew wide of her intended target, and instead found its way to the dust crystal.

Naze had walked the earth for a long time, some might say far longer than any mortal had a right to, and as a consequence it was difficult to surprise him. The violence of the explosion that resulted from the single misfire, without a doubt, surprised him. If he hadn't seen what had happened himself, he would have guessed that a contingent of mages had all agreed to annihilate themselves in the most devastating way they could muster simultaneously. A single spark from the fiery eruption of the zombie's skull fell onto the tall tubes of dust mounted on the walls, and then everything turned into a blur.

Fire and lightning, ice and steam, all kind of elements engulfed the small store and everything in it. Naze could just barely see a few of the robbers and the four teenage warriors thrown clear of the elemental explosion by its initial blast. He knew that neither he nor the shopkeeper would be quite so lucky. He tried to construct some kind of shield around himself, but the body he was inhabiting was incapable of handling the power required.

He was thrown around like a ragdoll for about half a second before the cloud of magic started to thin, and he was launched out of the shop, the grey stone of a building across the street rushing to meet him halfway through his journey. In the ensuing contest between stone and bone, stone was quick to emerge the victor, Naze's spine and one shoulder blade shattering nearly beyond recognition. He fell about one story back down to the street and landed like a wet bag of sand, something below him squelching under his weight.

He looked down to find the source of the noise, and was further surprised to find the lower half of his body gone. Sickly looking blackened entrails were hanging limply from what had previously been his abdomen, but was now little more than a useless flap. The various partially rotted viscera and entrails betrayed the undead nature of the body he inhabited, but he doubted that there was anyone immediately present who would recognize it.

He maneuvered himself to lean up against the wall with his arms, somewhat surprised at the fact he still had arms. He felt a few muscles in his back scrape against the remnants of his shoulder blade and the break in his spine a few inches below the base of the spine. If the force governing his movements was still the nervous system, he would be paralyzed.

Now in a much better position to observe the proceeding event, he stopped moving. The four teenagers were looking at each other, making sure that they were unharmed, until one of them spotted him. He cursed quietly to himself as the one who had seen him, the one wearing the red cloak, said something to the others than started to run towards him. What she had said to her comrades was drown out by the still roaring cacophony of the exploding dust shop, but their immediate actions were more than enough to judge by. One started to tend to the robbers who had been thrown free of the blast, binding their hands and feet, while the other two attempted to get whoever was still in the shop out.

The one running towards him seemed to realize something, whether it was the lack of anything below the torso, the diseased look of the organs hanging out, or something that he wasn't aware of he didn't know, but whatever it was seemed to call fourth some urgency that hadn't been there before. She crouched low to the ground for a second before doing something that Naze had never seen a human do. He would have described it as a blink, except that it was clearly not any kind of arcane magic, as well as the fact that she didn't really disappear. She accelerated to a blur, red pedals being thrown up in her wake, and came to a stop kneeling over Naze, her hands hovering over him and shaking like she was afraid she would do some kind of further damage to him.

He smiled up at her, realizing as his lips pulled back that several of his teeth had been knocked out as well. She looked like she was about to speak, but quickly clutched her hands to her mouth and turned away. Naze wondered with amusement if it was the smell or the sight that had done it. He tried to speak, but after a few moments of wet gurgling it was clear that speech was going to take a little more effort than normal. The girl heard the sounds of his attempt at talking and, finally let go of whatever attempt at decency she was holding onto, allowing her stomach to empty itself on the sidewalk.

Naze attempted to speak again, feeling that this time he would be much more understandable. "What's your name, girl?" he said, his voice still sounding wet and bubbly from the clotted blood that was leaking slowly into places it shouldn't have been, namely his throat.

She looked at him with an incredibly concerned expression and said in a voice that reflected both confusion and worry "What?" like she didn't understand the question. Naze rolled his eyes and said again "Your name, girl. What is your name?"

She looked taken aback by his casual nature, but said "I'm… I'm Ruby." Naze nodded. With one final look down at his ruined body, he decided that it would be a better decision to cut his losses and start again with the knowledge he had gotten so far. Not everything in this body had to go to waste, however. "Well Ruby…" he started, making to push himself off of the wall slightly "…I need you to do something for me, you see? Are you willing?"

Ruby stuttered, saying "I-I really th-think we should get you some-" and Naze cut her off. He said "Look at me, I highly doubt that anything is going to help me at this point. I need you to do something else." Ruby leaned forward, listening carefully. Naze tried to speak again, but found his throat blocked by viscera again. He turned his head slightly to the side and coughed, sending flecks of blood spraying out. Ruby recoiled slightly, and he realized that he hadn't quite turned his head far enough.

His throat clear again, he said "I need you to open the seam at the base of my spine, and pull the gem out." The look of confusion that came across Ruby's face wasn't entirely unwarranted. She recoiled again, but Naze fixed her with a stony gaze and said "Yes, that simple. After you take it, I need you to keep it safe. I would prefer you not tell anyone about it."

Ruby shook her head and said "Wait, what? Why?" Naze gave an annoyed sigh and said "I haven't got much time, girl, just do it!" The sternness of his voice seemed to have a much greater effect on her, as she immediately put her fingers to the back of Naze's neck and started to feel for the stitches he talked about.

Knowing that she would do as he asked, Naze withdrew from the corpse, his consciousness withdrawing from the very crystal that he had asked. His mind reentered his real body, far away in the city he had been in moments before. The dark and stingy air seemed far more comforting than the outside. He took his withered hands off of the magical orb suspended above an ornate stone plinth and stepped back from it.

The gem that he had told the girl to retrieve and keep was special, enchanted and inscribed with runes nearly too small to see that allowed him to project his own magical power over vast distances. He mainly used such crystals to control his undead directly, but situations where such control was needed were few and far between. The attention that had to be paid to each miniscule detail, combined with the fact that fixing a mistake was near impossible meant that each one represented a significant investment of time that could've been spent doing something else. He hated to see so much effort go to waste. He had confidence that the girl, Ruby, would do as he had asked. She didn't seem the type to disregard what she thought were someone's last words.

His hand went to his side and removed the heavy tome from the chain that kept it secured solidly to his body. Of all the artifacts that he had created, this was the second most valuable to him. The book bore numerous enchantments, likely more than his own phylactery did. Amongst most liches such a thing was unheard of, but the book contained every scrap of knowledge that he had ever uncovered, making it plausibly one of the most powerful and dangerous objects on the planet. With a brush across the cover, the countless locks and wards, both physical and magical, snapped open. Pages turned quickly of their own accord, knowing already what their master was looking for.

The book stopped on a blank page, and Naze held a decrepit hand over it, focusing on a spell that he knew well since becoming a lich. Glyphs appeared on the ancient paper, glowing brightly and smoking as they did so. Not only the knowledge, but the experience of what had happened was stored in those markings. I he, or anyone else who managed to open the book decided to look back on the page, they would not only have a written record but live the experience as if it were their own. Once the entirety of his venture into the city was recorded, Naze replaced the tome on its chain and turned to leave the large room.

He walked through the stagnant corridors, every footstep creating a myriad of echoes as they bounced their way through the vast subterranean complex that Naze called his home for so long that even he had lost count of the years. It was down in these cold dark depths that he had performed enough research to last eons. It was down in these depths that he had truly earned the title "Naze the Eternal".


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:**  
I cranked this out in...two days? I think i need some sleep

Anyways, You should leave a review and favorite the story if you like it, because I appreciate feedback.  
So, without further delay;

the second chapter

* * *

Naze cast his thoughts forward to what he would need soon. He would need a fresh corpse, a weapon to contend with the ones that he had seen, and the materials to make the fresh corpse what he needed it to be. He could have done all of this himself, but it would take far too long, and the result wouldn't have been nearly as high quality. He decided that he would awaken the rest of the sleepers in the dark corners of the temple. Something close to a smile worked its way across the stiff, old muscles in his face as he thought about the friends who would reawaken soon.

All of them had been locked in a deep, dreamless sleep for… Naze didn't know how long they had slept, but something had awoken him, and now he would awaken them. There were preparations that he wanted to make before doing this, though. There were libraries to clean, forges to light, rooms to secure, all things that he wanted to do by himself.

He reached a fork in the hall, the paths branching off both to the right and the left. Someone else might have gotten lost in all of the twisting and turning passages, but he had overseen their construction, and he knew his way around. He took the left path, and held his hand palm up, slightly away from him. With a small flexing of his magical power, he created a roaring flame in his hand. It was fairly small but gradually grew as he walked. He continued walking for several minutes, and by the time he reached his destination the small fireball had turned into a massive blazing inferno, almost twice Naze's size. It felt good to be in complete command and control of his full powers again.

He stopped in front of a large set of stairs that descended down into pitch black. Pouring the last of the power that the spell required to reach its full potential, Naze pulled his arm back and lobbed the raging inferno of magefire down into the darkness. It cut through the dark, until it connected with its target. The entire floor of the massive room seemed to ignite, jets of flammable gas and molten rock being expelled from the sudden reawakening of the vein of magma. He smiled again as he imagined the mad cackling of the friend he had who would be making use of this forge. He was a master at what he did, having discovered numerous ways to smith metal and create alloys. The room was almost a mile in length and width, and half a mile in height. Some who weren't involved in the smiting often questioned the need for such large and extravagant facilities, but most understood that extra time often led to extravagant design. The fiery floor spat another gout of red-orange paste, which engulfed one of the catwalks hanging from the distant roof then fell back through the grates that made up the majority of the walkway, not even causing the slightest change in the metal.

Naze turned away, feeling some anticipation for seeing the look on the face of his friend. For him to be reunited with his love would be amusing to say the least. The forge now working, he set off towards his next destination. The library was an incredible structure, nowhere near the size and scale of the forge, but no less impressive. Billions of books gathered from countless sources over millions of years were all housed here, each and every one maintained and organized on shelves that bore special enchantments allowing each individual row to hold many times its normal capacity. The order of the room was usually maintained by a large team of librarians, but they, like all the others, were still asleep. In their absence, a thick coat of dust had settled over everything. Naze toyed amusedly with the thought of their hurried scrambling to clean and inspect every single one for a moment before deciding to help them. He extended a hand out towards the shelves, and a breeze started to flow, disturbing the still air. It was strong enough to lift most of the dust off of the exposed books, but while he didn't know how long they had been asleep, he did know that it was long enough for the pages of knowledge that were so valued to be invaded by the pervasive force that grime seemed to possess.

The library in reasonable order, Naze left, going to the next facility that required his attention. On his way he passed one of the many other rooms that filled his facility. Through the darkness that filled the room he could see glyphs and runes glowing dully. He recognized all of them as demonic. While the presence of demonic symbols did not surprise him, it did that those conducting the research into demonic powers would have left their symbols up. He kept walking. Demonology didn't trouble him as it did many others. To him it was only knowledge, not any more inherently dangerous. Finding those who were willing to conduct research into the demonic was a difficult challenge, but the number of those willing was significantly increased when the dead were given the option. Options not available to the living became open to the dead, souls were easier to protect after they had left the body, preventing the twisting influence of demons to corrupt them.

He continued walking. The corridors turned to a steep slant upwards, and the amount of rooms on the sides started to increase drastically. He knew that in those rooms were the slumbering undead, lying motionless one the floor, waiting for his call to reawaken. But they had waited this long, a little more time wouldn't hurt anything. He walked past the rooms and soon found himself in the upper levels of the temple.

One of the final rooms that he wanted to check on was the enchanting room. It didn't hold any tools or apparatus that required any kind of start, but he wanted to check in for his own piece of mind. He looked in, and found numerous tables with countless kinds of powders, gems, and inscribing tools resting on their surfaces.

Naze was reminded of the gem that he had lost, now in possession of the girl Ruby. He wondered what had happened to her, and what she was doing now. He pulled a small wooden trinket from his belt and felt it. The charm vibrated softly in his hand, and he paid special attention to it. By feeling the intensity of the vibrations, he determined that it had been several hours since his exchange with her. Time seemed to pass very quickly within the halls he called home.

Finally, he arrived at his last stop. The heavyset door at the top of the hall's incline stared resolutely back at him silently. Naze smiled as he saw that the seal the door had been locked with had not been opened. He reached out to the door, his hand alighting on the top of the ornate carvings and magical inscription that covered it. He hadn't used the door when inhabiting the body of some teenager, instead making use of a teleportation spell to the nearest large settlement, which turned out to be Vale. He put some of his vast magical power into the door in a very specific pattern, and one by one the locks snapped open.

The immense stone door lifted, and reviled a lush, dark green landscape surrounded by high mountains. Naze knew better though. He knew that they weren't mountains at all, but that he and all he had built was in a massive crater.

He looked down towards the ground far below from the top of the large ziggurat that capped the massive underground complex. It seemed the same as he had left it, albeit slightly more overgrown with various vines and creepers. Something else grabbed his attention, something that shouldn't have been there. Several pillars of black smoke were rising out of the lush green capped jungle in front of him, and he traced them back to what looked like a clearing that hadn't been there before. He could just see the top of what looked like a wooden building. He raised an eyebrow and said to himself "What have we here? Settlers?" he snorted as well as an ancient dried corpse could "I'm afraid you've chosen a bad location."

He turned back into the ziggurat and stalked back in, now content that everything was ready enough for him to raise his companions. As he walked through the halls, he spread his arms wide and blasted necrotic magic in every direction. The engravings that covered the walls and roof of the halls lit up briefly after they were washed with the death-energies that Naze had mastered fervently. It sank into the stone that made the tunnels and sank down into the lowest depths of the halls. As he came within earshot of the many rooms that housed the sleeping undead, he heard the echoes of conversation. It silenced as he passed, and was replaced by the growing sound of hundreds of shambling footsteps.

He continued to walk, knowing that every single one of them knew already to follow him. He wondered how things would be if he had followed the example of the other liches that had both preceded and proceeded him and made his followers mindless slaves. Instead, what he had always done was to preserve the original personality of those he reanimated to join in his quest for knowledge. This technique meant that the reanimation process was rather lengthy, and that the resulting undead weren't automatically bound to do what he commanded, but he viewed the wide range of deviants incredibly useful. It would have been impossible for him to have gained as much knowledge as he had if it had been only him researching. As a result of this he was always very selective about who he reanimated. One of the most important rules that he followed for himself was that the person was willing to return to their corpse and resume the work their death had stopped. The amount of people who accepted the offer had always surprised him. There were those who were reanimated without their own wills, but they were used for combat or experimentation, the only thing brought back their bodies. Naze avoided making enemies of the dead, finding friends and allies much more useful.

He turned a corner and entered a large empty room with a raised section of flooring towards the back like a stage. He continued walking towards it, stepping up the stairs on the far side and taking a position facing the crowd of corpses and raised his hands above his head. A cheer rolled through the crowd, thousands of voices raised in cheer. He lowered his hands, and the cheers faded as well.

"We-" he called out to the crowd "-have returned!" Another cheer, small compared to the last one, rolled through the crowd. Naze nodded and said "And so our quest continues now! All of you remember your places well, and I want you right back there." He paused for a short minute and started pacing, then said "We have slumbered long, and I fear that the world has changed radically in that time. I have ventured out to inspect things, and it seems that we are all that remains of anything we knew. None of the kingdoms, none of the continents, even the moon has been broken into pieces! It would also seem that all knowledge of the arcane arts that we have vigilantly gathered is remembered. And so, it is for this reason that I am faced with something of a dilemma." Whispers worked their way through the crowd from one ghoul to another, than he said "We have always been gatherers, but things have shifted now. I ask you, for it is not me that has made half the discoveries that you have-"

That was fairly accurate. His research had always been focused on magic exclusively, it was the groups of scholars and masters of trades in front of him that had discovered methods of forging steel far beyond the quality any other could, rivaling the weapons of demons themselves.

"-has the time for us to become teachers come? I ask you, and I will leave the question to you, that when you reach an answer you may share it with me, and actions will be planned accordingly." He didn't think they would be very enthusiastic about giving away that which they had spent their entire undeath gathering, but they had surprised him in the past.

Naze felt that he had told them all that they needed to be told, and waved a hand, saying "Now, go back to your passions. Resume your work, and learn all that you can!" With one final cheer, scholars and masters started streaming out of the room, chattering among themselves about what had been said and about what they thought was going to be different.

Naze remained up on the stage, and sent a telepathic message to several of the undead that he needed to speak with. As he started to be able to tick them out of a crowd by seeing who was going against the general flow of the crowd he couldn't help but be immensely glad with the perks that being a lich came with, even after so many years.

One by one, the four that he had called met him. Brazen, a hunched ghoul with gangly limbs, sunken black eyes, charred sprouts of what was once point hair, and more burn marks than could be counted was the first to arrive, garbed in loose linen clothing. He was the master of the forges, and the one who made most discoveries having to do with metalworking.

The next was Azrile, a clean white skeleton who had shed his flesh completely when risen by Naze, who was regarded to be the best enchanter and scribe of them all, even better than Naze. He wore ornate silken robes with sashes of paper like leather prominently displaying archaic runes.

Trailing behind him was the crawling form of Morgana, her limbs twisted in ways that made it easy for her to crawl across the floor on her hands and feet nimbly. She was the resident flesh-smith of the hodgepodge of group, having devoted her time living to learning about chemicals and compounds that could change the way that things grew and lived. It wasn't long before she had found chemicals to change the dead as well. Unfortunately for her, she had been hunted down and executed, hung by the neck until dead for practicing her foul arts. Her execution had had a profound effect on her psyche, more than most did. As strange as it was; most people were able to simply move on, but she was not. The result of this was her still wearing the tight noose and burlap bag with beady eyeholes cut in the front over her head that she had been buried with. Fortunately, she used the resulting mental trauma as fuel for her creations and alterations. When an undead needed to be bigger, stronger, or healed, she was the one who was sought out. She taught few others, and had very little patience for failure. But fortunately, in her field "failure" was a very difficult thing to achieve. The first thing that usually tasted her chemicals and toxins was her.

It was a few moments before the last of the group arrived. The undead man who was possibly the most alive looking of all the corpses who called the ziggurat home, Daniel, was wearing simple farmer's clothes and had a large shovel over his shoulder. He was one of the very few in service of Naze who didn't have any great aspiration to gain knowledge. Instead, he was a mortician in life, and had become essentially the opposite in death. He had a talent that no one could really explain, in spite of their efforts. He could tell much about what kind of person was buried in a grave, even without any kind of magical knowledge or any detectable assistance. When anyone asked him about it, he simply said "It's just a feeling" in a tired voice. The reason that he always looked like he had died only a day ago was that the first thing he had done after Naze had resurrected him was to embalm himself. At first Naze had questioned the wisdom of keeping the man around, but his services had proven quite invaluable over the years, finding and singling out the graves of scholars for Naze to propose his well-rehearsed deal to.

The party of masters of their crafts stood (or in Morgana's case, supporting herself on her heels and palms) and started at Naze. He looked them over with a critical eye before saying "Welcome back to the land of the living." placing a small amount of emphasis on the last word of the sentence to point out the joke. Azrile made a sound that, if he still had any skin, probably would have been a chuckle. His was the only reaction that was obvious, Brazen twitched slightly, as he often did. Daniel and Morgana simply continued staring.

Naze continued. "While I look forward to your return to your research, I have some tasks for you to do. They shouldn't take too long, so long as you all work together on them." The individuals had had some conflict in the past, but he knew that they could work through it. "Brazen, I need you to forge me a weapon. Make it…" he considered for a moment, then continued "…make it a blade. I want the metal as strong and durable as you can make it." Brazen gave a few twitchy nods and replied "Yes sir"

Naze turned to Daniel and said "Your job will be to find a specific kind of body. I need a boy, about seventeen, mildly athletic, and not rotted. Find it, work your magic, than bring it back. You need to make sure that it doesn't rot." Daniel nodded solemnly and said "You will have it."

Naze spoke to Morgana, saying "Your job will be to make that body better. Make it as durable and strong as you can, but don't change its appearance too much. It needs to be something that doesn't arouse suspicion. Got that?" Morgana responded, her voice sounding like the bow of a violin being dragged across her vocal chords "Easy. So long as I get it soon."

She always had wanted to get assignments out of the way quickly. He turned to the last of his colleagues, Azrile. "Your job will be the most expansive, you'll have a hand in both the body and the blade. I want the blade enchanted and runed so I can put my own magic into it, and I want it inscribed with elemental runes of all kinds." Azrile nodded, then said "What of the body, my lord? What am I to do with it?"

Naze replied, saying "My last foray out into the world ended quite quickly. If I had been able to channel my power better, that wouldn't have happened. I want multiple domination crystals in the body, as well as a socket for another in the blade. Don't concern yourself with the one in the blade, I've already got one in mind for that." Azrile nodded again, and asked "How many crystals in the body, my lord? I'm sure I need not remind you that too many can have unfortunate consequences."

Naze said "Three should be enough. Enough, at least, to fend for myself. Distribute them through the body as you see fit." He turned and addressed the part as a whole "Now, go to it. I want to be informed as soon as any of you make progress. Daniel, get the help from a few of the mages to get you to the city quickly. It shouldn't be much of a problem once you get there." He turned, signaling that he was done giving orders. They all gave some form of affirmation before turning and walking to their places of work.

Naze looked at the ground, thinking about what he would do while they worked. There wasn't much that he could do to speed things up, each one of them was the best at what they did. He would just be in the way. He could, however, do something else. Not very useful to the overall wellbeing of the little collective he had built, but more a matter of personal curiosity.

As the last of the undead exited the room (Brazen moving the fastest of all of them, running as enthusiastically as a charred corpse could run) Naze prepared a spell. It was one that he normally didn't have need for, but he wanted to be sure that he was being listened to.

He threw one hand up in the air, a small ball of light hovering in-between his fingers. As he let more of his energies flow into it, the ball grew brighter and brighter, until eventually it was nearly as bright as the sun when it hung in the sky. Content with its brightness, he lowered his hand and let the ball stay suspended in midair. His spell complete, he sent out another mental command to a very specific group. It was only seconds before the inky black shadows came soaring over the heads of those who were still making their way out of the room. Very quickly, Naze was surrounded by thin silhouettes that tapered off into thin needle tip points on the ground with glowing yellow eyes that seemed to hold an otherworldly sense of perception about them, like they could see far more than any other thing that walked the earth. These creatures were called "shades" and they acted as Naze's eyes and ears in matters that were on a far larger scale, keeping him informed of matters on a global scale.

They didn't have individual identities, at least not that they cared to share. They were the souls of voyeurs, those who didn't have any specific field of knowledge, but simply sought to know things. They were spies, neighbors, and scouts, all people who wished to remain in the shadows and to stick their noses where they didn't belong. Naze was happy to facilitate this, so long as they were willing to report their findings back to him if he asked. They had been most useful in the past, bringing secrets and sometimes even warnings back. They were the only ethereal things that Nathan raised from the dead, for physical bodies would only impede their function. They often spent their time away from the ziggurat, and thus most of the undead didn't have well-formed opinions about them.

Naze addressed them as a group, much like he had the rest of the undead. "Much has changed since we went to sleep, and it has always been your duty to bring information from all corners of the world. This has not changed, so go. Go out and do what it is that you do best."

They all stared back at him silently before scattering again, soaring through the air and a few even seeming to melt through the walls. Naze held one in front of him, intending a particular assignment for it. It stood still, staring, waiting. He took a step forward and said "In the city, Vale, there is a girl. Her name is Ruby. When I saw her she was wearing a black dress and red hood. She is in possession of an item of extreme magical power. Find her and keep an eye on her." The soul in front of him stared blankly for a moment before flying off like all the others. He watched it go before starting to walk out of the room and observe the resumption of research.

* * *

Ruby woke up with a start, her skin covered in a cold sweat and a scream hanging just behind her lips. In a hurried motion she flung herself out from under the covers and away from the thing that had been so close to her moments before. Her body collided with the floor with a loud thump, and she squealed loudly and scrabbled across the floor. Something in the dark room moved. Ruby worked her way under the bed she was leaning against and prayed that whatever was moving wouldn't notice her.

Bright light smashed into her eyes and she held her hands up, trying to protect herself. Her body curled into a ball instinctively, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"Ruby? What are you doing down there?" Yang's voice cut through the silence that was roaring through Ruby's mind. She opened her eyes and looked up. Yang was looking at her with a worried expression from behind a flashlight, and Weiss was looking at her as well from her bed. She looked from one to the other for a moment before saying in a hoarse voice "I… I don't know. I think I had a bad dream." Her voice reminded her of when she was little and ran to Yang after having a nightmare. Yang gave her a sympathetic look and said "Aw, are you alright? What was it about?"

Bodies. Bodies and rot and disgusting dark fluids leaking out of gaping wounds. Her friends and family falling in battle and turning to a sickly mash, talking to her the whole while with their voices becoming croaky and wet sounding the whole time. Just like what had happened earlier today…

She looked at the palm-sized crystal clutched in her hand that she had removed from the guy's spine. It must have been her imagination, but she could've sworn that the fetid smell of the corpse was still clinging to the thing. It was impossible, she had washed the thing off nearly a hundred times, scrubbing it so hard that her hands felt raw. "It was… nothing." She said, shaking her head and climbing out from under the bed.

"Well, sis, you know you can talk to me any time you need to, right?" her sister said, clapping her on the back. Weiss spoke from the bed, her legs over the side of her bed, saying "Yes, we can help you if you need it. You don't need to keep anything from us." Yang gave her another worried look and asked "Is it what happened at the shop?"

Ruby shrugged off Yang's hand and said "Guys, I'm fine. I've seen stuff like that before." And started walking back to her bed. She climbed up onto her bed and threw her covers back over herself. Yang clicked her flashlight off, and the darkness covered her again. A tear rolled its way down her cheek before she clenched her eyes shut and forced the fear out of her mind. If she had another nightmare before the sun rose again, than she would just have to deal with it. Of course she was having a nightmare, it was only natural after what she had seen, right? It would get better over time, right?

She rolled over under her covers. She couldn't get rid of the feeling she was being watched.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**:

I like writing this. If you guys want to leave a review I would appreciate it, and if you feel like sharing this with your friends I would appreciate that to.

* * *

The professor said something with particular emphasis, jerking Ruby out of her sleep. She could tell from the sound that Weiss made that she had probably elbowed her. She lifted her head off of her arms and looked over at Weiss, who fixed her with an angry glare and motioned towards the teacher, indicating where Ruby should direct her attention. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the lesson again. She hadn't been sleeping well as of late. The constant threat of nightmares had kept her from falling asleep voluntarily, and when she did slip up and fall into unconsciousness the visions of her friends decaying before her was quick to jolt her out of it.

For nearly a week she had gone on like this, and it finally seemed to be catching up with her. Her arms and legs felt heavy all the time, it was getting harder to think, and even worse she hadn't been able to use her semblance at all. She had tried many times, but hadn't been able to move any faster than anyone else could. Perhaps even worse than that, her aura seemed to be weakening as well. During her practice bouts with her teammates their blows were staring to actually hurt her, the protective effect that it usually offered fading the more fatigued she got.

The bell rang loudly, startling Ruby enough to make her jump again. Her friends gave her a few worried looks as they got up and started to leave. When the four reached the outside of the room, Yang, Blake, and Weiss all made a semicircle around Ruby and stop, halting her progress. She gave an annoyed sight and tried to push past them, but they stopped her again. "Come on guys! I need to get to the library!" she said, annoyed.

Yang shook her head and said "Ruby, you've got a problem. Your grades have been dropping, you haven't been sleeping and, I don't know if you're aware, but you've started to scream in your sleep. I don't know what's going on with you, but it's starting to be a problem." Weiss stepped forward and said "If there is anything that we can do to help, you know that we'll do it!"

Ruby gave an angry sigh and looked down at the floor. But, now that she thought about it, there really was no reason for her not to tell them. As much as she hated to think about it, the kid from earlier had said that he preferred her not to tell anyone about it, not that she couldn't. She pulled the palm-sized gem from her pocket and said "I… got this from that kid at the dust shop."

The girls looked at it curiously, Weiss even taking it from her hand and examining it closely. As soon as the thing left her hand, Ruby felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her chest. An immediate sense of worry seemed to come across her mind as she realized that she hadn't even noticed the weight building. She immediately wanted to snatch the thing away from Weiss, not because she wanted to keep it, but because she wanted to protect her friend from whatever effects the thing might have on her. She lashed out in an attempt to snatch it from Weiss's hand, but the toll on her body must have been worse than she thought, because not only did Weiss manage to pull her hand away but Ruby would've missed her hand entirely.

This made all of them take a small step back and give her some very worried looks. They didn't know why she had done that, and they probably thought that she wanted the thing back. "Alright…" Weiss said slowly, tucking the gem into one of her pockets "…I think that we can all agree that taking this away from her is a good move, right?"

None of the others said anything. Ruby had to do something. Yang stepped next to her and put an arm over her shoulder, trying to set her sister at ease, saying "Don't worry Ruby. We can take this thing to Ozpin, he's got to know something about it!" Whatever research they were going to do on the gem, she knew that taking it to Ozpin would be the opposite of keeping the thing safe. She needed to keep knowledge about the gem in-between the smallest number of people as possible. If Ozpin knew, there would be no possible way to keep things under control.

"No!" She said loudly, starting to get flustered. "We can't take it to Ozpin. We just need to keep it secret. All that the kid said was that I had to keep it safe. If we tell Ozpin, he'll take it!" The other three looked at each other with eyebrows raised. Ruby's heart pounded in her chest as the others seemed to consider what she said. After a few moments of nerve grinding silence, Yang said "Well… I guess that keeping it can't be too bad, right guys? As long as we're careful with it, we should be fine!"

Ruby felt a wave of gratitude towards her sister wash over her. Blake and Weiss looked at each other, then both nodded their heads. "Alright, but we really should be careful with it." Weiss said "How are we going to do that? Can we just lock it up here?" she gestured around at the room. Blake nodded and said "Yea, we could hide it somewhere in the room while we are out."

They all looked at Ruby to see if this was expectable. Ruby shook her head almost instantly, saying "No, one of us has to keep it!" Ruby saw the looks that they gave each other and knew that she still had things to explain. "I would just much rather one of us always have it, so that if, you know, one of us gets nervous about it…" her voice tapered off as she quickly realized that any subtly that she was talking about herself was lost.

The group was silent for a few seconds before Yang said "Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm alright with this. I'll take it first." She held a hand out to Weiss confidently. Weiss hesitated for a moment before digging it out of whatever pocket she had stuffed it in and handed it over. As the gem dropped into Yang's palm she immediately felt something start watching her. It was the same sort of tingling that usually preceded a surprise attack by something that she had trained herself over years to feel. She glanced around, immediately put on edge. He wondered if Weiss had noticed the same thing.

Blake noticed the change and said "Is everything alright? What's it like? Do we need to get rid of it?" Ruby was about to interject, saying that they couldn't, but Yang shook her head and said "No, it just feels weird. Like I'm being watched. It's nothing too bad."

Weiss looked around them at the halls as a few small groups started to walk past them and said "Maybe we should find someplace a little more private to discuss this matter."

The other girls looked around and seemed to notice the people around them as well and agreed. They walked back to their dorm room, intending to settle the issue of how they would handle the gem until whatever was supposed to happen happened. It should have been an easy walk across campus. Should have been.

As she walked, Ruby couldn't help but feel something strange. She started to hear whispers, not loud enough to tell what they were saying, but loud enough to hear. She didn't know what was making the voices come, but she had the distinct impression that if she were able to get her hands on the gem, the voices would stop. She continued walking, thinking that she could wait until they reached their room.

It was about halfway across campus until she knew that she couldn't make it. The voices only kept growing louder and louder. She kept walking, her hands going to her head and covering her ears. The others slowed and stopped as they noticed her slowing. The pressure in her head built to an intolerable level, and she staggered and fell to the ground. The others started trying to help her up, pulling her shoulders and trying to check her over for damage. She saw Yang crouching in front of her, her mouth moving but Ruby couldn't hear anything but the whispers.

The others were obviously growing more worried, but Ruby could see the solution to the problem sticking out of Yang's pocket. Without hesitating, she lunged out for the gem to take it. Yang wasn't able to react to her grab, but as Ruby's fingers closed around the artifact she was able to get a firm hold on Ruby's wrist.

Ruby struggled against her sister as hard as she could, but it soon became clear that Yang was too strong to escape. At least by only pulling. She started to say something, but the whispers continued to drown her out. She thought that she could make out at least one of the words that they were saying, "run".

She couldn't escape from Yang by just pulling on her, so she did something far more radical. She balled her other hand up and brought it smashing into Yang's face. She didn't want to hit Yang, she was her sister, but she hadn't given her much of a choice. Yang recoiled from the blow, and her grip loosened. Ruby knew that this was going to be the best opportunity she was going to get, so she closed her fingers around the gem as tightly as she could and yanked her arm away. She escaped Yang, but Weiss and Blake were both standing ready to catch her.

She looked down at the gem, and a strange otherworldly glint of light shone off of it. It reminded her of an eye. Instantly she felt a kind of energy coming through the gem, like it was returning some of the strength that it had leeched. She felt her aura power up again, and felt her semblance click back into being useable. In a flash, flapping of her hood, and a flurry of rose pedals, she was gone, zipping across the campus almost too fast for the eye to see. She could feel the energy that the gem was providing her quickly fading, and knew that is she wanted to figure out how to make the whispers stop than she would have to find a place where she wouldn't be interrupted by her teammates.

The last of the power from the gem was used up as she escaped the campus, finding herself in the middle of the street. She got up and staggered out of the street before she was hit by a car and started to walk unsteadily towards an ally. As she entered it and turned the corner out of sight from the street, the voices grew even louder and she started to feel the crystal leeching her aura away again. She held it up in front of her face, tears starting to drop from her face as she practically begged the thing to stop.

Her body fell limp onto the ground and her eyes rolled back in her head. The whispers were so mind-shatteringly loud now that she found herself paralyzed. She lost feeling in her body, and she stopped caring what happened to her. She wished that she still had the strength to throw the thing, to break it into millions of small pieces so that it wouldn't be able to whisper to anyone else. But unfortunate, she didn't, and she slipped away into unconsciousness, dragged down by the dark power in the gem.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing outside of the dust shop that this whole nightmare had started at, the explosion that had destroyed it frozen in mid-blast. She looked up into the sky, and noted with a small hint of amusement the bodies of her friends hanging motionless in the air, surprised and worried looks on their faces. Looked around and saw even a few of the White Fang thugs who had been robbing the shop tossed skyward.

The one thing that she thought would be the most present and obvious, the kid who had been bisected by the explosion, was nowhere to be found. She didn't particularly want to find him, but his absence was unsettling. As she gazed around at the scene frozen in time she noticed a few strange details that were very out of place. Reflections in street windows were impossibly twisted and malformed, and screens that lined the street for advertising displayed nothing but gibberish. A few signs printed above shops were in normal writing, but she still couldn't read them. It was like she had simply lost the ability to read.

A single, hollow footstep bounced off of the tall stone walls that surrounded her, and she turned to see something that she couldn't quite believe. The guy who had been killed, died right in front of her, was standing before her, his arms crossed and an amused smirk across his face. Ruby gasped and jerked back, but he didn't react. After another slightly awkward moment of silence where both individuals just stared at each other, Ruby asked "Where am I? And how are you alive again?"

The kid started to walk towards her slowly, still with a rather unsettling smile. He said "Well, my dear… Ruby, was it? Well Ruby, I regret to inform you that I died a long time ago, far longer before you ever saw me." He shook his head "But that is not important. You have carried out the task I have asked of you, and for that I am grateful, but I regret to inform you that you still must perform this duty for several more days. Two at the most."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as she heard that her job was almost done. If she could carry out the plan that her friends had had to share the burden of the crystal, than maybe she could start recovering from her experience. Something of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, because the guy said "Yes, you are almost free, but unfortunately the damage to your psyche, the nightmares and such, will continue until that time. They are your reaction to what happened to you, and thus not something that can be fixed easily. Because of this, I offer you some small recompense for the services you have given. If you wish, I could…" he waved his hand as he looked for the right word "…burn the experiences that I have forced upon you away. You would still be aware of what had happened, but the flavor, the spirit of the memories will be gone. Reduced to only the basic information, like you had read it instead of experiencing it."

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. A way to get away from the nightmares that had dogged her through her dreams? She would have to be a fool to turn it down. She had no desire to go insane. "How can you do that?" she asked hopefully. The kid gave her another small smile and said "Ah, that would be telling, wouldn't it? I'm afraid that those are secrets that I cannot simply spill."

The entire word seemed to shutter, and Ruby looked around in a panic. The kid's expression changed to one of strain for a second before it faded and his smile returned. "I'm afraid that time is running short, Ruby, so I must make this quick. I can stop the issue from worsening, but you will have to tolerate whatever level of trauma you're at until the gem is collected. Until that, you can rotate the gem among your friends if you like, it won't do much. The rest of the matter will be handled when we come to it."

The world gave another mighty shake, and a few chunks of the paved street fell away into vast chasms that hadn't been there moments earlier. Ruby felt an edge of panic start to work its way into her. The kid didn't say anything else, so she assumed that he was done speaking. As another piece of street startlingly close to her went spinning down into the black void, she said "Wait! Who are you? How can you do all this stuff? Who's going to pick up the crystal? I've got so many questions!"

He didn't seem to care for her desperate questions, ignoring her and turning to walk away. Ruby was about to run after him when the street she was standing on dropped out from under her, and she went dropping back into darkness.

At some point during the fall, things changed. She stopped spiraling through the air, screaming and tumbling head over heels. She was suddenly standing on a sidewalk, Yang holding her shoulders in a firm grip and saying "Wait! Don't leave yet! Who are you?"

Ruby started struggling against her sister's grip, saying "Get off me, what are you doing?" As soon as Yang seemed to realize that it was Ruby again she switched her grip from shaking her shoulders to giving her a rib cracking hug, saying "Oh Ruby, we were so worried that you wouldn't come back!" She seemed to wait several seconds for a response before realizing that the choked gasps were all that her sister could manage while being smothered with so much affection. She removed her arms from their bear trap-like grip and took a step back.

Ruby doubled over, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. It was a difficult task, as Yang had done a very thorough job of nearly suffocating her. When she finally was able to get her breathing under control, she looked to Yang and asked, still gasping "What… did you mean… I wouldn't come back?" as she gasped she looked behind her to find Weiss and Blake standing side by side, watching the scene in front of them unfold. As she looked at them her gaze drifted behind them, falling on a shop that she knew was almost halfway across town from the ally that she had fallen down in.

Weiss was the next one to speak, having noticed what she was looking at. "Maybe you should tell us what happened to you, than we can fill you in on what happened… out here." Ruby was confused at what she meant by the phrase "out here" but decided to ignore it in favor of telling them what had happened to her, explaining why she had done what she did and apologizing profusely for it.

After she was done, the other three girls looked at each other hesitantly before Yang said "Listen, Ruby, I think we need to talk, because you might not believe what happened."

.

Naze withdrew again from the crystal of domination, a wry grin creaking its way across his ancient face. Perhaps possessing the girl had been a bit excessive, but none could deny the effectiveness of his strategy. And besides, he had done nothing "wrong" per se, as long as overpowering a person's soul and forcing his own will on their body wasn't "bad". All he had done was talk with the girl's teammates, asked a few questions and answered a few. Nothing that might compromise his identity, though. He had been very careful to avoid that.

Overall, had had told the three nothing different than he had Ruby, told them that her condition would not improve until the arrival of one who was to take the crystal from them. He had asked a few questions like "what do you do" and "what is a Grimm" and the answers he got didn't particularly surprise him. They were "huntresses", or heroes in training, who sought to destroy the "Creatures of Grimm", things that seemed to have replaced the monsters and demons of his time.

They appeared to be twisted versions of what Naze could only assume had, at some point, been a normal creature. These things had propagated over the majority of the planet, reducing humanity to four major cities, and making the wilds so dangerous that any settlement existing outside of these cities seemed to be quite remarkable. A few of his colleagues more focused on the fine art or deft science of combat had already had run-ins with such creatures, but all seemed to fall without much issue. Morgana had already had her way with several of the corpses, and now several giant armored black undead bears now roughly four times the size of a man and with various spikes and spines all dripping with venom that could curdle blood were wandering around in the jungle outside of the ziggurat.

The other questions that he had asked had all been small things having to do with day-to-day life, asked only to reaffirm things that the shades had already told him. These were things like: what is a scroll, what is a faunus, questions of a very general nature. The question did continue to come up of how he was controlling Ruby, and they had finally irritated him enough that he told them. No specifics, of course, but the general method. Her soul had been weakened inadvertently by contact with Naze's soul, or at least what small part had been being forwarded through the gem. For most creatures this was an incredibly dangerous thing to do, but as a lich his soul was bound to this earth, removing nearly all danger. He hadn't told him that he was a lich, of course, or that he had used his own soul to overpower her, but rather made it sound like he had tricked her somehow.

They had misunderstood, and thought that he was some kind of spirit, and that he was keeping her body as his own. By the time he finished explaining that he had no intent of keeping it, he was done speaking to Ruby and had cut both conversations short. There was no reason he should take the risk that one of them manage to get something to slip from him. And besides, he had better things to do with his time than play poltergeist.

He turned his attention elsewhere in the orb, laying into the new spot with his attention, feeling himself drift into not one, but several crystals of domination, all set in the corpse Daniel had brought back. He had insisted that the boy had died of a heart attack, but the state of the corpses innards had been too in-health for that. Naze's next bet would've been that a swift shovel to the back of the head, but there was no sign of that either. As it stood, nobody in the ziggurat had been able to tell how the boy had died. But there were also few who cared, Naze not being one of them. Azrile had already put the crystals in the body, so he was able to take control. The eyes of the body flicked open, and he found himself on a table with bubbling fluids all around him. He could hear a voice somewhere else in the room muttering to itself, and he knew that Morgana wasn't finished yet. He didn't know much about Morgana's bedside manner, and he didn't want to find out about it.

He withdrew his mind from the corpse and took a step back from the orb. He started to walk through the halls as he held the weathered tome that contained the culmination of his knowledge, passing several other undead on the way, each one giving some gesture of respect as they passed, bows, salutes and various other kinds. He put a hand over the pages, new glyphs burning onto them as he walked.

It was minutes before Naze reached the great forges where Brazen spent his time. He didn't walk into the forges, the sheer heat of the room likely enough to incinerate his body. Those ghouls who spent their eternities working metals had extensive amounts of spells and enchantments put on their corpses to protect them from the molten metal, jumping fire, and pervasive heat that saturated every corner of the forges.

He sent a psychic call through the massive chamber for Blaze, instructing him to report immediately. In seconds, the sound of quick plodding footsteps came quickly across one of the catwalks and in an instant, Blaze was standing at attention with an old fashioned salute, holding something behind his back. Naze addressed Brazen, saying "How is the blade coming, old friend?"

Brazen made a wide sweeping bow, ending in a flourish that brought the blade from behind his back, holding it out for Naze to take. He did, and examined the wicked metal shape. The blade of the sword was roughly five and a half feet long, with small razor-like protrusions near the base of the blade, starting an inch above the cross-guard at the top of the hilt, something that Brazen always enjoyed adding to any weapons he made. He called them simply "gutting spikes" and they were almost like a painter's signature. Every weapon he made had them, and it was a popular practice among those who used weapons made by Brazen to coat them in acid, as they had a propensity of getting stuck in targets and covering them in acid was an excellent way to make them easier to remove without sacrificing any of their impressive damage.

Naze moved on from the spikes, turning his attention to the cutting edge of the blade. It was edged on both sides and almost seemed to cut the very air it occupied. Naze knew that the blade wouldn't dull. Even now, without any enchantment or runic enhancement, this weapon would become something of a constant, a bit like the ones who had forged it.

Naze now turned his attention to the blade as a whole, taking in the structure of the thing. It was a claymore, very obviously meant to be wielded in both hands. The blade itself was broad, about the width of an arm. This was so runes could be easily inscribed on it. The metal that comprised the blade was a dark stygian grey, not quite the onyx black that Naze had almost been expecting. The blade lacked a groove in the middle as many other blades had, but there was no need for such a thing when the metal of the blade was of such unearthly strength.

The cross-guard at the top of the hilt featured an ornate carving of the skull of a beast. Which kind Naze couldn't say, likely something from Brazen's own imagination. Whatever it was, it somewhat resembled a goat, with its horns acting as the cross-guard itself. The design was featured on both sides, and a hole in the design drew Naze's attention. There was a hole that want through the entirety of the design, allowing one to look through it. After a moment of examining the socket, he realized that it was for the domination crystal. After Ruby's experience with the thing he would've preferred it be in a little less obvious position, but other than the possibility of Ruby questioning it he found it quite to his liking.

The hilt of the blade was equally ornate as the rest, small engravings of what looked to Naze like shades zipping through the air above piles of bones. It was about three fists long, obviously for the wieldier to use both. Naze wasn't used to double handed weapons though, much preferring to have a free hand for whatever he needed. He thought Brazen would've remembered this from Naze's other requests for weapons, but everyone was capable of forgetting, even him, as much as he hated to think about it.

The pommel of the sword was relatively simple, not having any discernable function. Nevertheless, there was an ornate carving of a skull design that Naze thought looked suspiciously like his own. Naze took the sword in one hand. Turning away from Brazen, he gave it a few experimental swings.

His own body, the lich body, could wield it one-handed without issue. He made a mental note to speak with Morgana about ensuring that his new body could do the same. He wouldn't say a word to her before she was done with the initial changes, however.

Naze handed the blade back to the blacksmith, nodding his approval. "Another masterwork." he said, being completely genuine in his complement. Brazen bowed, his head twitching, and said "The least I could do for all the years you've given me to perfect my methods."

Naze nodded and turned to leave. Before he left earshot of Brazen, he stopped and said over his shoulder "Make sure that Azrile gets that as soon as possible, and make sure he knows that isn't to fill that socket." Brazen nodded again and turned back to the forges.

Naze continued walking away from the forges, considering what to do next. He himself didn't have much to do, but such was the price of having people who knew more than he did about some things. He considered the benefits far greater than the price of being a bit bored from time to time. Trying to think of something that he could do, he started reviewing recent events his head. His promise to Ruby that he would rid her of the nightmares that had been plaguing her came to mind.

He altered his course to take him to the vast library. He would review tomes relating to magics relating to the mind, and more specifically memory. He had confidence in his ability, but it couldn't do any damage to ensure he knew what he was doing. His mind now lingering on the girl again, the fact that he couldn't simply do what he had proposed irritated him. The amount of power that the one crystal of domination afforded him was not nearly enough for the spell he would need to cast. It wasn't out of any sense of guilt or regret that he wanted to stop the girl from going insane, but more out of a desire to fix any problem he created. He hadn't meant to drive her crazy, so he had to fix it. It was a sense of duty that had gotten him in trouble before, but that he was confident that he could deal with. After he had dealt with Ruby he would continue his search for knowledge under the guise that the new corpse would allow him.

He looked forward to that.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Ok, so,for like 12 hours after the last chapter went up Naze's sword was like four feet he needs to be not running around with a toothpick, so that got fixed. In other news, the guy mentioned in the first chapter who encouraged the start of this is also the one who made Naze not have a scythe and instead have a sword. thanks tyler.

so put a review, all that good stuff everyone asks for, Thanks!

* * *

Naze stood stock-still in the center of a circle of skeletal warriors. Each one had a wickedly sharp weapon, with a variety between them that allowed each one to have a radically different fighting style than the others. Naze tightened his grip on the pommel of the great blade that was now point-first resting on the floor as he felt a rush of air against the back of his neck, indicating a large movement. He focused his energy away from the body that he inhabited and instead on the runes that ran the length of the blade. One rune in particular reacted to his mental touch, and blazed brightly for a brief moment as the power Naze shot through it was shaped into a specific spell and rebounded back into the three crystals of domination that enabled his control over the corpse. Without hesitation, he projected this new spell behind him.

There was a satisfying sound of a blade hitting something harder than itself. Naze withdrew his focus from the runes and put it back into the body, allowing for adequate control again. Able to exercise fine movement coordination again, he raised the blade in one hand and turned to face the aggressor. It was a skeleton in what looked like iron plate armor hanging loosely off of its frame. In its hands were clutched a jagged two-handed sword. It looked like it had been knocked off-balance by the unexpected appearance of a solid magical shield between its blade and its target. Naze knew that it was the opportune time to strike, and acted accordingly.

He dashed towards the undead, blade dragging on the ground behind him as he ran. Then, coming to an abrupt stop within weapons reach, he brought the runeblade arcing up at an angle from behind him. The edge of the blade found its way through a small chink in the warrior's armor between its chest piece and greaves, and the carefully place strike found the skeletal warrior's spine, cleaving it in half and sending small shards of bone flying. Naze would've liked to admire the precision of his strike, but the sound of a heavy boot hitting the floor made it impossible.

He turned to face his new attacker, knowing that attempting a magical defense would leave him open as he switched his focus from control over the body to the projection of magic. Instead he brought the blade up and gripped it with both hands as he turned. The image of another skeleton armored similarly to the last one met his eyes, except that this skeleton was roughly twice the size of a normal man. It wielded a large bastard sword about half its size, and was bringing the sword crashing through the air toward Naze's head.

He reacted with the cold calmness that governed everything he did, bringing his own blade up between him and the blade and focusing on keeping himself as unyielding as possible. The two weapons clashed, and Naze struggled for a moment to hold his body still. Tendons stretched beyond their limit, their functions only to be replaced by the much thicker and more durable fibers that Morgana had transformed most of the musculature of the body into. With the weaker unnecessary muscles gone, Naze knew what the body could be pushed to.

He pushed against the crushing might of his giant opponent, gradually forcing the weapon away from himself. The skeleton seemed to redouble its efforts, and started to force Naze's blade down. For one brief moment Naze believed himself beaten, than he has the crack starting to work its way through where his opponent's blade met the handle by which it was held. A snide smirk worked its way across Naze's face as he noted the uselessness of his enemy's efforts.

The warrior forced Naze's own blade a mere half inch away from his of chest when the worst possible thing happened. Its blade shattered, and the now useless hilt went crashing to the floor. Naze made full use of the opportunity, bringing his own blade above his head and then pulling it back down with the same force used to protect himself. His blade met the skull of his opponent, smashing it completely. The rest of its bones fell to the ground lifelessly. Naze examined his own weapon briefly and, as expected, found no trace of damage.

He turned back to face the rest of the lifeless combatants. None seemed too keen on charging him after the first two fighters had tried it. Seeing that none would attack him first, he dropped his left hand off of the blade and brought it up with his right to point at one of the fighters still making up the circle. The one he chose was armored far lighter than the others, the only things it was wearing that looked like they would stop any real harm being a heavy looking pair of metal gauntlets.

The skeleton stepped forward, and immediately Naze noticed a difference. This skeleton seemed much lighter on its feet than the others, striking a boxing pose and starting to move towards him. Naze regarded the skeleton with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't often that an undead fighter stayed spry even after they died and lost the need to move too much in a fight.

The skeleton took a few more steps forward, but its lack of any real aggressive action told Naze that it was waiting for him to make the first move. He knew that he likely wouldn't be able to land a hit it the skeleton was as fast as it looked. Instead of throwing the first swing, Naze let his control over the body dull and poured the power into the runes that ran along the blade. A few of them started to blaze into life, and a spell started to form. Naze threw the blade in a horizontal slash in front of him, his movement lacking some of the precision that he would've liked. The magic swirling in the runes was released, and a wave of raw kinetic force was thrown from the tip of the blade.

The wave of magic energy shunted its way through the air between the two combatants too quickly for the skeletal fighter to react. When it hit, the skeleton staggered back, the weight of the force too great to simply bear. Naze knew that it was now in a far better position to attack, and instead of shifting his focus back to having more control over his body he activated a different rune on the surface of his blade. He brought the blade to up so that the tip of the sword was pointed at the middle of the skeleton's chest. He would've preferred a more precisely determined point, but he doubted that with his diminished control over the actual body that he could manage a better aim.

He triggered the rune, and immediately the blade jerked forward, almost ripping itself from his grip. His fingers kept their vicelike grip however, and he was pulled along behind the rushing blade. He knew that trying to run along with the blade would only end with him topping over once it stopped, and he doubted that his limited control over the movements of the body would do much to help, so instead he held the body still. Its feet were pulled along the floor quickly, but it stayed upright in a lunging position.

The tip of the great blade punched its way through the center of his opponent's ribcage, but the skeleton moved slightly and prevented the blade from hitting its mark in its spine. Naze swore as he tried to pull the blade out. The shift of focus from magic to movement took a few seconds, and by the time it was done he was being hit with a flurry of metal knuckled punches. His vengeance for the various hits was quick though, and he tore the blade out of the bone, leaving a jagged hole where once a sternum. The loss of the structural support of its ribs meant little to the skeleton, and as the blade was pulled out it was able to keep its footing.

Naze drew the blade back and threw it in a slash that would decimate his enemy if it hit. Unfortunately, the skeleton was still much faster than most, and was able to duck under Naze's swing. He wasn't able to recover from the missed swing in time. The skeleton pulled its arm back and threw a punch with the power of a train. The metal gauntlets folded slightly against Naze's skull, but damage to them was insignificant compared to what it did to the bone it ploughed into. The right cheekbone of the skull was entirely shattered, the eye socket was forced up, crushing the eye, and pushing the jawbone out of its proper place. Naze considered what would be left of his skull if Morgana hadn't already worked her magic on the body. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Naze knew that he would have to try something other than simple swinging. Magic had worked far better, so he started to shift his focus again. In the time that it took for the switch from physical focus to mental, the skeleton delivered several more bone crushing blows to his ribs and arm.

Once Naze had his focus on magic he knew that the skeleton wouldn't last long. The runes along the side of his blade lit up, and be brought it up with a limp, broken arm. With the amount of energy going through the crystals of domination that was focused on magic, controlling the body was now more like pulling the strings on a puppet than moving any specific muscles. This hardly mattered though, the power building in the blade as the runes lit up one by one would be more than enough to destroy his opponent.

His opponent seemed to realize this too, backing away and striking a more defensive stance. Naze knew this wouldn't help. He raised the sword over his head, and brought it smashing down into the ground. The skeleton was nowhere near in range of the blade, but it wasn't the sword that was going to do the damage. The initial impact of the blade shattered the hard tiles of the floor, and small sparks of various magics flew from the metal. It was a few seconds before the magic was successfully channeled out of the blade and rushed out towards the skeleton.

There was a brief flash of light before a deafening roar rattled through the halls, and the explosion that followed was far more than enough to blast every tract that his opponent ever existed off of the face of the earth. A few loose stones and flecks of ash hit against him as the dust started to settle. A smile worked its way across the twisted remnant of Naze's face, and he shrugged saying in a wet voice "A bit overkill, perhaps, but quite satisfying nonetheless."

He looked down at himself. His arm was broken in several spots, there was undoubtedly large amounts of damage to his face and ribs, but other than that he thought that the trial had gone fairly well. He clumsily plunged the end of the blade into the ground and put his arms on it. He started to put his energy towards a rune burned onto the back of the body. It activated, and all power going through the crystals of domination started to go towards the spell in the rune. He fell limp onto the floor, and the body started to repair itself. Bones popped back into place and melded back together.

Naze stood, the body now healed, and flexed his hands out in front of him to ensure they were still working. He smiled to himself. If this body couldn't hold a place in this new world, than perhaps he would just have to go out himself and conduct his business. He pulled the blade from its place in the ground. It was time to go and tend to the damage he had caused Ruby, than he could finally resume his mission of assessing the new world.

.

The structure of Beacon Academy was impressive. The massive structure had obviously had huge amounts of resources devoted to it, a show as to how important the people it trained were. The Huntsmen or Huntresses who fought the creatures of Grimm. Defenders of everything that humanity held near and dear to its heart. Essentially, it seemed, the most important people who received a formal education. It appeared to Naze that they had almost entirely replaced the ragtag heroes of his time. Now there were standards and tests, schools and teachers. A far cry from the bight eyed underequipped teens who either died quickly or became famous warriors.

Naze shook his head. Now was no time to be so sentimental. The shade who had been leading him through the moonlit darkness beckoned for him to continue following. He did, and soon enough found himself led to a building to the side of the main structure. If Naze had to guess he would've said that it was a dormitory. The shade melted through the door, but when Naze went to follow he found the door solidly locked.

He tried to turn the doorknob several more times, but each time he tried it stuck stubbornly shut. He took a step back from the door and cast his gaze towards the rest of the building. Windows lined the outside, and he wondered if the room that Ruby was in had a window. If so, he could find a way up and enter that way. A little unceremonious perhaps, but more than enough to get him in. the trusty shade that had led him thus far returned through the door and gave him a blank look. The shade couldn't make any physical manifestation, so asking it to unlock the door would be useless. Instead Naze instructed it to go to Ruby's room and indicate it to the outside. It turned silently and stalked back through the door.

Several moments later Naze looked up to see a shadowy hand protruding from a window on the side of the building. It was on the third floor, and the only thing that looked like it might offer an easy route to it was a tree with branches that looked just a bit too thin to support him.

He considered breaking the door down and proceeding that way, but that would have consequences further than he wanted to deal with. With a sigh, he determined that the tree was his only viable option. He walked over and started to climb, the thick chords that had replaced muscles making the climb exceedingly easy, and the limbs of the tree bowing under the weight of both him and his sword doing an equally good job of making the climb difficult. In the end it took about a minute and a half for Naze to pull himself up through the limbs and reach a point that might allow him to reach a very small ledge just outside the window the shade's arm hung out of.

With one final jump, Naze launched himself from the tree and grabbed ahold of the ledge. The shade inside pulled its arm back in, and Naze managed to pull himself up so he was standing on the ledge. Almost as soon as he got himself up, a muffled scream seeped through the glass and grabbed Naze's attention.

A sudden commotion broke out inside of the room. Naze was quick to move out of the direct line of sight from inside the room, wanting to observe what had just happened rather than interrupt it.

The small shape that Nathan assumed to be Ruby tumbled over the side of a bunk bed and hit the floor. The other three girls in the room got up from their beds and went to the girl who had fallen. The largest looking one, who had bright yellow hair, got down on her knees and pulled Ruby into a hug. It was all the others could do to look on with concerned expressions. The yellow haired girl was whispering something to Ruby, but whatever it was didn't have enough volume to penetrate the glass. Ruby said something back, and held out a hand to the blond. In it Naze saw the unmistakably exact cut gem that was his crystal of domination.

As soon as he saw it, he rapped his knuckles on the window and moved back into view.

.

Ruby, Blake, Yang and Weiss all started as the hollow sound of a knock at the window seemed to cut through the sounds of Yang trying to set Ruby at peace. All of them turned towards the source of the noise and gasp when they saw the shape of a person silhouetted against the moonlight. They all stared, not sure what to do, until the person knocked again.

Weiss was first to react, walking over to the window and grabbing her blade, Myrtenaster, and making to open the window. Behind her, Blake grabbed the Gambol Shroud, ready to use it. Weiss unlatched the lock on the window and pushed it open. The figure stepped into the room without hesitation and said in a bizarrely matter-of-fact voice considering the circumstances "I believe you have something of mine. I'd like it back."

Yang's fist tightened around the stone Ruby had handed her and said "If you want in back than you're going to have to fix my sister first." in as threatening a voice as she could muster. The figure gave a soft chuckle before saying "I'm afraid that won't be possible. I will require the gem first."

The nonchalant nature of his voice started to get under Yang's skin. She was about to reply angrily about him not getting a hand on his precious little rock without first upholding his end of the deal he had made with her sister when the lights in the room flicked on, and she was forced to blink as her eyes readjusted to the new light level. When she was able to focus her vision again, she found herself face to face with someone far more normal looking that she had been picturing in her head.

The boy looked roughly her age, of similar height and slightly more muscular build. Short brown hair covered his head. The thing that drew most of her attention was his eyes. They were glazed over, like he wasn't really focusing on anything, but behind them seemed to burn a fire of some dark intelligence, like he knew a lot of things he wasn't supposed to.

She then saw the great sword on his back. It looked about five and a half feet long, and made of a metal that Yang couldn't identify. Because it was slung across his back she couldn't get a good look at the blade, but it looked like there were numerous strange symbols etched in the sides. She wondered if there was some purpose to them or if they were merely decorative. Over his shoulder she could just see the hilt of the blade, and it made her shutter. It looked like some kind of goat-creature, and had far too much detail for her to be comfortable.

Yang felt a soft touch on her clenched fist and looked down to find Ruby pawing at her hand weakly. When she saw that Yang was looking at her she started to speak hoarsely. Yang was forced to lean closer to hear what her sister was saying, and when she did she heard "Just give it to him." She looked down at her sister doubtfully. She didn't understand the situation, she was still disoriented from her nightmare. If they just gave the thing away they would lose their only leverage.

The boy cleared his throat and said "I'm waiting" a hint of impatience in his voice. Yang growled to herself softly for a moment before setting Ruby's head gently back to the floor and getting up, both fists clenched now. "If you don't fix my sister fight now, I swear that you'll wish you were never born." The rage building behind her voice was barely contained, and she was sure that there was some physical sign that her aura was powering up, readying for a fight.

The boy's only reaction was to raise an eyebrow at her questioningly. Her capacity for kindness and tolerance stretched to its limit, she let out a powerful roar and threw a punch at the boy's face. She heard Weiss and Blake voice some objections, but she didn't care. This bastard had hurt Ruby, damaged her very mind somehow, and now he thought he could tell them what to do? Her fist sped up, the very gem the stranger wanted clutched inside it.

Something in the stranger's eyes shifted, and Yang let out a cry. The power of her aura that had been empowering her fist started to be sucked out of her violently, like someone had put her head in a vacuum. She desperately tried to replace the energy, but for every bit of energy she tried to put back in it seemed that twice the amount was stolen away.

She stumbled and fell, her limbs too heavy to lift. The boy knelt down and removed the gem from her hand. She tried to grab his arm as he pulled away, but she could barely even manage to close her fingers. Her friends quickly tended to her, pulling her back next to Ruby and positioning themselves between them. Weiss and Blake now stood, weapons raised, ready to gut this stranger. He drew his sword, and both girls narrowed their eyes, ready to spot any weaknesses.

Instead of getting into a combat stance however, the stranger brought the blade up in front of him and slid the gem into a socket in the guard, right in the middle of the goat-thing's forehead. It lit up with a strange purple light briefly before the metal around it seemed to react to its presence and tightened slightly, locking the gem in place.

This accomplished, the boy returned his attention to the girls and said "I assure you I've no intent of fighting you." He gestured towards the gem now stuck in his weapon and said "Now I'm ready to help the girl."

He stepped past Weiss and Blake briskly and came to a stop in front of Ruby. The two girls stepped forward and were about to stop him when he planted the tip of his blade firmly in the floor in front of Ruby and closed his eyes, saying "Prop her up, lean her on a wall or something. She needs to be looking at me."

They looked at each other with raised eyebrows than looked to Ruby. Her eyes were half open and she was looking up at them, nodding slowly. Hesitantly they pulled ruby and put her back up against the wall and pointed her head towards him.

.

Naze put his focus into magic, using his sword to support his body's weight while he focused on casting his spell. There was no rune for the spell on his blade, so casting required almost his full attention. A great amount of power went through the crystals that were laid in his body and coalesced in the gem in the sword. Then, as he focused on shaping the spell he cast it out towards Ruby. A beam of concentrated white light emitted from the gem in the blade's hilt. The beam connected with Ruby's forehead, and Naze met with resistance. It wasn't much, but there was just enough to stop him.

It was the same kind of energy that he had drained from the other girl, some kind of outwardly projected soul energy. The only people he had ever known to be able to project themselves in such a manner were paladins and priests, both things that he had not seen heads nor tails of. He didn't miss their presence, they had all been rather stalwartly against the undead, and had a nasty habit of exercising the souls out of those Naze reanimated, even if they had returned to their corpses willingly. It was one of the few ways that one raised by Naze could really be "Killed" again.

That being said, there was much less than those "holy servants" always had. He wondered why the teachings of the Holy Order had been so diminished, assuming that they were still around at all. If Naze had to give them credit for anything, he could safely say that the weaponizing of the human soul was an impressive feat.

Naze cleared his mind. Now was not the time for musings on the past. He pushed harder against her shield, and broke through to her mind. Her thoughts echoed through Naze's head, but he ignored them, instead looking for her memories. He found them after a few moments, but they were jumbled and unorganized. Most peoples were. He flipped through them idly, like someone might through the pages of a book looking for a specific chapter. Much like someone flipping through a book, he couldn't help but peak at them as they rushed by.

From what he could ascertain by his short looks, Ruby's story was one that had been told many times before. She lost her parents at some point, and was raised by some other family member. Her sister was an important part of her life. She wasn't the best in matters concerning other people, but found a sweet refuge and sense in battle. Naze wondered how many heroes through the ages had shared the same experiences. Too many to count, undoubtedly.

He found what he was looking for. Recent memories, far more vivid than the others, and much darker than the rest. They started at their first meeting when he had been rended in half by the explosion at the shop, and continued on in nightmares and daydreams. They were unpleasant to say the least, and resonated so deeply with her that they had started to erode her very soul. If Naze were an evil lich he might've taken advantage of the situation.

He focused on the memories specifically causing her pain and, after one final check that they were the ones he had caused, drained them of all color. They dulled, mental images became blurred impressions, and the essence of the moments was all gone.

Naze withdrew from her mind and focused on moving his body again. His eyes flicked open and he looked down at the girl. She was looking around like she had just woken up, a confused expression on her face. Naze could already tell that her energy was returning with an impressive rapidity.

By this time the one Naze now knew as Yang had recovered from the soul-sapping attack that he felt a bit too proud of. She rushed to her sister's side and pulled her roughly to her feet, saying "Ruby! Are you alright?" she shook her shoulders and spoke loudly. Ruby focused blearily on her sister's face and said "Y-Yang?"

Naze watched the ordeal, a small smile on his face, when cold metal pushed against his throat. The girl with the black hair and bow, Naze was fairly sure he had seen "Blake" in Ruby's mind several times, said "Is she going to be alright, or did you just mess with her some more?" Some small part of Naze hoped that she would slit his throat, just so he could see her face when she saw the lack of blood exiting the wound. But something like that was the entire reason he was here, and had caused him enough trouble already. "I can assure you-" he said with a smirk "-that she is merely disoriented, nothing more. Think of it as coming out of surgery. One cannot be expected to recover so quickly from such a thing." The girl loosened her hold, but didn't let him go.

He smiled again and said "You can let me go now, I wanted to talk a bit anyways. We can do that until Ruby comes around." The other girl he had seen in Ruby's memory, Weiss, gave him a suspicious look. Yang also gave him a suspicious look, but quickly turned back to Ruby and continued to talk to her. The blade left his throat, and he heard the window close behind him. Blake and Weiss walked across from Naze and took a seat on one of the beds, both near Ruby, and indicated for him to do the same on the opposite bed. He conceded and took a seat.

Weiss let out a sigh before pointing to the gem now inlaid in the hilt of his blade and said in a harsh tone "Do you know where we found that thing?" Naze shook his head, feigning ignorance, and said "I was going to ask you about that. Where was it?" Weiss's response was quick. She said "Inside of someone's spine! Would you care to explain how it got there?" The urge to correct her by pointing out that it had been next to the spine was strong, but he resisted. "I haven't the foggiest idea." He replied convincingly enough to fool anyone. "Maybe some maniac got ahold of it somehow."

Weiss looked like this wasn't the answer that she had been expecting and backed off slightly. Blake was more than willing to take her place, however. "Whether you know how it got there or not, you've got some questions to answer." She said in a voice even harsher than Weiss. Naze nodded. A series of lies had been prepared for just such an occasion. "The blade is a family heirloom that was passed through the generations of my family. Nobody knows how it was forged. When my father fell ill and died, the sword came to me. Using the brief training that my father had given me I was able to fight my way out of the wilds and come here. Now I want to learn as much as I can."

Blake now looked taken aback. Her eyes narrowed and she said "You grew up in the wilds? Where? What village?" Naze assumed from her reaction that she had some knowledge of those matters, and decided that it would be best if he had none. "I don't know." He said "My father was the one who kept us safe, and we didn't have any contact with any larger villages or cities. Now I find myself woefully uninformed about everything around me."

Weiss seemed to have recollected her thoughts and asked "how did some crazy person get that gem?" she said, pointing. Naze tried to look slightly abashed and said "I… had to sell a few things when I got here. That was the thing that I got the best price on. I didn't know that it was actually a functional part of the blade until it was too late." He cast his gaze over to Ruby and said "My father always said that the sword knew who it served, though. I doubt it's a coincidence that you're friend found it, it probably wanted to be found."

Weiss's eyes narrowed again, and she said "How did you know that we had it? For that matter, how did you know where to find us?" Naze thought for a brief second before replying "I didn't, the blade did. I really don't know how it works, but I was able to find you with it."

Yang spoke up from Ruby's side, her voice softer and holding a hint of an apology "How did you do the…" her voice trailed off and she nodded her head towards Ruby. Naze shrugged and said "My father always told me that the blade was dangerous, and that it was important to know how to fix the problems it caused."

Yang indicating Ruby seemed to jog the girl out of the lull she had settled into, and she stood shakily, a hand on the wall for support. Yang stood ready to catch her, but not supporting her. Naze could see that she was coming out of the effects that light memory alteration often caused. She took a few jerky uncertain steps towards him before stopping a few feet short and holding out a hand. Naze regarded her with a raised eyebrow before looking around to the other girls in the room. All of them were watching intently, not sure what was going to happen next. He turned his attention back to Ruby and stood. Her eyes followed him, and her hand still stuck out awkwardly. With a puzzled expression, Naze took her hand in his and gave it a few experimental shakes.

This seemed to be what she had been waiting for, as a large smile spread across her face and she said "Thanks, friend!" Yang gave a small laugh and said "Well, it looks like you've got one of us to trust you." in a joking voice.

Ruby gave a wide yawn, and Naze reminded himself that people who were alive needed sleep from time to time. He took a few steps backwards while simultaneously sliding his blade back into its sheath across his back and said "Well, I suppose I should get going. I would like to speak tomorrow, though, If that's alright." Yang gave a nod and said "Sure, I'm certain that all of us would like to talk once we get some sleep."

Naze nodded and turned, opening the window again. As he did this, the soft, still slightly dazed voice of Ruby came, and she said "You want to learn?" Naze turned back to her, confused a moment before realizing she was referencing what he had said to Blake. He nodded, and Ruby said "Why don't you join Beacon? It's the best place you could go if you want to learn!"

Nathan gave her a real enough smile as he continued to open the window. "I'll consider it." he promised as the window popped open and swung out. Ruby gave him a playful wave as he stepped up onto the windowsill. He returned it with a solitary nod of his own before turning his attention to the other girls and said "I look forward to the conversation tomorrow." before stepping out of the window and letting gravity do the rest.

The thick muscle-like things he had Morgana to thank for tensed as he hit the ground and kept walking. He reviewed what had just happened in his mind. Some useful information had been gathered, but more importantly he had met some potential allies. He was sure that they still had a large amount of suspicion towards him, and it wasn't undeserved at all.

He heard the window on the third floor shut, and smiled to himself. Ruby's words kept echoing through his mind. Join Beacon. A strange idea to be sure, but the more he thought about it the more it would make sense. Receive the same education Huntsmen and Huntresses got, and know everything that the most important seeming people knew. Work down from there.

The smile on his face widened, and he thought to himself surrounded by the dark stone of the city about whether or not he would be accepted if he applied tomorrow. If not, he would just have to give them a little example of how exemplary a student he could be.


	5. Chapter 5

It was not long before sunrise when rain started to fall from the roiling sky. Naze didn't care much about the downpour, but his clothes were quick to absorb as much water as they could, and hold onto it jealously. He knew that there was no chance of them drying out by tomorrow unless he found a fire somewhere to warm himself by. The cold that sank its way through to his bones, but his already deceased body cared about as much as his old mind did.

He found his way to a relatively dry alleyway and sat to contemplate what he would do next. Leaning his back against the grey stone wall and casting his gaze up towards the sky, he removed most of his focus from the body and returned to his real body at the ziggurat. Turning away from the orb that he used to command the distant corpse but still keeping a hand on it to maintain some small amount of awareness of the vessel. He called out with his mind, summoning one of his minions to him.

It was several minutes before the one he had called arrived, but when he did Naze was greeted by a somewhat cluttered clash of shiny gold pendants hanging off of a black robe draped heavily over the man's nearly completely hidden body. He bowed formally and said "What can I do for you, master?"

Naze looked to the cloaked undead with a stern glare and said "There is a large city to the west of here, called Vale. I want you to take a caravan of pack beasts and go buy up as much something called "dust" as you can, enough to satisfy the enchanters at least. Take whoever you think you'll need, but keep the fact that you're post mortem clandestine. I'm still not sure how people might react to us yet."

The man snorted from behind his hood and said disdainfully "I'll bet you're planning a real good show for those paladins. I might not be one of you intellectuals or fighters, but if you need me to buy something out from under 'em you know I'm ready to go." Naze nodded, not feeling the need to tell him he had not seen heads or tails of the paladins that had antagonized them in the past. Hale had been a highly skilled merchant in life, but during one of the Holy Orders' more drastic crusades he had been accused of practicing necromancy and promptly executed. Naze always payed special attention to those the Order executed themselves. Those people always seemed more willing to return to their bodies by the powers that they had been forced to believe were unholy.

Hale waved a hand in the air quizzically and asked "So this dust stuff, what is it? You said it was for the enchanters so it's got to be magic or something, right?" Naze shrugged honestly. "Yes. But no one knows where it comes from. It seems to just crop up from the ground like mineral deposits."

Hale turned back to the door and said "I'll be back when I get it." Naze called after him, saying "You may want to take some guards with you. From what I've seen Vale has something of an issue with crime." Hale laughed over his shoulder and said "Good! I'll fit right in!" His response made Naze smile. He had appreciated Hale's amusing outlook on crime. He had always seen it as a resource, like iron or lumber, something to be manipulated or used.

He would've continued his musings, but something from his orb caught his attention. He turned and restored his focus to the vessel far away. He had been pushed flat against the ground, and something was depressing his chest rhythmically. He felt his sternum crack under the pressure, than realized that whoever was doing this had likely seen that he wasn't breathing, and was trying to resuscitate him. His theory seemed more likely as a face swiftly approached his.

He put a hand between his face and the stranger, preventing them from continuing before sitting up and getting a good look at them. It was a girl, orange hair about shoulder length, and strikingly green eyes. She wore a simple blouse with light green overalls, and a black collar with bright green lines on it. She had a concerned expression, her hands hovering over him cautiously. Naze made a conscious effort to start breath and said "I'm fine, thank you for your help." as he started to push himself back up from the ground. The girl stood with him, and said "Are you alright? You weren't breathing!" Her voice sounded strange to him, almost robotic.

Naze nodded and said "Yes, I'm fine. You did a hell of a job waking me up though." Her hand went to her mouth and she looked taken aback. Naze smiled and said "Yes. Most people might not sleep in the gutter, but most people have better places to sleep."

An awkward silence passed between the two before Naze decided that he might be able to use this strange situation to his advantage. "So" he asked "what are you doing prowling the alleys on such a wonderful evening?" The girl tilted her head and said "I was walking down the street, and I saw that you weren't breathing, so I came over to try and help."

Naze nodded and said "Well I appreciate the concern, but it's not necessary." The girls worry faded slightly, but Naze wasn't done. "There is something you could do to help, though. I need someone who knows the layout of this place." Her face perked up and she looked like she was eager to help. Naze smiled and said "The major landmarks here easy enough, but I was looking for something else. Do you think that you could take me to the nearest graveyard?"

He hoped very sincerely that burials had not fallen out of fashion in the time he had been asleep. It would be an awful blow if people had simply started destroying corpses. There were other ways of recruiting those willing or wanting to return from death, but none were quite as easy as restoring a spirit to its body.

The girl seemed to wilt slightly at this. She said "Oh, have you lost someone recently?" His response was a small smile that probably seemed a bit out of place before he said "I'm hoping to find that out. I might have a few friends hidden around there." The words held a joke, and Naze thought it was a shame that only he understood them. Not that it was actually funny, of course, but it was like making a purposely bad pun.

The girl turned and started to walk away, grabbing an umbrella from the ground as she did so. Naze followed her. He wondered if she would turn out to be a student of Beacon, or if she was just some citizen or visitor. He supposed that it didn't matter too much. He took a few steps forward before the girl stopped and looked back at him. He was about to ask what she was doing when she held the umbrella out towards him and motioned for him to join her under it. He did, and the two started to walk.

As they walked, something in the girl's demeanor seemed to change. She looked over to him and said "My name is Penny, it's good to meet you!" while offering the hand that wasn't holding the umbrella out towards him. He took it and shook. He didn't see any reason to lie, so he told her his real name. "I'm Naze, the pleasure is all mine." She gave him a smile and continued to walk.

Naze had noticed something strange when he had shook her hand. It was warm and soft, like a normal persons would be, but there was something strange about it. The subtle movements of her fingers had been accompanied by vibrations that muscles didn't produce. It could've been some kind of fluke, but he doubted it. He ran through what could've caused that, and the list he compiled was quite short. The possibility of it being because of something that had been developed in his absence was likely as he could hardly think of anything that would lead to such an affect. His musings as to the cause of such a minute detail were interrupted when the girl said "So, Naze, what are you doing here in Vale?"

He gave a small shrug and said "I came here out of curiosity mostly, but it's been suggested recently that I join Beacon. I figure that that's really the best option that I've got." Penny gasped excitedly and said "You're joining Beacon? I have friends in Beacon! I'll bet you'll meet them if you get in!" her excitement seemed to turn into curiosity and she asked "How do you plan on getting in? The entrance exam is incredibly difficult, and the year has already started. I don't know if the professor will let you in."

Naze raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm sure that I can pass any test they give me. I do have an issue with getting in, though. I don't know who runs the school, or how I can get in contact with them. I suppose that could make it difficult to apply. Do you know who runs it?" She nodded and said "Professor Ozpin is currently the headmaster of Beacon. His office is on campus, I'm sure you could find it if you asked around."

Naze nodded, and the familiar look of a wrought metal fence surrounding a large plot of land started to push out through the sheets of rain. His pace quickened as he approached the gates to the graveyard. They were closed, and a large padlock held them stubbornly in place. Naze gave the lock a few experimental shakes and sighed as the lock itself barely moved. It showed no signs of rust or wear, and looked fairly new. He shifted his gaze to the iron fence that wrapped around the land. Large metal spikes sat on top of each individual pole. While he did want to get into that graveyard, it wasn't worth being disemboweled attempting to climb the fence.

Penny's voice came from behind him, saying "Oh, it's closed. Maybe we should come back tomorrow, it should be open by then. In the meantime maybe I could-" her voice was cut off by the loud sound of Naze's blade shattering the lock and cracking the pavement it came to rest on. The metal gate creaked open, and Naze stepped through into the dark yard.

The rain pounded determinately down on him as he made his way to the center of the mass of tombs and crypts. When he came to a large circular area with a few benches, he stopped and thrust his blade through the white pavement with a dull thud. The tip of the sword planted itself as easily as a hot knife in butter. Both hands on the hilt of the blade, he bowed his head and closed his eyes, diverting his power away from physical control over the body. Penny's voice rang out objections and suggestions, but he mostly ignored them. This was just a little more important than worrying about trespassing.

One of the runes near the base of the blade blazed brightly, and an invisible necromantic energy surrounded him. He felt his awareness expand as the souls of the dead inside of the field came into focus. After a few seconds he constructed a projection of his real self, not his puppet body, and started to look around at the spirits.

The graveyard struck him as eerily silent. They usually were filled with spirits, all talking and interacting together, brought together by the common trait of being dead. Graveyards essentially acted as gathering places for the dead who decided to stick around on the plane of the living. This one however, only had a few melancholic looking souls scattered around. Some were sitting atop gravestones, some were laying on the ground flat on their back and watching the rain fall, and some were simply standing in place and gazing around disinterestedly. A few were starting to shake out of their lethargic state, looking at Naze and eventually starting to walk over towards him.

He let out a pulse of necromantic magic that engulfed the entire cemetery and carried the simple command "come". They all reacted immediately, turning towards him and making their way over to him at varying speeds. One of the first ones to reach him, an elderly looking man in about his seventies, said "Who… what are you?" in a half curious, half concerned voice. Naze knew there was no reason to lie to those already dead, so he was absolutely forthcoming, in keeping with his usual rule of how he recruited for his troop of scholars and soldiers.

"I-" he said gesturing to himself as he spoke to the small crowd "-am a lich. I lived a long time ago as a sorcerer, someone who devoted themselves to the study of magic. My field of expertise was necromancy, but I always tried to learn as much as I could from any field. Studying and surrounding myself with the dead and undead brought my constantly looming mortality into the forefront of my mind, and I set about finding a way to ensure that my death wouldn't be the end of my journey. I discovered a way to bind my soul to an object, and I spent thousands of years after that learning and finding those who shared my interest in knowledge. With their permission, I returned their spirits to the physical, and gave them places to continue their study. It was in this way that we continued to learn, and now I have come to make the same offer to you." He shifted his tone to something more likely to get a little sympathy and continued "In spite of all that, we have slept for a very long time, and have fallen out of touch with the world. We need people who can bring us back up to date, and those who might be able to smooth relations between the rest of us and the living." One of the spirits tilted their head questioningly, and Naze spoke to her directly "The living have never been particularly welcoming to the dead. I can't say I blame them either, many undead had malevolent intentions back in the day, but it seems that now there aren't many undead to make a name at all."

The spirits continued to look at him expectantly, and he continued on. "So, if there are any among you who have a passion for learning, who share that same hunger for knowledge that I felt so long ago, and still feel today, than step forward. If you feel no want to increase your understanding of the world around you than return to your graves and resume your slumber."

Most of the spirits turned and walked back to their graves, most talking among themselves now instead of sitting in dismal silence. Only three remained: the man who had asked who Naze was, a woman who looked like she was in her late twenties, and a child that looked about sixteen or seventeen. All of them looked nervous.

Naze addressed the old man first, asking "What is it that you would spend your undeath studying, good sir?" The man started dry washing his hands and shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. "Well… I was a professor at Beacon teaching history, and I thought that I knew all there was to know about it. But if there was a time when…" he indicated Naze with a shaky wave of his hand "…when something like this was possible, than clearly there is much that has gone hidden for far too long." He seemed to steel himself before standing up straighter and saying in a single quick breath "I would seek to look through the veil of time, and uncover all that lays behind it!"

Naze considered for a moment before nodding. "History is important, perhaps even as important as the present. Your insight would be appreciated by those who share similar interests among my colleagues, no doubt." The man let out a relived sigh and mumbled a few thanks before Naze turned his attention to the woman.

He spoke to her the same way he had to the man. "What would you do with your time if you given as much as you needed?" She gave a heavy gulp, in spite of the fact that she didn't have any real reason to. "I don't know if this really counts, but… I design weapons." Her eyes widened and she seemed to catch herself suddenly "I mean, I used to design weapons before I, well, I died."

Naze brought a withered ghost-hand to his chin as he thought. She was correct. Designing weapons wasn't what he would consider a conventional topic of study, but rather more of an art. Nevertheless, it was an art that could easily lead to breakthroughs and developments in other fields. "Artists and craftsmen don't tend to stay among us as long as other kinds of researchers. They start to feel that they have reached their full potential, and that there is nothing left to innovate. When this happens, they typically come to me and ask to be released back into the ether of death to move on." The woman's face fell as she thought that he was denying her, but he was quick to add "I hope that you don't tire of your work too quickly."

The expression of creeping dread was instantly replaced by one of almost pure joy. She made a few muffled noises and seemed to scrunch up before realizing that he was still looking at her and hiding behind her hands. Naze had never seen a person's soul blush, but she had to have come the closest. Naze turned to the young teenager and raised an eyebrow at her, asking "Any what of you? What have you an undying urge to learn?"

The girl crossed her arms and gave him an unimpressed look. He knew that others in his position might have taken offence at this, but he was not so petty and arrogant. The girl waited a moment before saying "Dust. No one knows where it came from, or why it does what it does, but everyone uses it. I tried to find the answers, and died trying. I guess having a do-over would be really nice."

Naze raised an eyebrow again. "If I may ask, how did you die?" The girl's immediate reaction told Naze that he had struck a nerve. Her expression changed from unimpressed to angry, and she seemed to have to bite her tongue to keep from snapping back at him with some snarky comment. Naze shook his head.

"It doesn't matter." He said before turning his focus to the whole trio and saying "There is something I must ask of you before you are restored to the flesh. In the past, undead have risen and sought some personal revenge, or simply to hurt the living. I will not allow such brash actions to paint all undead as monsters again. Instead, I would ask you to swear off any bonds or allegiance that you held during life. The only ally you will have is knowledge, pure and simple. Do you agree?"

The spirits all nodded and confirmed that they did, and Naze smiled. "Good. Now, the matter of what bodies you will inhabit is a problem. We could get our hands on your original bodies, sure, but as I said before, I hope to make us undead appear a little better than we did before, and grave robbing isn't something that gets you into people's social graces. I could have someone just put you in new bodies if that's not something you don't particularly care about, but some people get oddly sentimental with that kind of thing."

They all shook their heads, indicating they didn't care about their bodies. Naze gave a short bow and turned back to his puppet body, saying over his shoulder "Come with me, I'll take you to your new home."

He let the projection dissipate, and set his focus into the crystals of domination set in the body and the blade. He channeled his power through the crystals and wove them together, creating a gateway for his new recruits to travel through. They were hesitant to go, and required some help.

Naze pulled them through, using his immense power to transport them through his crystals and out of his orb of control. They soared around the dark chamber, their bodies replaced by wisplike balls, for several seconds before Naze turned his attention away from the orb altogether and gestured towards the door, shouting "Go, explore your new home! Find some new friends to help you, and leave me to my work!"

He didn't mean to be rude or harsh, but he had work to do. He sent out a mental call to the higher standing ghouls in his service to find the new recruits and show them around before the necromancers outfitted them with new bodies. This complete, he turned back to the orb and resumed control over the puppet.

His eyes flicked open, and he pulled his blade out of the ground. As he replaced it in the large sling across his back he turned to see Penny looking at him with a face of even greater concern than she had had before. When she saw that he was looking at her she seemed to be uplifted immediately, taking a few steps towards him and embracing him in a hug that caught him off-guard. "I'm so glad you're alright!" she cried "I know you said that It was nothing to worry about, but your aura was starting to drain!"

Naze raised an eyebrow, uncertain what she meant by the comment. She saw his puzzled look and said exasperatedly "You weren't even breathing! You were dying!"

Naze gave her a small smile and reached out, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It warms my heart that you are concerned about me, but I assure you it is unnecessary. Things will…" he paused, wondering if it was a good idea to give this girl any more details than he already had. If he wanted to keep him and his undead allies hidden away from the rest of civilization, than he should walk away. But that wasn't what he or his people wanted. Their reaction when he had posed the question of whether or not they wanted to share their knowledge made it clear enough that at least a some wanted to become teachers "…things will become clear soon enough."

Penny very clearly didn't know how to respond. She looked down for a second before replying slowly "Oh… alright." For several more seconds the rain pounding against the ground was the only sound. Penny looked Naze over and said, her voice sounding more empathetic again "You're soaking wet. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Naze looked down at himself. His clothes were indeed sopping, and it looked like they were starting to be damaged by the rain, fabric stretching and tearing under the weight of the water. He looked back up to Penny and shrugged, saying "Some new clothes might be nice."

Penny nodded and took his hand in a grip far firmer than Naze thought someone of her size would be capable of and started to lead him away. He felt the strange whirring feeling beneath her skin again but didn't say anything about it. Considering what she had seen him do and the fact that he had asked her not to say anything about it, he wasn't in any position to ask her anything about her strange traits.

She led him by the hand out of the cemetery and through the streets under her umbrella. He tried several times halfheartedly to remove his hand from her grasp, but her grip proved too unyielding to casually worm his way out of. He was about to ask her where she was taking him when one of the larger buildings in the distance started to push through the heavy rain with bright neon lights trying desperately to bring attention to itself in spite of the downpour. As they drew closer, the neon lights became more pronounced, spelling out the name of the shop and various marketing blurbs that made Naze wish he could vomit. Large window displays showed off a selection of articles and outfits that were nothing in not varied. Many of them were brightly colored, making them things that he wouldn't wear even if the alternative was sticking with his drenched attire.

Penny dragged him inside, and the tired looking clerk behind the cash register gave them a strange look and a tired nod. Penny looked at Naze expectantly before nodding towards the vast selection of clothes. Naze let out a sigh and walked over to the nearest rack, pretending to examine a few pieces.

In reality, he knew what he would get as soon as his foot had touched the floor of the establishment. There was a grey zip-up hoodie in the back right, a pair of jeans by the register, and a plain red long-sleeved shirt on a rack in the middle. He used the time that he bought himself in this manner to think about his new companion. She was strange, like she was just slightly off. There was something about her mannerisms that rubbed him the wrong way. Every word she said was enunciated just a little bit too well, each movement just bit too calculated. He knew that he behaved in a similar way, but at least he knew the reason that he did this. Switching racks, he stole a glance back at the girl. She was watching him, a smile plastered rather unnervingly across her face. Naze resumed examining the rack in front of him.

The thought back to earlier events. She had attempted to help him while he sat in an ally. So she was a Good Samaritan, there was nothing aggressively out of the ordinary there. This did raise the rather interesting question of how she had seen that he wasn't breathing, however. He had been leaning up against a wall at least forty feet from the street, and almost covered in darkness. He supposed that she might just be unnaturally perceptive, but there was more. Now that he gave the matter some thought, he recalled when he had spoken with the spirits at the graveyard. While paying attention to such things, the living's souls usually showed up as well. Penny's had, and he had therefor not paid any mind to it, but it had seemed to be on a different "frequency" than human souls typically were. To his immense knowledge, there was no reason this would occur. And finally there was the vibrating in her fingers. A minor thing, something that Naze was ready and willing to let slide, but in the light of the other things it could be significant.

An idea popped into Naze's head. A little underhanded and devious, he would admit, but an excellent idea nonetheless. He diverted control from two of his crystals and started to work a field of magic around him. Quickly enough, the entire interior of the store was covered. The store clerk's soul burned brightly inside of him, every bit as stubbornly attached to his body by that little link that separated life from death. He turned his attention to Penny, using the clerk as a baseline.

The differences between the two were immediately visible. The man's soul burned with steady fluctuations, his disposition shifting ever so slightly as different thoughts passed through his mind. Penny's soul burned at a perfectly regulated rate, with nearly zero variations at all. Any deviance was quickly returned to the state the rest of the soul was in. Naze noticed another thing that tipped an alarm somewhere in his brain. The link to the body, so clear in the clerk, was almost nowhere to be found. If there was no link between the soul and body than, in theory, it was possible that there was some kind of foreign entity controlling the girl. He dismissed this though, as there was no host soul being repressed, and if the girl was undead Naze would know immediately, even working through the crystals as he was.

His focus narrowed. That was all well and good, but he still didn't have enough information to make an accurate guess as to why the girl was so strange. It was time to test something. Naze stopped breathing and held stock-still. The change in Penny's soul was immediate. The power it burned with spiked immensely for a fraction of a second before settling back to where it had been before. It stayed like that for several seconds before it began to rise gradually. Naze recognized the state her soul was in now, he had seen it often enough. She was worried, and was growing more so with each passing moment. Naze could've stopped, he was now already convinced that somehow this girl's soul had been tampered with, either by herself or some other party. But he still didn't know what she was; human, some other kind of creature, or even if she was truly alive.

Her soul seemed to reach some kind of maximum, and idled at the point it was at before starting to shoot up at almost twice the speed. It seemed that she had reached some kind of plateau, and pushed through it.

She grew more and more concerned, until she started walking over to Naze and tapped him on the shoulder. "Naze? Are you alright?" she paused, waiting to see if he would answer, and Naze did. He turned to her, his eyes now baring into her like knives, a cold void sitting resolutely behind his eyes that hadn't been there before. She opened her mouth, about to ask what he was doing, when he reached out with inhuman speed and grabbed her wrist, fingers closing in a grip strong enough to crack bone. Then, as soon as he had grabbed her, he let go, the slightly freighting look in his eyes now gone.

Naze knew what bone felt like, he knew every shape, every curve, and every fiber that made up their structure. Whatever was in Penny's arm was not a bone. It had felt almost metallic. There was only one more test that he could think of, and he was hesitant to carry it through because it could very easily be interpreted as an attack. That being said, there wouldn't be much of a way to trace it back to him. As long as he was careful he wouldn't hurt the girl.

He focused almost his full attention on her and, putting a hand on her shoulder again, started to leech her soul's energy away. The ever-present thrum that filled her body seemed to intensify and, to his surprise, her soul faltered only momentarily before it resumed its steady climb. He let his hand fall and said "Wait here" flatly before going and gathering the articles of clothing he had selected earlier. He put them on the counter, fished a few coins of gold out of a pocket and tossed them on top of them. The clerk gave him a disbelieving look before gulping and proceeding to check the items out. After he was done Naze took the clothes into a changing room near the back of the store. When he exited he was wearing them. His old clothes lay in a wet pile in the changing room.

He walked past Penny, motioning for her to follow. She did, calling "Naze, wait! What's the matter?" As he reached the door he stopped and waited for Penny's umbrella. She held it up, and the pair walked out of the clothing shop, Penny eyeing Naze nervously. When he thought that they had reached an adequate distance, Naze turned on his heel and said "You are a damned golem, aren't you?"

The look of confusion that crossed Penny's face told Naze that she didn't know what that was, so he clarified. "A construct, you weren't born, you were built." The mixture of shock and horror that came across Penny's face was greatly amusing to that side of Naze that he tried to keep on a leash.

She took a few cautionary steps back and said "How do you know that?" Naze grinned and spread his arms casually "Knowing things is all I really want to do. So, now that I know your little secret, would you tell me a little more?" Penny got very skittish now, avoiding his gaze and trying to drop behind him. Naze took this as a yes and asked the one question that burned foremost in his mind. "That isn't a normal soul inside you. Most golems run using the souls of other creatures to provide power and mind, but not you. Your soul is… well, for lack of a better word, it's bizarre. It's far too regulated to be something natural."

Penny's gaze shifted from him to the ground a few times before she let out a sigh and said "I'm the first person capable of generating an artificial aura. I… I don't know what a golem is." Naze continued to examine her and asked "Who built you? How did they do it? How-" he saw the look on her face and stopped. There was no need to push her. There were other ways of getting such information.

Penny looked down and seemed to be considering something hard. Naze asked "What are you thinking about?" she gave him a hesitant look before bursting out "What about you? You weren't breathing! You don't have a pulse! You aren't even generating any body heat! By every medical sense you should be dead!"

A smile came across Naze's face, and he looked up to see the rain hitting the top of the umbrella. "Oh Penny" he said in an amused voice "you don't know how right you are." The weight of the situation hit him, not from his perspective, but from Penny's. She had likely gone to great lengths to conceal her strange condition, and he had cut through the charade easily. It seemed only fair that she know about him. It might put him and his people at slight risk, but if she could keep herself a secret than she should have no trouble keeping his secret.

He thought briefly on how exactly to tell her before starting, saying "Do you believe in zombies, Penny?" She stopped, and fixed Naze with a startled gaze. "Are you really a zombie?" she asked in an incredulous tone. Naze smiled and shook his head, saying "No, but I am undead. There's a difference, you know? Zombies are mindless things, usually made by someone who knows a little something about necromancy."

She gave Naze another disbelieving look and leaned towards him, seeming to take in every detail she could about him. "How are you able to function? I can tell that you are dead, but from what I can tell you shouldn't be able to do anything. None of your vital systems are functioning!" This elicited another small smirk from Naze, who responded "You didn't tell me your secrets, so I'm afraid I can't share mine."

Penny seemed to accept this. After a few seconds her eyes widened and she turned to Naze with a look that seemed to be more excited than anything else. She said "You… you trusted me to tell me that, right?" Naze nodded, and she smiled "Does this mean that we're friends?"

Naze smiled amusedly. He had never met an automaton that asked him if they were friends. He got the feeling that there would come a time when every ally he could make would be important very soon. The more people who had positive experience with undead, the better. The last thing he needed was another Order of the Holy Light. He nodded. "We trespassed on a cemetery, you took me shopping, I found out you are a golem, you found out I am dead, I think friend might be just a bit of an understatement."

A wide smile spread across Penny's face, and she seemed like she was barely able to contain her joy. He had never seen a golem do that either.

The sound of the rain pounding of the paved street and umbrella over them slowed quickly, and stopped over the span of ten seconds. The orange light of the sun started to break over the horizon, indicating the swift reverting of the world back to day. Naze addressed Penny with a softer tone than he usually used when speaking. "Now that we've made a declaration of our friendship, I need some help. Morning is coming, and I would like to talk to Ozpin as soon as possible. Can you show me where I might find him?"

She nodded earnestly and started walking, motioning for him to follow her and saying "Come on!" Naze knew he had found a good ally. People in the past had been quite intolerant towards the undead, so Naze had learned to put a special value on each one who did. As she led him, he considered what she meant on a larger scale.

The humans who still lived had made major strides, clearly, in spite of their lost knowledge of the arcane arts. Naze would have thought it impossible to ever generate an artificial soul, let alone to give it a body and to let it live. It was something of a relief to know that there was still things he didn't know. His undeath hadn't lost its meaning. Not yet. He wondered if he would learn anything interesting at the school. It would, if nothing else, give him a better sense of the culture of this new world. Much could be learned by the way children were treated.

* * *

Ozpin stepped out of the elevator and started to walk towards his office. He had done so more times than he could count, and was understandably confident that it was a trip he would make with his eyes closed. He felt no need to test this theory however, content to keep his eyesight to ensure that he didn't make any unfortunate acquaintance with the walls.

The heels of his shoes clicked on the polished floor and the resulting sound bounced around the hall hollowly. As he walked he tried to think about the various things that had to be decided today; mission assignments, student evaluations, and the rather intriguing matter of the strange book that one of the student teams had brought back from an ancient ruin. Nothing was known about the ruins themselves, not even who originally built them or what they had looked like in their heyday. It was because of this that the book was of particular interest to him. Somehow the dusty old tome had survived while the stone architecture around it had crumbled and withered away.

The students had reported it to be totally incomprehensible, but had nevertheless said that it had served as a source of comfort as they faced off against the huge hoard of Grimm that had been descending on them at the time. He knew that there were those more qualified, people who had made careers out of studying and translating such documents, but he wanted to inspect it first. He knew much about history, and there was a chance that he could identify the origin of the text.

He turned a corner, and his attention was immediately grabbed by a deviance in the normal routine. A dark figure he quickly identified as a child, about the age of a first year student. He know that the boy wasn't a student, though. He knew all the students who attended his school, and this was not one of them. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall, a large looking blade across his back that looked like it had been forged by both a master blacksmith and someone with a flair for small details. The hilt and guard of the blade were carved ornately into the shape of a beasts head, and a crystal of some kind was inlaid in the center of the thing's forehead.

The child's eyes flicked up to him, and he stood, holding out a hand and saying "Professor Ozpin? My name is Naze, I would like to join your academy." Ozpin raised an eyebrow at the child. He looked almost sickly. He took his hand and shook it, saying "Well Naze, the year has already started, and I'm afraid that at this point it would be almost impossible to integrate you in with the rest of the class." He let go of the boy's hand and stepped to the door, picking the keys to his office out of his pocket. "Registration exams will be held later this year, though. I would encourage you to make use of that time. The road to becoming a huntsman is a long and hard one."

The door clicked open, and Ozpin waked inside. The boy didn't move to follow, instead saying "Give me an hour with the material the test will be over, than give me the test. I can do it." Ozpin closed his eyes and let a deep breath out. Turning eager children away was always one of the hardest parts of his job. His thoughts collected, he turned back to face the child and said "It's not that simple, I'm afraid. Even if you pass that exam, you would then have to play catchup with the classes already in progress, and by this point in the year that just simply isn't possible."

The child smirked confidently and folded his arms, saying "Than add that into the test. You don't even have to give me any time on top of the hour." Ozpin took a sip from his coffee mug than put a hand to his forehead, hoping that this child wouldn't be too much of a headache. He tried to refuse again, but the boy's confident gaze seemed to hold something behind it, something that Ozpin had never seen before. He couldn't place it exactly, but there was defiantly something off about the lad. Maybe that something would turn out to be useful in the future. In spite of this oddity, Ozpin knew that even if the boy was able to pass the entrance exam, he would crumble under the weight of the rest. No student, no matter how determined, could glean enough information from only an hour of reading to be able to pass the tests given by the teachers of Beacon. But the least he could give the boy was a chance.

"Very well, I'll have someone gather the required materials."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

Here we have another chapter. As always guys, leave reviews, I promise I read them  
And if you've got a friend who doesn't have anything better to do, why not share this with them? It will be like a bonding thing.

* * *

Naze didn't need to step into Ozpin's room to know that he had some kind of holy artifact behind that door. It had been singing its deceptively soft songs for as long as he had been sitting. He knew better than to trust the magics of the paladins. He didn't know what kind of artifact it was, but he knew that it would bear the same enchantments that the rest of them did. Memories of spells like turn undead slamming into him and, in some extreme cases, blowing him apart, came to mind. Situations like that had always been preceded by being found out by a powerful paladin. He hadn't seen any so far, but that didn't mean there weren't any.

Ozpin walked into his office, and Naze supposed that he should follow him. He wasn't eager to get anywhere close to something that was designed specifically to destroy things like him. It was true however that the destruction of the body he was in wouldn't cause much more than discomfort.

He walked into the office, and immediately his attention was grabbed by the multitude of slowly turning gears built into the ceiling. It didn't appear at first that they had any real purpose, but the large clock on the other side of the large window on the opposite side of the desk on the far side of the room. His attention was then grabbed by a book sitting in the middle of that desk.

The telltale seal on the cover depicting a pearly white hammer inlaid on a golden yellow circle representing the sun and, more symbolically, the light of their souls. The pearl of the hammer represented the purity of the paladins. Or, at least, the purity that they were supposed to have. In the later years they did, of course, succumb to the slow corrosion that affected all institutions in the mortal world. It was one of the things that he had made a major goal of his, that those he raised for research were calm and more dedicated to their work than anything else.

Ozpin walked over and took a seat behind his desk. He reached for something past the book and, pushing a button, a small tone rang out and a female voice said "Yes?" Ozpin looked back up to Naze and said "Glynda, I'm going to need you to gather up the textbooks used by combat schools nearby. I also need you to bring the textbooks used by first year students as well as the teacher's syllabuses up to this week." There was a moment of silence in the room before the feminine voice replied "Yes sir, I'll have them right away."

Ozpin took his finger off of the button and leaned back, gesturing to a chair on the other side of the desk. "Please, have a seat." he offered. Naze took a few steps forward before he started to feel what he expected. His movements became dulled, and it felt like he was moving through water. The power of the book was obvious, and he hated to think what would happen if he were to let his control over the four crystals of domination. The enchantments on the book would likely not be strong enough to cause any real damage, but he probably wouldn't be able to enter the room.

As he approached the chair the watery and submerged feeling changed to that of clay. Each movement required such a strangely high amount of effort that Naze doubted he would be able to do anything other than sit down. If it were up to him his blade would meet with the book, and there wouldn't be a trace that it ever existed. He wasn't in a situation to do that though, and was forced to endure the debilitating effect of the ancient wards. As he sat down in the chair and removed one crystal away from controlling his body, instead working to find something to negate the anti-undead wards.

Ozpin looked across the desk at him a moment before pulling the book towards him and lifting the cover carefully. Naze could see several lines of text, all written in the old language and style that characterized most of the Order of the Holy Light's writings, written in the old common language that had been known as "Thelasian" a language that if not for the Order probably would've been replaced quickly. But, as the stubborn, close-minded paladins would have it, it continued to be used for hundreds of years.

Ozpin flipped through several pages with a critical eye, obviously looking for some kind of identifying marks and not reading the text itself. Naze took this as a sign that Thelasian had at some point along the line become a dead language. At the time when he and his fellows had gone to sleep it was well on its way, only being used by the higher ups in the Order to read from their more sacred texts. That made this book very old, and very rare.

"So" he said, looking up from the faded pages "I'm afraid that if you want to apply to my school you'll need to give me some personal information." Naze had supposed that this would have to come. It would be foolish of the man to admit a student he knew nothing about. Naze smiled and sat back in his chair, spreading his arms and saying "Ask away."

Ozpin gave him a wry smile and said "I know not many students enjoy this, but most students have some kind of past transcripts that they can give us. Most don't just walk in in the middle of the school year." Naze nodded and said "I understand. I don't know what to tell you, though. My name is Naze. I grew up in a small village in the middle of nowhere where my father protected us from the Grimm. I lived like that for years, until my father came up against a Grimm he just couldn't beat. It killed him pretty quick and started going for my mom. I was able to get my father's sword, but by the time I got to her I was too late. I finished the Grimm off with my dad's sword, but it wrecked up my house and destroyed more or less everything. I didn't have anything left to stay for, so I left."

Ozpin gave him a sympathetic look over the rims of his glasses and said "I'm sorry to hear that." Naze nodded, the flatness of his voice as he had spun the lie just occurring to him as something a normal person probably wouldn't have. It was a bit late to put any emotion in his voice, though, and he preferred to cut that unnecessary step out anyways. He shook his head and said "Don't be. People die all the time. I doubt my father was very deserving of pity anyways." At least not everything he said was a lie.

There was a somewhat uncomfortable silence between the two for several moments before the door behind them opened and clacking footsteps echoed through the room. Naze turned in his chair and saw a large pile of books floating towards him, a woman walking behind them seeming to hold them aloft with a riding crop acting like a wand.

The woman behind them was giving Ozpin a look of puzzlement and curiosity. He seemed to answer this look by standing from his chair and walking out from behind the desk and clapping his hands together, saying "Ah, here they are. Are they all here?" The woman looked over her low sitting glasses and nodded, saying "All textbooks standard of general combat schools as well as all first year textbooks and syllabi."

Ozpin smiled and said "Thank you Glynda, I believe that is all." The woman nodded again and said "Yes sir." before turning and walking out. Naze noted her short purple cape about waist length with several arrow shapes that looked like they had been ripped into it. The rest of her outfit looked fairly simple, a dress and white shirt.

The books dropped to the floor gently, and Ozpin gave Naze a small smile as he retook his seat. "Are you still as confident as you were?" Naze nodded cockily and said "Even more so."

The crystal that he had allocated to finding a counter to the irritating magic of the holy book in front of him thrummed as it lighted upon the magic to counter it. Unfortunately however, he wouldn't be able to silence the ward at a distance, the ward was too powerful for that. If he wanted to kill the ward he would have to touch the book itself. He thought it would be a bit too suspicious if he simply lunged across the table to lay a hand on its cover, and doubted that he would even be able to force his way through the barrier it created. Something a bit more subversive would do nicely, though.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the pearly and gold book with faded and yellowed pages. Ozpin raised an eyebrow and looked towards the book. With a small shake of his head, he said "I don't know. I thought that perhaps I would be able to see something that others had overlooked in its examination, but I must admit that I have not." Naze nodded, then said "Could I take a look at it?" doing his best hopeful voice. Ozpin looked from him to the book and back again before sighing and saying "So long as you're careful." and lifting it off his desk.

Naze put his hand out towards the book, hoping that Ozpin would simply place it in his hand. As the book came closer it started to repulse him, and by the time it was inches from his hand Naze was forced to use his entire musculature to avoid being thrown from his seat. With one final burst of effort he moved his hand forward half an inch and took hold of the tome with the tips of his fingers. He was quick to flood the tome with the magic that would nullify the ward. He might have been just a bit too eager to kill the paladin magic however, for as he gleefully deadened what he hoped was the last remnant of an old enemy, the gold's sheen and the pearl's luster faded. It was subtle enough to go unnoticed, but the book no longer seemed to shine with a light of its own.

A wave of relief came over Naze in place of the harsh repellant, and he cracked the heavy cover of the book open, now able to use the full range of his body's functions again. The short swipes of ink across the old paper was still legible, and held every bit of unnecessary buzz as he had come to expect from those who wrote it. The words did serve a point though, as much as he hated to admit. The text talked up the abilities of the individual, and their potential to spread light to all those in need, and all manner of other nonsense. But the nonsense was believed, and belief was a powerful thing. Almost by sheer force of will the paladins had been able to summon their holy light from within their souls and level it as both a weapon and a shield. It was one of the great ironies of the human soul that such things could be achieved.

As he flipped through the pages and skimmed over the catechisms, prayers, and blessings, he wondered if there was any modern equivalent. In the beginning of the Holy Order the light was little more than a vague concept, but with a few years and a few hundred converts, the light was not only a quantifiable force, but one that was used by people everywhere to defend themselves from the dead. Naze himself had felt the sting that accompanied it.

He shook his head and started flipping through the pages faster. If he was going to stay trapped in the past, he might as well just have gotten up and left the office. A few pictures grabbed his interest, diagrams of weapons and armor best suited for combating the dead, most of the weapons blunt and the armor heavy. He kept flipping until he reached the end of the book and shut it carefully. He looked up to find Ozpin staring intently at him. Without flinching, Naze handed the book back over to him and asked with genuine curiosity "Where did you find that thing?"

Ozpin took the book and set it back on his desk, not breaking his determined gaze at Naze. He got the feeling that the man was trying to gauge him on something. Then, slowly and deliberately, the man said "Naze, can you read this?" Naze cursed to himself. He must have let some sign show. It was time to dig the pit of lies a little deeper. "Yes. Well… a little bit. My father was teaching me this before he… you know, died." Ozpin gave a small nod and asked "So, what does it say?" Naze shook his head, doing his best to look confused. "I'm not really sure. I think it's some kind of religious… thing. None of it really makes any sense."

The man nodded again before looking to the pile of books again and saying "We can talk about this later, I'm sure that you are eager to prove yourself." He pushed up from the desk and walked over to the pile and taking a paper off of the top. Naze stood from his seat and followed. He was handed the paper and found that it was a sizeable list of chapters, books, and subjects. "This is the material that the general admission test will cover." Another piece of paper was handed to him "And these are what the examinations throughout the year will cover. You will have an hour, as per your request, and I will monitor you the entire time. After that hour elapses you will be administered all of these tests, and if you pass with satisfactory marks, you will have to take a combat examination. Do you understand?"

Naze smirked and nodded. Ozpin raised an eyebrow briefly before saying "Your hour starts now." and walking back to his desk. His words were like a gunshot to Naze, signaling the start of a race that he couldn't lose. He dove ravenously into the pile of books, snatching up and consuming every small piece of knowledge that he could.

The range of topics covered was interesting enough, he jumped from history to social studies to studies done with dust to political relations between the four kingdoms and then back to history. The articles and, indeed, the entire book having to do with dust was woefully insignificant, providing only ratios and effects of different colors, as well as several bland and underdeveloped theories as to why humans were able to trigger dust reactions with their auras. He didn't even bother with the dedicated mathematics books, there was no equation that they could throw at him he wouldn't be able to lash out.

One section of the history book stuck out to him, and held his attention for several minutes longer than everything else. He read about the Faunus, and the discrimination that they had faced throughout nearly what this new world considered its entire history. It seemed to be a typical tale of human bias, but there was one glaring fact that none of the books seemed to pay any mind to. Where had they come from? The island of Menagerie, sure, but new races didn't just spring from the dirt. Especially ones so close on a baseline level to humans. They were, essentially, people with a slight variance in natural offensive physical traits and possible night vision. It sounded more like some kind of genetic tampering with magic. But now wasn't the time for conspiracy theories.

A mere hour later, Naze shut the last book and tossed it unceremoniously onto the rest of the pile of books he had finished. A small timer on Ozpin's desk went off, and he said "Times up." Naze looked up with a smile. "About time." He said, the grin returning to his face. Ozpin beckoned for him to come over to his desk and sit back in the chair he had been in an hour ago. He did, and found a small stack of papers in front of him. A pencil was sitting on top of the pile invitingly. Ozpin gestured towards the pile with a nonchalant wave of a hand and said "You may begin."

Naze picked up the pencil and started to fill out the papers with inhuman speed. Little more than a second was spent on each question, even on answers that required multiple sentence answers. Nevertheless, the tests were laughably easy. He blazed through them, one after the other, until the last one was pushed to the side and he found no other tests to complete.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow and eyed the stack of completed papers before looking back to Naze with a doubtful expression and saying "Is that really all the time you are going to take?" Naze responded with a simple nod, saying "It's all I need."

Ozpin leaned across the desk and took the papers in his hand and, leaning back into his chair, pulled what Naze assumed to be an answer key and held it up to compare the different sheets. His eyes widened slightly as they flicked from one to the other before he took a deep breath and looked back up from the papers. "You say that you have never received any formal education?" he asked, sounding doubtful. Naze shook his head and said "Only what my father told me, and that doesn't really account for much."

Ozpin nodded. "Well, he must have taught you something quite impressive, because I don't think I've seen a score this high in a very long time." Naze nodded. It was as he had expected.

Naze smiled. Ozpin spoke again, saying "Well, you've passed the entrance exam with flying colors. With that out of the way however, you must take a combat test. Most students would take this as a part of team assignment, but with the unusual circumstance of your application, I think that a few bouts with the students will do just as well."

The memory of the girl, Yang, who had tried to hit him last night returned to his head, and he smiled at the prospect of a duel with her. She had seemed eager to fight, but he would rather fight the best student in order to get a feel for how well the children were trained rather than fight the most willing student. He nodded and said "I look forward to it."

Ozpin stood up and said "Very well than, follow Me." as he started to walk towards the door. Naze followed. The two walked to the elevator and took the ride down, neither one saying anything. The sleek metal doors slid open, and the two walked out. As they walked now Ozpin looked over to Naze and said in an almost joking voice "You don't talk much, do you?" He responded by shrugging his shoulders and saying "I've not got much about what's happening."

Ozpin gave a small smirk and said "I don't really blame you. You seem a very logic bound type. I think I appreciate that. Not many people allow themselves to be driven by reason rather than emotion these days." Naze raised an eyebrow and questioned "Really?"

Ozpin nodded and said "Yes. Emotions are powerful things, but they are not good basis for decisions. In a time of such turbulence as this, though, with the White Fang rising in power and stirring up conflicts between Humans and Faunus, as well as the general rise in violent crime, tensions are... understandably high." Naze blinked in surprise. It was refreshing to find someone who seemed to have the same love of reason that he did. "I agree. My father was a very… emotional man, and I have strived to be something better."

There was silence between the two for several moments before Ozpin said "What do you hope to accomplish by becoming a Huntsman? You certainly have demonstrated an impressive aptitude, but you seem to lack the same drive that students typically have. Why do you want to protect people?" Naze's response was slow and deliberate. "I want to help people because I have both the ability and the desire. I want to help because I think it's all I can do. I think that-" his answer simplified itself in his mind, and the result was so true that it would be a crime not to say "-that I haven't got anything better to do."

Ozpin regarded him with a strange gaze before returning his attention to where he was walking. "A noble goal as any, I suppose, if you are dedicated enough." The two turned a corner and walked through a door to find themselves in a large arena like room, with seats filled with students looking down at the woman who had delivered the books earlier. She was looking over at the door, a surprised expression on her face. It looked like they had interrupted a lesson. Ozpin walked to the center of the room and started talking with the woman. Naze followed, casting his gaze idly over the students.

The first one that his gaze lighted on was Ruby, drawn there by the transparent shadow figure of the shade he had ordered to follow her. She looked better, the bags under her eyes mostly gone and her body not seeming as slouched as it had been. Naze was amused to see a smile on her face, and wondered if she blamed him for what had happened to her. It wasn't likely, at least not from what he knew of her. She seemed naive enough to forgive him.

The next person that jumped out at him was because of two things. The first that grabbed his attention was that the girl's hair was such an aggressive shade of yellow that it could probably cause retinal damage if one were to stare at it too long, and the other was the look on her face. She looked like the very sight of Naze was enough to enrage her. He recalled her name being Yang, and made a mental note to smooth things over with her. The more friends he was able to make, the better.

Ozpin and Glynda stopped talking, and Ozpin walked over to a small staircase and made his way up, taking a seat in the student section. Naze noted with amusement that the students immediately near him seemed to get much more nervous. Glynda faced the students again and spoke in a commanding voice "Well, it seems that some rather extraordinary circumstances, we have a new student! However, because he missed examinations at the beginning of the year, he will need to be evaluated now." She turned to Naze and said "You may choose any of the students present to be your partner in the test."

Naze turned his attention back to the audience. The temptation to pick Ruby was strong, but he resisted. There was valuable information he could get from this. "Who is the best fighter here?" he asked Glynda. She gave him an uncertain look before looking briefly over the students and saying "I don't think you should set your sights so high for your first fight." in a scolding voice. Naze paid attention though, and when he had said his request her eyes had gone to one student in particular amongst the crowd. He followed her eyes to a girl in what looked to be some kind of copper or leather armor, and very red hair. A few of the students around her also looked over at her, and Naze concluded that she was probably the most skilled fighter, at least by the rest of the class.

"Her" he said, pointing. Glynda followed his finger and when she reached his conclusion she let out a defeated sigh. "Very well. Miss Nikos, would you come forward please." The girl nodded and made her way down to the arena. When she got there, she walked up to Naze and extended a hand, a smile on her face. "Pyrrha, nice to meet you." Naze nodded and gave her hand a shake, replying "Naze, and I'm sure the pleasure will be mine."

With that, Glynda instructed Pyrrha to the other side of the arena and turned on Naze, asking "Do you know how the dueling system works?" The question struck Naze as rather odd, and he replied "I assume that we hit each other until the match is called to a halt." This response elicited a few laughs from the students, but the teacher scowled. She pointed up to a large screen on the wall and said "You and your opponent's aura will be monitored on those screens. You will duel until one of your auras is weakened to the point of not being able to protect you. At this point, the match will be called, and the participant with the lowest aura will be victorious. Do you understand?"

Naze nodded, finding the aura part a bit strange. Apparently each student was expected to be able to shield themselves using their souls upon entering the academy. Not even the paladins in their heyday had been so rigorous in their training. Glynda walked off the side of the arena floor, and the lights everywhere except directly above them dimmed, creating the illusion of being unobserved.

Pyrrha drew a coppery shield and strange looking sword from behind her back. She stood still after this, not in a ready position. Naze lifted one arm up and drew his runed blade from its sheath, letting the tip of the blade rest against the ground. It felt weightless now, with the addition of the crystal of domination. Most great warriors spoke of their weapons being "extensions of themselves" as if a weapon really was. This was as close as one could get, without forging their very soul into the weapon itself and becoming a death knight.

Glynda's voice rang out from somewhere in the surrounding darkness "Begin!" and there was a brief half-second pause before Pyrrha broke into a charge, her whole body leaning forward to use her momentum to her advantage. Naze watched her come with a bland expression, half tempted to let her hit. It would be amusing to see her face as she thought she did real, possibly fatal damage to him, but he decided against it.

As the girl reached striking distance, Naze raised his blade and stepped forward, positioning his weapon so that any attempt to use her arm holding her sword would result in her arm meeting with the edge of his blade and causing an uncomfortable wound. She realized this, and in response raised her shield in front of her and braced herself so that her arm would bear the brunt of the inevitable collision. Her shield hit the center of Naze's chest, and the entirety of her kinetic force was transferred through the metal and into his sternum. He remembered that it was already cracked by Penny's attempts to help him barely a second before the bone cracked even more, now in danger of splintering completely.

Naze reached up with his free hand and grabbed the disk between them in a grip that would've made a vice jealous. She tried to back up, making a leap back, but Naze's grip proved unbreakable. Deciding that the risk of being his was worth it, he moved his blade from its position, pulling it back for a stab at the girl. She took full advantage and lunged out with her sword at the arm holding the shield. The blade penetrated the skin, but didn't get much further than that. He supposed that he owed that to the disorienting effect of her shield being immobile.

With the power of a jackhammer, his arm show forward, the tip of the blade whistling through the air as it went. Naze sincerely hoped that the girl was strong enough to protect herself from the strike, as if she wasn't than she wouldn't have any real chance of surviving by this point. The blade impacted at about her belly and Naze let go of her shield, allowing her a few seconds of reprieve.

She was able to stay on her feet as she was thrown back, but as soon as her backwards movement faded she fell to one knee and started grasping at her stomach. The sword hadn't broken her aura, but he could tell that it had taken far more than she had been expecting. He glanced over to the screens that he had been told would monitor that, and smiled. Her bar had gone down roughly thirty percent. At this rate, a mere two more hits would finish the fight. He wondered if he had made an error in his selection of an opponent.

He looked back to the girl to find her still trying to catch her breath. Figuring that he had given her more than enough time to recollect herself, he walked towards her, grip on the hilt of his blade tightening slightly.

As he got started to enter striking distance, he let the blade of the weapon fall behind him, intending for a wide overhead arc. He stopped walking and hefted the blade up, than bringing it crashing back down through the air. Something in the girl seemed to change, a shift somewhere deep in her eyes, and she raised her shield over her head, her body snapping quickly into a pose that would give the shield as much support as possible.

The sword and shield met in a collision that Naze had not expected. He had anticipated that she would crumple under the force of the blow, but there was something else strengthening her. A dull black field was surrounding her shield, and an identical one around her hand, which Naze now saw had forgone her sword in favor of bolstering her defense.

He let his attention linger on this for just an instant too long. She tilted her shield slightly to the side, and Naze's great sword slid off and clanged against the floor. Now free, Pyrrha rolled agilely to Naze's side, sweeping his feet out from under him with a kick as she went. He fell to the floor, only just managing to fall on his side so that righting himself would be easier. He underestimated both the speed of the kick and the weight of his fall, and his arm popped out of its socket under the force of both.

He would've assumed this to be the end of her attack, and that she would back off now to give herself a better position for the next engagement. This didn't seem to be her plan however, as she leapt up off of the ground and out of Naze's view. He heard a sound that seemed to indicate she was doing some kind of acrobatics above him only an instant before her heels came crashing down in his back. Vertebrae creaked under her, and a few ribs cracked, but there was not enough structural damage to inhibit his functions significantly. She jumped back off of him, causing a few more ribs to break, and landed some distance away.

Having endured this assault like the corpse he was, Naze got up. He pushed himself into a kneeling position with his good arm before standing and pulling the other arm back into place with an audible popping sound. Pyrrha flinched, and looked like she wanted to apologize, but Naze simply rolled his shoulder, probably making quite a disconcerting scene for someone who had just had their arm dislocated and reset. Clearly he had underestimated the girl.

The sword in Pyrrha's hand started to shift in a strange way, a rod in the center extending out and making it into a spear. She altered her grip on the spear so that she would have a better grip and held her shield readily so that she would be ready for anything he could throw at her. At least so she thought.

Naze shifted his focus towards magic, interested to know how she would adjust to the change. His movements got clumsier, but precision was something that he didn't need by this point. A rune near the tip of the sword flickered brightly before becoming a stable light. He gaze the sword a few experimental swings. It moved fast, almost too fast for a weapon of its size. Every movement was accelerated by one of the more complex spells. Naze smiled as a slightly worried expression worked its way across Pyrrha's face.

He broke into a run towards her, blade leveled at his target. She struck out towards him with the spear before he got in range to hit her himself. The tip of the spear just grazed his chest, but he pivoted so that it didn't cause any real damage. She pulled her spear back and braced her shield again, bracing for the worst.

A flurry of strikes rained down on the piece of metal, sending waves of vibrations through her arm and making it very difficult to keep her guard up. She waited a few seconds for him to show some signs of tiring, but after several seconds her arm couldn't take the stress, and her arm was flung wide, opening her up to attack. The blade hit her in an upwards slash in the center of the chest, knocking her sprawling.

A shocked expression came across her face as she crashed into the floor. Naze could tell that she wasn't used to getting knocked around like this. He glanced over to the screen that displayed the girl's aura and was pleased to see that it had gone down about another thirty percent. One more strike should end the bout.

Pyrrha got back up. The spear in her hands twisted and folded in her hands, and suddenly she was holding a rifle. Naze smiled at the smart decision to stop trying to engage in melee combat. It was coming a bit late, though, as all he needed was one more strike. Feeling confident in his ability to defeat her, perhaps a bit overconfident, he decided to match her range using magic of his own.

She fired several shots at Naze, the hammering of the dust rounds leaving the chamber pushing loudly through the air as the small shells whizzed towards their target. Three of the shots hit, slamming into him and releasing the energy they contained within. They hit in his upper torso, in the chest and shoulder regions. There was a faint sizzling sound as the shots burned small holes into his clothes and started to burn the flesh beneath. This didn't have quite the effect that Pyrrha had hoped it would though, as Naze was completely unfazed.

He let his focus fade away from the physical control and ran through a list of what kind of spells he could use to deal with the girl. There were fire spells, ice spells, or he could strike directly at her aura with a little necromancy and skip the protection it offered entirely. All of this seemed just a bit too flashy though, like he was showboating. He certainly wanted to, there was no doubt about that, but the place of logic in his mind reminded him that he needed to pass for a student. Everything so far could be explained in a way that didn't make it obvious he was undead, he was sure, but using blatant outright magic was probably stepping a bit far.

Spells that were unmistakable for anything but spells outlawed, he let his mind wander back to the short book on dust he had read earlier. It had told of different uses of dust as weaponry, and had said that under certain circumstances it could create a directed shockwave. The rune of force on his blade could do more or less the same, and if he hit her hard enough it could easily knock the rest of Pyrrha's energy out.

The unnecessary control over his body faded and his body language turned more into that of a marionette than an actual person. He drew his blade up and turned it point-down towards the ground. The rune blazed brightly, and he plunged the blade into the floor. A few more shots from Pyrrha's rifle hit him, burning through his clothes and skin and ricocheting off of his sword, but he didn't so much as flinch.

The power in the rune reached what Naze judged to be enough, and he let it explode out. With a dull thump, a blast of force washed over everything in a ninety degree angle in front of him. Pyrrha saw the wave incoming and tried to get out of the way, but failed. She was thrown into the air and flung back, flailing in the air trying to regain control of her flight. Before she could, she slammed into the wall of the room like a ragdoll and fell face down onto the floor.

A loud buzzer went off from somewhere above them, and Glynda's voice rang out "That's enough students!" The lights came back on, and Naze looked up to see almost every student on the edge of their seats. Pyrrha made a small grunting noise as she tried to pick herself up off of the ground, and Naze started walking over to help her. The blade came out of the floor easily enough. His first few steps were clumsy and misplaced, almost making him tumble over, but he was able to regain control before he reached her.

He replaced his blade in its sheath and held a hand out to her. He looked up and took it, breathlessly saying "Thank you." as he helped her back to her feet. Naze smiled and said "You fought well." She nodded tiredly and replied "As did you! I don't think I've ever seen someone fight quite like that." Her eyes drifted from his face to the burn marks left by her shots and the cut on his arm, and she said "Are you alright? Didn't you use your aura to protect yourself?"

His response was a nonchalant shrug. "When I needed to. The rest of the time it's going to something else." Pyrrha raised an eyebrow and looked like she was about to ask him what he meant when Glynda appeared behind him and asked "Are both of you alright?"

Naze nodded, and Pyrrha did the same. She gave Naze a stern look and said "Your performance was impressive, but Professor Ozpin will need time to review and evaluate it. If you stay on campus, you will be informed when he has made a decision." Naze nodded, and she turned to Pyrrha and said "Your efforts were admirable, miss Nikos." She nodded, and Glynda walked off to face the crowd of students again.

As Glynda did this, Naze braced himself to stay upright and started to funnel power into the rune of repair on his back. It lit up, but he was facing the students so none of them saw it. The broken ribs, cracked sternum, minor burns, and even his clothing mended themselves back together. He let control return to movement and gave each repaired spot a few experimental pushes to make sure that they had been fixed properly.

A loud bell rang, and Glynda's voice came over it "I'm afraid that that is all the time we have for today. We will continue this lesson tomorrow."

With that, the students started to vacate the room. Pyrrha looked to Naze and asked "Do you know your way around the campus?" Naze shook his head, and Pyrrha smiled in response. "I and my friends would be glad to show you around."

Before Naze had time to respond Pyrrha was waving over to the students leaving and calling "Jaune, Ren, Nora, come over here!" and started walking towards the door. Three other kids started to approach as they neared the door. One had blond hair, blue eyes, and was wearing light plate armor with a sheathed sword at his side. The next was a tall kid with black hair and a pink streak going down the side. He didn't have any visible weapons or armor, but Naze was more than sure they were there somewhere. The last of Pyrrha's friends was a short girl with red hair and an absentminded smile on her face. What looked to be a grenade launcher was across her back, and with the look on her face Naze couldn't help but wonder if the grenades loaded in it were armed.

Pyrrha gestured to the three and said "This is my team-" she gestured to the blond "-this is Jaune-" to the tall one "-Ren-" to the other girl "-and Nora." They all greeted Naze with smiles and compliments. Pyrrha asked if they would be willing to show him around campus, and they all affirmed that they would be willing.

As they walked out the door into the hallway however, Naze found someone else waiting for him. The four girls from last night, Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss, as well as the dutiful shade, were waiting in the hall across from the door. Ruby was waving to him over the heads of passing students, Weiss and Blake were simply watching him without much inflection, and Yang was glairing him down like a hound would at a small critter just out of reach. Jaune looked from their group to Naze several times before saying "Wait, you know them?" in a puzzled voice.

Naze nodded and said "I told them I would talk with them about some things. We didn't exactly meet under normal conditions." The boy nodded and said "Ah, understandable."

The two groups converged into one, members of one greeting the other and vice versa until Ruby turned to Naze and said "Hey, its… uh… nice to see you again." Naze nodded and replied "For both of us, I'm sure."

Jaune spoke up having taken a position in front of the group and said "So should we get this thing on the move then?" while simultaneously clapping his hands together. Most of the people agreed with him, but Yang waved them forward and said "Go ahead, I want to have a few words with our new friend."

Naze wasn't quite sure he liked the tone she had used for "friend".

The rest of the group agreed, but Ruby seemed to give her sister a pleading look before turning and following her friends. Their company gone, Yang turned to Naze and said in a threatening voice "Do you think that little performance in class intimidated me?" He raised an eyebrow, not sure how to answer. "I don't think… I don't follow-" she cut him off, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling him towards her, their noses almost touching. "If you _ever_-" she added emphasis by shaking him around a bit "-touch my sister again, I will make _certain_-" another shake "-that you wish you were _dead_. Got that?"

The threat was earnest enough, but her final choice of words was just a little too much. He laughed, thinking of all the things that he could wittily retort with, but there were so many options that he couldn't chose only one. Instead he chose to not retort. Yang did not find this funny however, and pushed him up against a wall, her corneas turning a deep red, growling "Do you think I'm joking?"

Naze got his laughter under control and said "No, not at all." She continued holding him against the wall, prompting him to sigh and say "Very well, I promise that I won't hurt your sister on purpose under any circumstances. There now, happy?" She gave him a scowl that could wither grass and dropped him, turning to follow the group. Naze followed her, wondering if the rest of her team was going to be as hostile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

I have gotten a lot of great feedback so far, and I would love to get more. If you could tell me what you think so far, what you might like to see, anything like that i would love to see it. Thanks!

* * *

Jaune pointed to some street side store and started talking about something Naze didn't care about. Something about the food being good. Ruby dropped back from the front of the group and fell into line next to Naze, giving him a timid look. After a few seconds of thinking what to say, she asked "Yang wasn't too rough with you, was she? I tried to tell her to lay off of you a bit, but she…" her voice trailed off before she finished "…she's really protective of me."

Naze shook his head and said "No, its fine. You don't need to apologize for her. I understand her worries. I caused some major issues with you, and I fixed them in a way that she couldn't explain. If she feels the need to fight with me over something like that, then I'll be glad to retaliate, but I can promise I won't start anything." Ruby shook her head as he finished speaking and said "No, don't blame yourself for what happened to me! It was an accident, right?" he nodded, and she said "Then there's nothing to worry about." Naze smirked and said in a snarky voice "Your sister is the one to talk to about blame, not me." Ruby let out a tired sigh and dropped her shoulders, saying "I know. That's not going to be easy."

Her eyes drifted over Naze and settled on the sword on his back for a moment before looking back to him and asking "What is that?" Naze hefted the blade up slightly and said "This is a kind of weapon commonly known as a sword." not letting the sarcasm bleed into his voice. Ruby rolled her eyes and said "I know that!" exasperatedly before dropping behind Naze to get a better look at it. "What is it made of?" she asked, tapping the blade lightly and tracing a few of the inscribed runes with a finger.

The girl with white hair and a much paler complexion than the others, Weiss, if he recalled correctly, also dropped back to examine the blade and asked "And how did you do that… thing that helped Ruby?"

Naze knew that they were asking some very sensitive questions. Luckily enough, the books he had read in Ozpin's office had given him enough information to be able to lie more convincingly about things like this. "It's my semblance." He drew the blade from its sheath on his back and held it up, pointing at the crystal of domination. "I can bounce power from myself to this, and back again, and when I have enough power I can use it in a few ways. My father taught me a few things that he said I would need if I wanted to take the blade as mine, and, at the time I thought they were useless. They were things like how to erase a traumatic event from someone's memory, like I did to Ruby, or how I might block myself from feeling physical pain. Like I said, these seemed pretty useless to me at the time, but I've realized why he taught me those things now. I just hope I don't have to use them again anytime soon."

Weiss looked at the runes, and after a few experimental touches said "What is this? It isn't dust, but I saw a few of them light up several times during your fight with Pyrrha." Naze nodded and said "Yes, it isn't dust. They are some kind of symbols that help form power into specific affects. I don't know how they work, and neither did my father."

Ruby asked her question again, bristling slightly at being ignored. "What's it made of?" Naze gave a heavy sigh, trying to make it sound as real as possible, and said "There's a lot about this thing that I don't know. It's an ancient family heirloom, so forgive me if there's a bit of a lack of information on the thing."

Weiss started to move back to the front of the group, and Pyrrha moved back to take her place. She gave Naze a smile and said "That really was a good fight. I don't think I've been knocked around like that for some time. To be honest, I didn't think you would be much of a challenge at first." He smiled at this. He knew he wasn't a particularly imposing figure, but he might've hoped that she wouldn't think he would be an easy win.

The boy dressed in green, and with the pink stripe in his hair, Ren, was the next to ask Naze a question. He moved back to walk beside him, and Naze started to notice that without walking any faster than the others he was steadily making his way to the front of the group. He asked "Do you know anything about your name? It strange, I've never heard it before."

Naze looked up to the sky as he thought briefly on the question. He had a lie already prepared, but found it an intriguing question to apply to himself. Did he know anything about it? Naze. It wasn't a word that held any particular meaning in any language. As far as he knew, his name was just a random sound produced by his mother when she had been asked what his name should be.

Ren was asking because Naze's name didn't mean or allude to a color, in his language or any other. He had read about the cause of this trend. The goal of annihilation of individuality seemed quite a lofty goal, and it was no surprise that the ones who sought it had failed.

"No." he replied. "As far as I know, it doesn't follow the tradition. If I had to guess why, I would say that my father had a general distain for everything that happened in civilization. That's why we lived out in the middle of nowhere. He never really told me anything about how the rest of the world worked." They gave him a few sympathetic looks. From the way he was talking it was clear that his "father" was no longer with them. If he could get a bit of pity out of them, he would take it.

There was a silence in the group as this settled. This silence was interrupted quite abruptly by the short redhead, Nora, who said rather loudly considering the last thing that was said "Is anyone else hungry? I could go for some lunch right about now."

The members of her team gave her somewhat indignant looks, the members of Ruby's team smiled. Naze was glad that she wasn't deterred too much by the talk of someone being dead. It was something he always appreciated when he found it in the living. Most people looked at Naze with questioning looks, and he shrugged, saying "I'm not hungry, but I would gladly accompany you." Nora and Jaune started heading the group, pointing out different restaurants and talking about what kind of food they wanted.

He decided that they had asked him enough questions, and that it was his turn to get a few answers. That was, after all, the whole reason he was here. "Enough about me, what about you? Most people aren't as willing to take a newbie like me under their wing. That gets me a bit curious as to your stories. You-" he said pointing at Pyrrha "-what's your deal? Obviously you're one of the best in the class, but has that… I don't know, taken you anywhere before?"

This question seemed to indicate that he was, in fact, very out of touch with the modern world. Everyone reacted to this, giving him strange looks and looked at each other like they were wordlessly communicating about him already being a lost cause. The most radical of these reactions came from Weiss, who fixed him with a disbelieving gaze and said in a voice mirroring that "Are you serious?" Naze raised an eyebrow and said "Yes… why? Should I know who she is?"

Weiss started to respond, but was cut off when Pyrrha stepped between her and Naze and said "Oh, I've won a few tournaments here and there. Nothing much, really." Naze got the distinct feeling of modesty from her words. Whatever she had done, it was clearly something that distinguished her from the rest. But, if she wanted to downplay it, he wouldn't push.

"What about you?" he asked, looking at Ruby. "Certainly you are more willing to share about your past than her, right?" Ruby rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly and said "Well, yea, I suppose. There isn't really that much to tell, really. Yang and I grew up on a small island off the shore of the continent with our dad. I went to Signal Combat School for a while, and then I came here at the beginning of the year." Yang spoke the first time since threatening him. She looked back over her shoulder and, with a combative glare, said "She graduated two years ahead of her class."

Ruby seemed to withdraw a bit, folding her arms and hunching slightly. "Oh, that's… it's no big deal. I'm just like everyone else here, just… just a little bit younger." Naze looked from Yang to Ruby and back again, wondering if she had known that Ruby would react like she did. Yang broke her steely gaze and looked at her sister, a look or regret on her face. She dropped back to walk next to her sister and put an arm around her shoulders, leaning her face near her and whispering apologies. This did seem to perk her up slightly, but she still seemed unhappy.

Naze took a measured look around him during the pause caused by Yang's whisperings. They had walked through a large section of the campus. The cemetery that he and Penny had "visited" during the night was within sight now, and there were two men who looked like they were examining the graves for tampering. Naze wasn't the only one to see this, as Blake pointed and said "What's going on over there?"

The attention of everyone in the group was directed to the fenced off yard, and the groups path started to change towards the cemetery. He didn't have any real aversion to revisiting the scene of his trespassing, it had been far too dark and obscured by the rain for anyone to have seen him, even in a security camera. He hadn't seen any such cameras though, and he was sure that there had been no living witness but Penny. If she could be considered living. He still wasn't sure about that.

The group approached the gate, not entering for fear of disturbing what the two men were doing. Yang knocked her knuckles against the iron bar, producing a strange quavering sound as the vibrations made their way from Yang's hand out across the fence. A few seconds after the wave started quaking its way through the fence Yang called out to the men, calling "Hey! What's going on here?"

The two men looked at each other before one nodded towards the group, indicating that the other one go talk to them. The one who was given this task made a rude gesture to the other before walking over and, with a heavy sigh, said "What can I do for you?" in an irritated voice. Yang peaked past the man at the other one who was kneeling over one of the graves and doing something with the soil on top. "What happened?" she asked.

The man, Naze now assumed a police officer of some kind, shook his head like he was disappointed and said "Someone broke into here last night, and we've got to check all the graves to make sure that we don't have some kind of grave robber on our hands." He shook his head again before saying "Man, I just can't imagine what someone like that's got to be thinking. Something's got to be wrong with them for sure. Messed up in the head or something."

Yang turned back to the group and, after taking a few steps away from the fence and making sure that the officer was walking back to his partner, said "I guess we can be pretty sure it wasn't the White Fang." Naze cocked his head at this, and asked "The White Fang?" in a puzzled voice. He had read about them in the books Ozpin gave him, but the perspective of schoolchildren might be interesting.

Blake was the one to answer this query, speaking up from behind Naze. "The White Fang are a misguided group of Faunus who turn to crime to try and get equality." That statement was enough to make Naze think that she was at very least sympathetic to their cause. Deciding to play with the topic a little, perhaps finding a little more out about Blake in the process. "Don't they kill people?" he asked as innocently as he could, keeping a cold scrutinizing gaze on her, watching for any minute reaction. A single brief expression of anger flashed across her face before being immediately replaced by a carefully crafted mask of neutrality. "Like I said" she responded "they are misguided."

Naze would've laughed if the situation permitted. If being misguided was any valid defense against murder, than millions of years of fighting and dying, genocide and murder that Naze had seen were all merely misunderstandings. He decided to argue the point a little further, replying "Don't they kill a lot of people?"

The angry expression came again, but this time lingered a few seconds, not able to be as easily dispelled as the last time. "So they are very misguided!" Another ingenious argument for the pureness of the civil-rights-group-turned-terrorist. He was about to retort with a question about the law when he stopped himself. Maybe the bitterness and cynicism that accumulated over the millennia were starting to show. Instead, he simply nodded and stepped back from the girl. She didn't look happy.

Pyrrha was the next to speak, apparently trying to unite the two on a point of commonality. "White Fang aside, who could have broken into a graveyard?" Naze looked at her, and was mildly surprised to find that she looked genuinely offended at the notion. No one spoke after that for several seconds, so Naze stated what he thought would be accurate even if it wasn't him who had done it. "Someone who had some business with the dead, I suppose."

Pyrrha shook her head sadly and said "Why couldn't they just leave them in peace?"

The old anger over misconceptions of the most basic facets of death started to rise in Naze's mind, but he resisted the temptation it whispered to him. Nevertheless, those who should've been left in Pyrrha's "peace" were back at the ziggurat, continuing what they hadn't been able to do in life. He provided a peace that they could not get idling around in a graveyard, waiting to fade into the void that awaited all souls.

He closed his eyes and let the feeling dissipate. It wouldn't be entirely fair to expect someone living to understand. He let it go, and opened his eyes again. Nora and Jaune had apparently picked a place that looked good to them, and were asking if there were any objections. They asked Naze if the restaurant was good, and he sold them that he didn't have any objections. The group started following them again, being led into a somewhat dirty looking establishment. It was at the threshold of the establishment that someone tapped on Naze's shoulder. He turned, and found himself facing a man with blasted back green hair and large circular glasses, wearing an untucked white shirt. He looked Naze up and down before asking "Are you the young hopeful for Beacon?"

He nodded, and the man pointed over his shoulder with a thumb, saying "The headmaster sent for you, young lad!" he looked past Naze at the rest the group, saying with a smile "Hello students! I didn't know that you came here! Do you mind if I join you?" The hesitant looks of the rest of the group seemed to suggest that they didn't look forward to the man's company, but that was not Naze's concern now. He gave a small wave as he turned to leave, making his way back to the school. Ruby called out from the group as she was being herded in by the man "Bye Naze, see you later!"

As he walked, making a beeline for the large tower in the distance that served as Ozpin's office. The transition from large group to him being by himself made the silence all the more comforting. Naze withdrew his attention from the body, keeping only enough of it in focus to keep it walking, and turned the rest of his power elsewhere in the orb of domination. Slowly, the vision of the shade lingering in Ozpin's office became his, and he peered around.

Ozpin was sitting behind his desk, examining a small pile of papers that Naze recognized as his tests. Ozpin took a sip from the coffee mug in his hand before standing up and looking out the window behind him. Glynda stepped forward, through the shade's body, causing Naze a small amount of surprise. Without turning around, Ozpin said "It doesn't make sense. You're sure that the systems were functioning correctly?"

Glynda nodded and answered "Yes sir. It would seem that our new student is… without vital signs." Naze cringed when he heard this, cursing his foolishness. At some point they must have had some kind of scanner on him. The most obvious time would be during his fight with Pyrrha. He should have anticipated that. He should have taken measures to prevent his detection. Especially after Penny found out. Glynda continued, asking "Is that possible? How can something be alive without…" her voice trailed off as Ozpin turned back around and took a few steps to his desk. Indicating the papers with a wave of his hand, he said "At least his test scores are good."

Glynda raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Ozpin sighed. "Perfect scores on every test. No one has ever done that." There was a pregnant silence between the two before Glynda asked "You aren't going to let… it… enroll, are you?" Ozpin gave her a mildly surprised look and said "Why not? His scores are perfect, and he has demonstrated exceptional combat prowess. I'd say that qualifies him rather nicely. And besides, do you know anything about the boy? You yourself said that his current state shouldn't be possible, and yet it is. We could learn from him."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but couldn't. After a few more seconds she said "What if he's dangerous? What will you do if he turns out to be a threat?" Ozpin's gaze darkened, and he said than I will deal with him as my Huntsman duty demands." He turned back to the window, gazing out over the city. "But there's no indication that he will be."

The conversation between them quieted and stopped. Naze looked around the room in the silence, examining anything that might've changed in his short absence. Nothing seemed out of the place, so he turned his attention back to the two. He moved over closer to them, the shade's form twisting slightly as he focused more on what it was seeing.

Almost instantly, both individuals reacted, turning their heads in the direction of the shade and casting their eyes around the room suspiciously. This caught Naze's attention, and he focused more, trying to figure out what they were looking at. When he did, their eyes flicked up to the shade, and both snapped into ready stances, ready to fight. The two, shade and living, simply stared at each other for several tension-filled seconds before Ozpin spoke aloud, saying to the woman at his side "What do you suppose that is?"

Glynda's eyes narrowed and she took a few small, cautious steps forward before extending a hand out slowly towards the shade. Its eyes, burning yellow and smoky in consistency, followed the hand, feeding information to Naze the whole while. She hesitated just a half an inch away from the opaque black surface of the shade before reaching just a little bit further and waving the back of her hand through it. There was another pregnant pause as she pulled her hand back and examined it for changes. Finding none, she let her stance fall into a more relaxed state and said "Well, I suppose whatever it is, it doesn't mean to hurt us."

Ozpin nodded in agreement before saying "Though, I must wonder; how long has it been there? And why can we see it now?" Both individuals were clearly not comfortable contemplating these questions. For his part, Naze was also puzzled as to why they could see the shade. It had something to do with his attention being diverted almost entirely to the shade, that much was obvious, but beyond that he wasn't sure. As his gaze fell to the shade some of the magical energy that kept the thing's soul bound to Naze was strengthened, allowing control of it, and it was possible that the increase was detectable by their aura. Again, something rather uncomfortably similar to the abilities the paladins once held. Paladins hadn't been the only ones with this ability of course, but it was something that had made them all the more irritating.

Glynda gave another few waves through the shade's body before saying "Well, it doesn't seem to be a Grimm. What should we do with it?" Ozpin stepped forward and waved his cane through it a few times, testing it for himself before shrugging and leaning forward to examine the shade closer. "I don't know that there is much we can do. We can't touch it, and I would be hesitant to try using aura on anything we know so little about. I think we should wait. It sprang up out of nowhere, perhaps it will return of its own accord."

Naze glanced back to the puppet body and saw that it had almost returned to the tower. Assuming that their ability to see the shade would disappear with his focus, he let the shade go and turned his attention back to his puppet body. He was just outside of the door, pushing it open. After a few clumsy steps reasserting his control over it he was comfortable controlling it again. He hit the button to call the elevator and leaned against the wall, waiting for it to come. While he waited he held a hand up in front of him and cast a small spell of electricity, causing small sparks to dance between his fingers as he thought.

He had been found out by two people now. By no means was this the stealthiest undercover operation he had even done. And, worse still, one of those people had clearly demonstrated that they didn't mind telling others about him, or at least certain others. But was that a bad thing? The bustling necropolis below the ziggurat that housed them would be found out eventually, and when it was it would be quite beneficial to already have a somewhat positive name. If he was going to set that name up, than people would have to know that he was undead.

The elevator door opened with a ding and he walked in, continuing his thoughts. A consensus had not been reached among his comrades. He would've been informed immediately. They usually didn't take this long to reach a common ground on a decision. But it was an important decision. The less rushed the better. Naze's only fear was that the optimum time for the revel would pass before an agreement was reached. If that were to happen than he might have to take matters into his own hands, and run with the consequences. There wasn't anything that they could really do if he decided without them, but he didn't want to do that. To him that was not only seizing power, but abusing it. Something that he had avoided with every fiber of his being. If he started doing that, than there would be nothing to stop him.

The doors slid open again with another ding, and Naze stepped out into Ozpin's office again. He and Glynda were both still standing around the spot the shade had been located. The shade had since moved to the other side of the room, demonstrating that they could no longer see it.

Both looked up at Naze, surprise briefly fliting across their faces before they reordered themselves and moved back to the desk. Ozpin gestured to one of the seats in front of his desk, and Naze sat. Ozpin cleared his throat, and with it all the thoughts of what had just happened. "Naze-" he said, leaning forward on his desk "-if I were to ask you a mildly personal question, would you answer?"

Naze raised an eyebrow and replied "I suppose that would depend on what you asked me, sir." Glynda's expression changed to reflect a bit more annoyance than before, but Ozpin merely nodded. "What are you?" he asked and sat straight up. Naze raised an eyebrow again and said "Sir? I'm not sure I understand the question." With that Ozpin stood up and started walking slowly around his desk. "While you fought with Pyrrha Nikos, you were monitored to be sure that your aura did not drop below safe levels. Also being monitored were your vital signs: pulse, brain activity, body temperature, all for your safety, and all measured by a system with such a large amount of redundancies that it is near inconceivable that an error in the system would register for more than a second." He passed behind Naze and continued talking "Yet, in spite of all of that, not a single reading was detected from you. Do you have any idea how this could be?"

Naze considered his options for a moment. If he admitted to being undead, that would raise questions. He couldn't exactly deny it though, they had fairly solid evidence. He put one leg on his knee and leaned back in the chair. "I suppose that it could be that I have no readable vital signs." Not the most solid thing to say, but it was better than making up another lie about having a semblance. His webs tended to get tangled up enough without adding conflicting lies in the mix.

Ozpin circled back around, now making his way back to his starting point. "Perhaps you could tell me then how it is that you are able to function without those vitals?" Now was when explaining got difficult. Instead of answering his question, he would ask his own. A time honored tactic. "What do you know about death, Professor?" a surprised look came across both Ozpin's and Glynda's face, and they looked at each other in surprise. Naze continued, amused by this response. "Not just the process of dying; the shutdown of the body, I mean real death. You have an aura, what happens to it after you die?"

Ozpin gave him a slightly confused look and asked "So… you're dead?" Before Naze could answer his question, Glynda interrupted, saying "That's preposterous! You can't really expect us to believe that you're-" Ozpin held up a hand to stop her before looking back to Naze and saying "Death has often been regarded as the beginning of a great adventure; the transition from this realm to the next. To answer your question, the aura of the deceased can linger for a short time, but will invariably fade. This fade is believed to be the transition from this world to the next."

Naze shrugged. It wasn't too far off. Closer than most got anyways. "And what is it that you believe lies in this other world?" Naze would find his input interesting. He always did when learning of customs relating to something as resolutely stubborn as death. Ozpin didn't answer at first, a faint smile flickering on his lips before he said "Another adventure." in a confident tone.

A sweet answer, perhaps even poetic, but still not quite correct. The dark void of death that swallowed up the souls of mortals gave them one saving mercy, and that was sleep. Those who allowed themselves to fall into this sleep rarely woke again, forever to drift in nothingness. Naze had been told that it felt very peaceful. He wouldn't know. Binding his soul to the phylactery deep beneath the necropolis he called home took its toll, and were it ever destroyed than so to would his soul. There was no rest for the wicked, he supposed.

He gave a small smirk to Ozpin and shrugged, saying "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." A bit immature? Yes, he answered himself, yes, he could be, but what other defense did he have against the crawling insanity of the many, many years?

Ozpin sighed, and paused before saying "And how is it that you have returned to the land of the living? Surely if you can do it, others can to." Naze shrugged again, this time offering an answer that held no ambiguity. "I don't entirely know. Perhaps the secrets of how to have been forgotten." a more thoughtful look came over his face, and he said "Perhaps I ought to share them. It would make things more interesting, certainly."

Ignoring the last part of Naze's comment, Ozpin asked "And why is it that you want entry into my school? What could one such as yourself hope to gain from all this?" Naze gave the man a doubtful look and answered "Knowledge, of course. What am I to do with myself now, if not learn?" This didn't seem to satisfy Ozpin, and he asked "And when you graduate, what then? Would you fulfil the duties required of a Huntsman, and pursue other knowledge on the side, or would you forgo your duty and dedicate fully to another study?"

Naze saw the trap in the question, and had no doubt that it had been set on purpose. If he answered either way, he would be swearing himself to what he said. In such cases it was better to say nothing at all. "I suppose that depends on what I learn." was all that exited his mouth.

Ozpin sighed and looked down, taking a seat on the edge of his desk. He thought for a few minutes quietly, eyes flicking around rapidly as he considered different possibilities. After a long time of thinking, he looked up and said "You may be allowed to attend my school." Glynda raised her eyebrows and looked at him in surprise "However, because of your late entry you will not be placed on a team, but used as an auxiliary member on missions. You will be assigned a schedule according to that of a first year student, and you will be expected to abide by all the same rules." Naze nodded. All acceptable terms, nothing less than he had expected. Ozpin continued however, saying "In exchange for this provided service, however, information must flow both ways. I assume that you possess a knowledge that we don't, and I expect you to share it in exchange for that which we will provide you."

Naze nodded again. He had hoped to avoid owing anything, but it couldn't be helped. There were many things that he could share with them, but very few that he wanted to on such terms. Ozpin sat in his chair and put his elbows up before saying "I assume that the story about your father, the Grimm, the sword, all of that was made up?" Naze smiled and replied "Naturally." Ozpin nodded and leaned back in his chair before saying "I'm afraid that the exchange will have to begin with you. Think of it as a gesture of goodwill."

Naze cast around the room for inspiration of something he could give them information on. He could lie, of course, but there was simply no need to. His eyes fell to the paladin tome on Ozpin's desk, and he pointed to it. "That book is incredibly old. Older than you think." Ozpin raised an eyebrow, and Naze kept talking. "It is a book written by the paladins, a group devoted almost entirely to destroying things like me."

Glynda asked "Things like you?" in a skeptical tone, and Naze replied "The undead. Individuals returned from the grave. I can't say that I blame them for forming and doing what they did, but I can say I hated them for lying about us."

Both Ozpin and Glynda caught onto what he said, and Ozpin asked "Us? Are there many of you?" Naze shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and responded "I don't know, there could be. You people only have four human cities across the planet, right? With so few people, I suppose anything could be out in the wilderness hiding from you."

Ozpin fixed him with a stern gaze, and Naze saw that there was no getting around it. It was simple yes or no question, however, not requiring any elaboration. "Yes, there are. I'm afraid I couldn't say where though." The two were clearly not happy with this answer, but Ozpin seemed to accept it. He stood from his chair and said "Thank you. I will have a more specific list of questions I would like answered delivered to you. You will be assigned…" his voice trailed off and he started running down a list sitting on the top of his desk "…a dorm on the third floor of building B, room number three forty eight. I'll take it that you'll want some privacy in there for whatever you may need to do as someone of your… unique biology, so I'll provide your scroll with the only authorization to unlock the door." He looked away for a second, pulling up a screen and tapping a few buttons before looking up and asking "Do you have a scroll?"

Naze assumed that he wasn't talking about a rolled piece of paper and shook his head. Ozpin glanced over to Glynda and nodded before turning back to Naze and saying "It will be delivered to your room along with the list." He clapped his hands together softly and asked "Is there anything else to be discussed, or are we finished here?" Without hesitation, Naze responded by indicating the window and saying "A lot of the people out there think less of an entire kind of person because the might have an extra set of ears, or a tail. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in these modern people. I want the fact that I'm dead to stay between us. If you tell anyone, I'm leaving."

Ozpin nodded "Of course. It is regretful that you lack faith in us. The living, that is. Perhaps, with time, we can restore your belief that we can be accepting." Naze gave him a small, somewhat insincere smile. "Perhaps you can." he said as he stood from his chair.

As he turned and began to walk out of the office, Ozpin spoke out to him, saying "I think we both look forward to this… mutual learning experience, Mr. Naze!"

He snorted as he pushed the button and the elevator doors slid open. "Mr. Naze". There was something very strange about it, rolling around awkwardly in his mouth. He much preferred his real title, Naze the Eternal, but introducing himself as such would likely get him more than a few strange looks. As he hit the button to go to the ground floor, and the doors started sliding shut, the paladin tome on the table started to emanate its peacefully painful songs and light again. He was glad that he had left when he did. He couldn't help but feel that he should've done some permanent damage to it, but it was too late for that.

Instead of dwelling on what he might've done, he let his focus drift to several of the shades in the area. One was still up in Ozpin's office, one was slowly stalking the streets, looking for anything worth watching, and another was following penny through the streets as she seemed to wander aimlessly. The last shade that he fell on was with Ruby's group. They were back in their dorm room, doing what looked to be homework. He felt the twinge of curiosity start nipping at his mind, and offered no resistance.

His focus on the shade increased until it was about the same that it had been when Ozpin and Glynda had seen it. With its power increased, Naze looked around and peered intently at the girls. Each one reacted, but not nearly as much as the two adults had. Each one turned to another and simply exchanged puzzled looks before shrugging their shoulders and going back to their homework. An interesting result. They obviously hadn't worked their auras up to the power that the adults had. He would've expected that to be one of the biggest areas of importance.

Somewhere distant, a bell dinged, and metallic doors slid open. He returned his focus to the puppet body and walked out, now intending to find his room. If he were going to attend like a regular student, he would like to set a few things up. A runed gateway would be convenient if he needed some replacements for damaged gear or something like that, but if someone were to gain access to his room and somehow accidentally activate it, the results would be somewhat disastrous. He would also like a store of Morgana's brews just in case there was some incident that required them. They would be highly toxic though, and wouldn't be worth the trouble of making sure it didn't kill anyone.

It only took a few minutes to find his new room. A piece of paper and a small bag was hanging off the handle. Naze took the paper first, and found smooth inked writing, saying "Enclosed is a list of inquiries I would like answered by the end of the week. You may answer them in any manner you see fit. Also included is your new scroll, please carry it with you from now on." Ozpin's signature sat at the bottom of the paper. Naze crumpled the paper up and shoved it into a pocket, knowing it was of little importance. Next he removed the bag and looked in. The first thing he pulled out was a small handheld device that he assumed to be a scroll. He tapped a button near the bottom of its interface, and the screen lit up with a small holographic display, large white letters reading "Setup". He put it in his other hand and pulled another paper out of the bag. It was folded and sealed tightly with a wax seal over the fold. He inspected the seal first to ensure that it had not been opened by someone other than him before opening it himself. The handwriting inside was the same as the other note, the smooth lettering of Ozpin. It was a list of questions, and with a quick glance over it he saw that they were mostly things that could be answered both truthfully and be uninformative, questions like "how old are you" "how did you return to the earth" and "have you ever met another like you". He tried to turn the handle of the door, but found it locked. Remembering what Ozpin had said about his scroll opening his door, he passed it in front of the handle, which gave a small click in response.

He smiled as the handle turned and the door opened, allowing him in to what would soon be an adequate-enough lair. There were alterations to make, equipment to procure, and other things to set up. He pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket and walked into the room, looking for an optimal place he could put a sigil down that would allow things to be transported from the ziggurat to his room.

* * *

Ruby looked up from the assignment that Professor Excalibur had assigned her to Yang, somewhat dreading the conversation they were about to have. She cleared her throat meekly before saying out loud "Hey, Yang?"

Her sister looked up from her scroll with a smile and said "Yea?" Ruby sat up and turned her body towards Yang before asking "What did you… uh… say to Naze today? I heard a little bit of it, and it sounded like you weren't being very nice." Yang continued flicking through her scroll for a second as her smile slowly faded before she looked back up to Ruby and gave her a slightly hurt look. "I'm only trying to protect you." she got up and walked over to her sister's bed, taking a seat next to her. "He did something to you, or at least something he had did something to you. It hurt you. And I'm not going to let something stupid like that hurt you again."

Blake and Weiss looked at each other, knowing that they should stay out of this conversation. Ruby gave her sister a sympathetic look before saying "I get that, but he fixed me! There's nothing wrong with me anymore! I trust him, he seems nice!" Yang looked down to the floor, feeling guilty. Ruby didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings, so she quickly said "I don't expect you to just drop what he did and forget it, but he fixed it to. You've got to give him a chance at least."

Yang sighed heavily, than nodded and put an arm over Ruby's shoulders. "Alright, since you asked nicely, I guess I can give him one more shot. Just be careful, ok? I don't want to think about what I would do if he hurt you again." Blake looked over from her bed and, slightly hesitantly, said "You saw his fight with Pyrrha, right? And remember what happened when you tried to hit him last night? I don't know if there is much you could do." Yang shot her a dirty look, but quickly let it go. She was right. Yang had tried to threaten him, and he had literally laughed in her face. It was going to be awkward, but perhaps she could deal with, and maybe even forgive Naze. She hoped he wouldn't hold her initial behavior over her head.

Than all at once, all four of their scrolls buzzed at once. Ruby reached for hers quickly, and turned the screen towards her. On it was a text message from the central office of the school, reading "A new student has just been accepted into Beacon! They will be assuming a regular schedule. Please extend every courtesy to them and make them feel welcome!" Below that there was another message "Students in building B; room 348 is now occupied, please refrain from intruding in that room."

Ruby looked to Yang with a large smile and said "Maybe we could go and talk to him!" A small feeling of dread sprang up in her chest. She had been hoping to bump into him in a nonchalant way, like walking out of a class or on the street, not going to his room. But Ruby's smile was simply too large to resist. She sighed heavily and stood up, accepting the possibility that she might have to swallow her pride. She looked to Blake and Weiss, hoping that either of them might be willing to go with them, but both were looking very intently at their studies. Whether they were actually dong any work or faking it, Tang couldn't tell.

Ruby stood up and took Yang's hand, leading her out of the room. Once they were out of their room, Ruby looked back at her scroll to see what room had become occupied. "Oh, three forty eight! That's right over here!" she said happily, motioning to the room next to team JNPR's. Yang rolled her eyes and said "Great" in a very unconvincing voice.

Ruby walked closer and noticed that the door was ajar. She turned back to Yang and said "Maybe he's already here?" before turning back to the door. They could both hear light sounds coming from inside, but neither could tell what they were. Ruby pushed the door open from its crack and peaked inside. She kept staring, and that made Yang nervous again. She stepped behind her sister and looked over her shoulder. Naze was standing in the room close to the wall, making wide circular marks on the wall with a piece of white chalk. It looked like he was drawling some kind of mural, with so many different small lines intersecting and crossing that it almost unfocused their eyes to look directly at it. It was made up of what looked like a square, with numerous smaller lines and circles filling its interior. In spite of this complexity, Naze's every movement was solid and steady, like he was used to drawling this immense symbol.

Ruby knocked on the doorframe, and Naze stopped dead. "Uh, do you mind if we talk a little bit?" Ruby asked curiously. Without responding, Naze carefully resumed his slash across the wall, making one more mark added to the already convoluted collection. As the chalk left the wall Yang whispered in Ruby's ear "See? He's weird."

Naze turned to the two, eyes flicking between Ruby and Yang several times before he said "I suppose I've a few minutes." Ruby gave him a smile and said "Good! Go on and tell him Yang." while at the same time pushing her sister ahead of her. Yang gave an angry look over her shoulder before turning back to Naze and brushing her fingers through her hair awkwardly. "Well… I just wanted to… sorry. For how I treated you earlier. That was… kind of a kneejerk reaction on my part. Thanks for not making a big deal about it."

Naze raised an eyebrow. Ruby must've had more influence over her sister than he had originally thought. He doubted that many other people had received such apologies from the girl before. Naze nodded and said "Apology accepted." flatly before turning back to the chalk and making a few more diagonal slash marks. Yang took that as a sign that she was off the hook and turned to leave, only to find Ruby blocking the door. "He's a student here now! You have to get used to him!" She whispered, spreading her arms and grabbing the doorframe so Yang couldn't simply push past her. Yang gave her sister a look, first angry, then pleading "I will get used to him, later!"

Ruby shook her head and nodded towards Naze, saying "At least try and learn something about him!" Yang gave a defeated sigh and turned her back on her sister, frustrated that she wouldn't let her out. The thought didn't escape her that this was essentially the same thing that she herself had done to Ruby when introducing her to Blake. She took a few steps towards him and said "So, uh, What's-" but was cut off as Naze finished another series of quick strikes on the wall and said "Something my father taught me about training the precision of my strikes. You don't particularly want to talk to me alone, I get it. How about I swing by your room in a few minutes?"

Yang was about to state the lack of need for such a generous offer, but Ruby stepped in, saying "We would love that! Just come on over when you're ready!" and giving a small wave. Without looking, Naze waved back with his free hand, and the two girls slipped out, the door clicking shut behind them.

Naze finished the last few strokes, and stepped back to examine his work for flaws. The rune of translocation seemed adequate, but useless as it was. A mirror of it would have to be made back at the ziggurat, than a power source would have to be supplied to both before they could be used, but none of those things would be particularly difficult.

He looked back to the door, wondering how exactly Ruby had gotten her sister to apologize. It couldn't have been easy. Then there was the question of how much that apology would really matter. It had seemed sincere in front of Ruby, but people lied very often. He was sure that Yang was no exception. The possibility did exist that she would follow through, and try to get to know him at some point, but it seemed unlikely.

He also made a mental note to somehow weight the door so that it fell closed by itself. He didn't want any more intrusions into his business. If someone found their way into his room like that again, they could die fairly easily with the kind of things he was planning to have. After a minute spent staring at his creation, he turned and walked towards the door. He had said he would go, so he didn't have much choice. The topic of what they would talk about fluttered through his mind, and he quickly answered it. He would try and learn about classes, and what being an auxiliary on a mission meant. The door closed with a solid click behind him, and he walked across the hall and one door down, knocking firmly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**

Ok, guys, I like to think that I don't really need a lot of motivation to write this, but there were no reviews on the last chapter, and I know people read it. So, not to be a prick or anything, but could you leave a review? Its the only feedback that I can really use to improve.

Thanks.

* * *

"The living have never welcomed us! We have no reason to think they will now!" Attention in the large, dank room shifted to the other debaters, the most recently animated three from Vale, who were arguing the opposite. The history professor was the first to answer, saying "I realize that you may have come from a different time, but I thoroughly believe that people have changed! So long as you reveal yourselves carefully I believe that peace is attainable!"

Naze watched the debate with interest from his raised platform, his gaze over both the debaters and the crowd as the orb of control thrummed lightly in his hand, providing a slight sensory input that he was largely ignoring. Professor Excalibur's class was dull and uninformative at the best of times. He wasn't missing much by distancing himself from it. He would much rather be giving the debate of his own people the majority of his attention than the personal anecdotes of the portly professor. As far as everyone in the classroom was concerned, he was sleeping face down near the back of the room. Other students slept back there all the time, so he was confident that he could continue watching until the bell.

The other debater made a few wild animated gestures before saying "What do you mean by that? Of course if we do it carefully we'll be safe, that applies to everything!" A murmuring went rolling through the crowd of people agreeing. The teacher looked down at his feet, defeated, before looking back up at Naze with a questioning look on his face. Naze could read his feelings through the link that existed between him and all of those risen by his power. He felt confusion. He felt even a little bit of anger. Why would he have been brought back to help the gathering of knowledge if those he would be working with were so stubbornly set in their ways?

Naze gave him a small nod that only he could see. If he thought that, he should use it. He looked back down to his feet, the wheels in his head now turning quickly. The other two recently risen individuals stood slightly behind the history teacher. They looked like they wanted to help him, but he was clearly more experienced in the setting of a debate than they were, and as such was taking more of a forefront in the discussion.

The man nodded to himself as the argument formed into being in his head before stepping forward again and saying more to the crowd than his opponent "I was under the impression that the majority of you were dedicated scholars." The response was an immediate silence that Naze didn't need a link to every single one of them to know was somewhat indignant. His stage now set, the man continued talking "Instead, I find that you harbor grudges and bias, just like everyone else. Science requires an unbiased view. I would encourage you to embrace such a view; that you may gain some allies in your quest for knowledge." Another slow rumbling through the crowd. The teacher's opponent responded with a low, almost angry growl "The countless years of being hounded and fought could, much like a stream or river, wear down the tallest and proudest of mountains. All of us here have had thousands of years to know the inevitable divide the living put between the dead. Perhaps you will learn them to, in time."

The teacher smiled, like his opponent had played right into his hands. "I've studied the records that you've kept through the years, and there seems to be quite a lot of evidence to the contrary. Our leader-" he nodded a head towards Naze in his pulpit "-has made treaties and alliances with living kingdoms before. In most cases the only thing that led to the termination of these agreements was the eventual collapse of the civilization with whom they were made. Although I find it somewhat hard to believe, having lived when I did, humanity has been the dominant species for a vast majority of the planets history. There were times when the wild was dangerous, but rarely have they been an aggressive as they are now. In these periods of struggle, we, the undead have always withdrawn, so that no single empire came out of the struggle on top." He seemed to address the crowd now, and even glanced up at Naze. "What if instead you helped all kingdoms? There are only four now, and I believe firmly that if you were to offer assistance in the fight against the Grimm that much better relations would be had."

Naze considered the proposal. He had tried such things before, perhaps the man had not delved too deeply into their records as he should've. But, nevertheless, there was some merit to what he said. The issue that Naze had often found was that favors such as that were quickly forgotten, replaced by tales of their own heroics. Then, assuming that went well, the kingdoms would start expanding, and eventually start warring each other. He knew well that remaining neutral in a conflict such as that would be impossible without making an enemy of himself.

Someone from the crowd cried out with a question, but a sudden jolt of information from the orb of control distracted him, arresting his attention away from the debate. He focused in on the orb and retook his place in the puppet body lying face down on a table, far away in a classroom.

"-ease wake your slumbering friend, Ms. Nikos?" The professor's deep voice seemed to reverberate off of the walls as Naze's mind settled into its vessel. Pyrrha shook his shoulder and whispered "Wake up. You have to wake up!" His eyes flicked open, and he sat up in his chair, power returning to the crystals of domination. The suddenness of this movement seemed to startle Pyrrha, causing her to gasp as he jerked rigidly up.

Professor Excalibur gave him a disapproving look before saying "I might suggest you pay more attention in class, son. Missions are going to be assigned soon, and it will be your first. I think you'll find that the lessons I teach will be essential to your survival out in the field."

Naze nodded silently, knowing that arguing with the old man would serve no real purpose. It would only make him more likely to get some form of disciplinary punishment. He didn't need that, as it would detract from time he would rather spend either practicing his hobby, inscribing runes onto paper so that the spell could be used only once. He figured that it was a cheap way to get a few more complex spell out without having to spend too much time organizing the spell itself. It was also possible for someone without any experience in magic to use them, although the results would be far less predictable.

Excalibur went back to pointing at some diagram on the chalkboard and talking about some personal story that was barely relatable about his past heroics. Naze was about to withdraw and continue watching the debate when Excalibur shot a furtive glance his way to verify that he was paying attention. He slumped over in his seat and fixed the chalkboard with a bored gaze.

Pyrrha nudged his arm with her elbow and asked "What's wrong?" He looked back at her with a questioning expression. She rolled her eyes like he was being difficult and said "I was trying for ten minutes to wake you up before that. Are you not sleeping well?" Naze's only response was to give a small shrug and look back to the chalkboard. Pyrrha apparently took this as a yes and put a hand on his shoulder, saying "If there's a problem, you know you can ask for help, right? I would be happy to talk to my teammates if we could do anything." Naze shook his head again. She was certainly making it a point to offer assistance to a problem she wasn't even sure existed.

Yang, sitting a row ahead of them, twisted in her seat and said "Yeah, we're your friends, right? What are friends for?" It seemed by the continued look that she was giving him that she expected some response. Luckily for him, Excalibur spoke again from the front of the class, this time sounding much more annoyed. "Excuse me! I am trying to teach a class here, and if you don't want to participate than perhaps you should save yourselves the trouble and take the exit yourselves." He stood silent a moment, arm outstretched towards the door. After a few seconds he said "No? No takers? Than perhaps you ought to be silent and pay attention!"

This did a much better job of shutting them up, and left Naze to continue what he always did in situations where he had nothing better to do. He pulled a black sheet of paper from his pocket and started scribbling a rune on it. The rune was simple, and only took a few minutes to complete, and when he was done he was left with a paper that had a basic rune of fire in the middle. As it was it would do little more than burst into flame once activated, so Naze started to add to it, encircling the rune of fire and adding more intricacies around it. This took longer than the other one, but was still relatively simple. In roughly ten minutes Naze had a paper that would burst into flame and throw itself forward upon being triggered. Slightly more useful, but it wasn't going to be something to turn the tide of a battle.

Pyrrha caught sight of the paper, and it seemed to provide far more entertainment that the teacher did. She watched out of the corner of her eye at first, than simply gave up trying to follow the lesson and directed her full attention to the rune. Naze started to crumple the paper up. The paper didn't need to be flat for the magic to work. Before he was able to wad it up completely Pyrrha put a hand on his arm. She looked at him, than to the teacher, than back at him before settling her gaze on the paper again.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice barely audible, even to Naze. Without speaking, Naze finished crumpling the paper up and held it in his open palm. Pyrrha started to reach for it, but he shook his head and motioned for her to wait. The professor gave another look over the classroom before turning back to the board, and Naze knew that it was the best opportunity he was going to get. He pulsed the small amount of power into it that would activate it, and the paper caught fire and sped out of his hand instantly, soaring over the heads of all the students in front of him and completely incinerating midair, leaving only a small amount of ash to plink weakly against the professor's back and fall to the ground unnoticed.

The sound of stifled laughter came from various places around the room, most noticeably from Pyrrha next to him and Yang ahead of him. This wasn't enough to distract the professor from his continued ranting. Before long, the bell rang and students instantly reacted, practically bolting out of their seats and towards the door. Normally Naze would regard this with some disdain or cynicism about children, but in the case of professor Excalibur he was right alongside those scrabbling to get out. He hurriedly shoved what few supplies he had gotten out back into the small bag he carried before slinging it over his shoulder and walking out of the room and finding something that he was growing increasingly used to.

Two teams, four individuals each, RWBY and JNPR were waiting outside the door for him. He supposed that he should've been grateful they were so willing to take him under their wing. He knew that he wasn't exactly the easiest person to socialize with. In spite of this, they seemed to really want to connect with him. Something he found slightly disconcerting. Yang had even made some fairly blunt attempts at repairing the damage she had caused upon their first formal introduction, offering to help him with anything he needed even more than the others did. Naze hadn't taken her up on the offer, of course, there wasn't much that she could do for him.

As Naze walked out of the room, Yang was the first by his side, putting an arm around his shoulder and leaning some weight onto him. "How did you do that?" she asked, an expression of both amusement and wonder in her eyes. Before he could say anything, Pyrrha spoke, saying "It had something to do with the drawling, I think, didn't it?"

Naze nodded and pulled his bag open, removing another one of the dozens of papers with identical arcane symbols in them and handing it over to Yang. She took it, and all the others looked at it to. Pyrrha smiled and said "That's the same thing that was on the other paper!" There were a few seconds of silence as they examined the patterns before Pyrrha spoke again, saying "Is this exactly the same thing?" Naze nodded, knowing what she meant. The symbol on that paper was the exact same as the last one had been, down to every single measurement. A normal person couldn't do that without some form of assistance like a stencil or model.

He nodded again. Pyrrha motioned for Yang to hand her the paper before taking it and passing it around so that everyone could see. When it came to Ruby she asked "What is it? How do you use it?" while turning it over and examining the paper at every angle. Naze shrugged and said "It's a lot like dust. Just strike out at it with your aura, and-" he was cut off as the paper changed hands to Nora, and ignited immediately on touching her skin, sending it whizzing past Naze's head and reducing it to a pile of ash that fell limply to the ground.

Everyone but Naze jerked at this, and Nora's hands went to her mouth as she realized what had just happened. The gaze of the group collectively shifted slowly to stare at her, and she said "What? It was a lot more touchy that I thought it would be." in a defensive tone. Naze stuck up for her on this point, saying "She's right, they are rather hair-trigger." The group slowly continued walking.

Something seemed to occur to Ruby as she walked, and she asked "Why do you use your aura like that?" He raised an eyebrow, not taking her meaning. Apparently others thought this was strange as well, because Blake, Ren, Pyrrha, and Jaune all nodded like they had been wondering the same thing. Ruby elaborated, saying "You seem to strike out with your aura a lot. Doesn't that… I don't know, wear you out or something?" Naze shook his head, now understanding the question. He replied "No, it doesn't. I've been told that I have a lot more energy than most people, so maybe that has something to do with it."

Pyrrha gave the others a look that was hard to place before saying "You know, when you fought with me, your aura didn't go down at all. Not even those few times that I did get a successful hit. Do you shield yourself with it like the rest of us?" Naze considered the question for a few seconds. If he answered no, he would have to come up with an explanation as to why he didn't. If he said he did, he would have to deal with them believing that he had inordinate amounts of energy, something that could perhaps be beneficial, but also would draw attention he wasn't sure he wanted yet. He decided that thinking on his feet would be easier than having a constant expectancy looming over his head.

He shook his head. Weiss spoke quickly, sounding somewhat shocked at this revelation. "What? Why wouldn't you? Wouldn't it be much easier to protect yourself than take the damage?" Blake chipped in at this point, adding "Wouldn't it be harder for you to use your aura at all the more damaged you are? Who taught you to fight this?"

Naze shrugged dismissively and said "Maybe you're right, but it seemed to have worked out for me so far. I can fix any damage I sustain without too much trouble, so I figure it makes sense to forgo the whole aura defense thing. I just don't need it." Both girls looked at each other and shrugged. It obviously did work for him. Blake's expression grew more and more troubled, until eventually she said "Doesn't it hurt? I mean, I saw you get hit by Pyrrha a few times, and you didn't react at all. It was like you couldn't feel it."

He had hoped this topic was one that wouldn't be addressed. An insensitivity to pain was a surprisingly difficult thing to mask, and often even harder to excuse. "No, it doesn't hurt. I might not protect my body, but my mind is well shielded from things that might distract it." He thought this was a relatively sound explanation, logical and sound enough to hold up to criticism. Instead however, he was met with looks of something very close to horror. Pyrrha stepped in front of him, putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him from continuing walking.

"You do what?" She asked, the intensity in her eyes somewhat puzzling. He answered her question as simply as he thought necessary, saying "I use my aura to block myself from feeling pain. This allows me to continue fighting through even the worst injuries until I have the opportunity to heal myself." Pyrrha's expression changed again from one of worry to one of pity, and of scolding. "You can't do that! You'll get yourself killed! If you can't feel pain, how would you know if you were seriously injured and needed to heal yourself?"

He thought for a few seconds before shrugging again and saying "It's not any kind of great mystery. I can still feel the injuries, and I know what requires fixing. Call it an instinct, I suppose." They had exited the school building and were on the way back to their dorms to spend the remainder of the day either working, goofing off, or some combination of the two. The bright sun beat down on all of them without a hint of mercy, and he could already see them starting to show signs of heat. "Let's just go back to our rooms and have a quiet evening, shall we?"

Ren raised an eyebrow at him before saying "Quiet? I don't know what you do in there until four in the morning, but whatever it is, it isn't quiet." Naze let a slow annoyed hiss of air out from between his teeth. Soundproofing. How could he have forgotten soundproofing? It was such a simple step. He shook this feeling off and said "You can hear that, huh?" Every member of team JNPR nodded, and Nora even paled a little at the thought. She swallowed a lump in her throat and asked "What do you do in there? Like Ren said, you go really late, but I can't even tell what it is. Sometimes it sounds like you're chanting, and other times it sounds like you're just sitting there scraping on the walls. It gets really freaky sometimes."

Naze looked them over. Now that he looked, most of them did look like they were missing a few hours of sleep. He bow his head slightly and said "I'll be sure to keep it down, than. My apologies." Jaune waved a hand in a dismissive manner and said "Don't worry about it." The others seemed to follow this, all except for Nora, who continued to look like she was trying very hard not to think of something, whispering half-formed words to herself under her breath, glancing around erratically like she was trying to distract herself, and occasionally clenching her eyes shut and shaking her head. Normally Naze wouldn't be too concerned about this behavior from the girl, it didn't seem too far out of the ordinary for her, but given its apparent relevance to his personal affairs he was growing concerned. Had she heard something she wasn't supposed to? No, she wasn't regarding Naze with any particular distinction. Had she seen something? Again, if she had seen something that would induce such strange behavior she would likely be avoiding him. It was entirely possible that her behavior was of her own volition. But the chance that it wasn't was just a little too great for Naze's comfort.

He spoke, saying "Nora, are you alright? You don't look well." The others of the group looked at the normally blindly chipper girl, and stopped when they saw her. Ren was the first to try and help, putting a hand on her shoulder and speaking in a soft voice "Nora? Nora, you need to listen to me." He held his arms wide and took a small step beck before saying "Nora, come here. Come On, it's alright."

Nora's eyes went to Ren for several seconds before continuing their erratic flicking, now returning to Ren periodically. She took a few shaky steps towards him before making a dive towards Ren, wrapping her arms around his waist as tears started to flow from her eyes. She tried to speak, but her throat didn't allow them to come out fully. All that Naze was able to catch was something about "voices" "they" and something about "hurt you". If he didn't know better, he would've guessed that there was something trying to possess her, or at very least drive her mad. There were a multitude of things that could do this, but he had seen no tell of any of them. The beasts capable of such a feat would make some sign, and he would've felt any magic being used.

He tapped Pyrrha on the shoulder and whispered "What's with her?" trying to avoid offending the girl. Pyrrha shook her head sadly and said "We don't know. She's gone to numerous doctors, but none of them could find any real problems. She said that she's been having nightmares recently, but nothing has helped. It started about a week before you showed up. She has breakdowns like this from time to time. She usually tells us when they are coming, but…" she sighed and said "…they've been getting worse."

Naze nodded and looked again to the redheaded girl in Ren's arms. She could just be insane, but…

Naze expanded a field of magic around himself and started to measure. A few of them looked at him briefly with puzzled and slightly suspicions looks before directing their attention back to the sobbing girl. Naze let the power engulf all of them and paid attention to the minute changes that were the result of each person's soul. Every soul gave off some energy as it burned, and the energy expelled from this burning had a detectable effect on the arcane. Most of their distortions were normal enough, if a bit more powerful than most their age, but there was something off about Nora's, just a small twinge of something wrong.

His eyes widened as he focused in on the anomaly. It was, quite unmistakably, demonic energy. Given the small amount of energy being given off, he would've guessed that it was a small demon. Still, a demon at all was a bad sign, but not an immediate problem. There was time to spare, though, and in order to help he would have to set a few more things up in his room. "Maybe it would be prudent to get her to a bed." He said, his monotone seeming quite out of place again. Ren nodded and started herding Nora onwards towards the dorms.

If he had to guess what it was, he would say some kind of parasitic being. They were uncommon, but by no means rare. It would feed off of the emissions of her soul, and when it was satisfied it would leave. They often tried to elicit more emissions from their hosts, often resulting in unpredictable mood swings brought on by hallucinations of varying kinds. Naze didn't have much experience with demons, but he knew more than enough to be able to remove it.

The group reached the building, and Nora was rushed inside. She appeared to be calming down, and was laid down on her bed. She curled up into the fetal position and rolled over to face away from the rest of the group. Naze was quick to leave the room after making sure that she was alright, returning to his own room and removing a piece of chalk from his pocket.

The pentagram shape was the simplest of the glyphs used to command or control demons, and also one of the most reliable. It was easy to make, so he spent very little time on it, making first the five pointed star than encircling it in one deft motion. He was sure to make the circle large enough to fit Nora inside, as it was likely that she would have to be inside of the glyph for Naze to control the demon and pull it out.

Once the summoning circle was complete, Naze straightened up and took a step back, examining it. It would work. He peered around his room, knowing that he couldn't simply invite Nora into his room. The shelves of foul and dangerous fluid concoctions cooked up by Morgana and numerous markings of chalk that covered almost every corner of the room would probably give some hint of his rather unusual state. He would wait until it was night, and take her in her night. He would extract the demon in her sleep, than place her back. No one would ever know.

A knock at his door came as something of a surprise to Naze. Once he was in his room he was usually left alone by the others, and he preferred it that way. The fact that someone was trying to get him to come out would indicate either something was happening with Nora again, Pyrrha was going to ask him if he needed help with anything, or…

He opened the door a small crack and peered through, finding Yang's semi-awkward grinning face on the other side in the hallway. "Yes?" he asked flatly, not feeling very keen for one of her strange attempts at making friends with him. She waved to him and said "Hey buddy! I was going on a walk, and I thought maybe you would like to come with me. Interested?"

Naze raised an eyebrow. Usually she offered to go and work out with him, or something along those lines. Something that he didn't care about. "A walk?" he asked, not sure if she was being entirely truthful. She looked earnest enough tough, and Naze supposed that a simple walk might actually make them a little closer.

He slipped through the door without opening it enough for her to see in, saying "I suppose a walk might do me some good." Yang looked very surprised at this, and said "Oh! Alright, uh, let's go than." She pointed towards the stairwell and started walking. Nathan followed. On the way they passed team JNPR's room, and Naze asked "Is Nora better?" Yang nodded, but her face fell. She obviously wasn't very convinced. She said "Yes, she's stopped freaking out." Than, after a few seconds of silence, she said "I just wish he knew what was going on with her. She'd never done that before." She looked pensive for a moment before she seemed to realize something and looked to Naze with an apologetic expression.

"Oh" she said again "you don't know, do you?" Naze shook his head, and Yang nodded. "A few weeks ago they went on a mission. They were supposed to clear an area of Grimm, and they did, but something else happened." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Nora got knocked out during the last fight, and Jaune said that he saw something weird. He said that he saw some kind of worm thing slither out of one of the nearby buildings and into Nora's mouth. When they got back they made sure that she got every kind of test we have, but no one could find anything. We all just kind of assumed that Jaune had seen something in the heat of the moment, you know?"

Naze nodded. It was a demon alright. Where it had been seemed a pertinent detail, and he asked "What building did it come out of?" Yang shrugged her shoulders and said "There is a failed expansion of Vale not too far. It got overrun by Grimm, and some people say that Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, so the place where such a huge number of people got massacred… it's a popular spot." Naze would imagine it was popular with more than Grimm. A demon could conceivably live for years leeching off of the lingering souls of such a place. If it were the souls of the dead only, the demon wouldn't be able to grow much, and thus would have to adopt a more parasitic lifestyle.

Yang spoke in a forced chipper voice. "Well, let's talk about something else." She pushed the door to the building open and the pair walked out. Again, the sun started beating down on them, but Yang didn't seem to mind much. They started walking towards a street, and Yang said "Where did you live before you came here? I know you lived out in the wild, but more specifically. What was the area like?"

Naze thought about how to answer. There were a million lies he could tell, but there wasn't really any reason to. "I lived right near a swamp. The land was too wet to farm, and there wasn't really enough around to hunt, so eating was pretty hard. Other than the swamp the only other feature was a huge forest. We scavenged in the forest, and avoided the swamp." Yang raised an eyebrow and asked "Why avoid it? Couldn't there be stuff you could use?"

Naze shook his head and said "My father thought the swamp was cursed. I don't know why, but he used to say that if you were dead long enough in there, you would eventually get back up." Yang gave a small snort and said "Wow, that's pretty weird."

Naze continued talking, figuring that telling her such vague details was harmless. "Somewhere inside of the swamp, there was this huge crater. He took me to see it once, but he never took me down there. He said it was the most cursed of all. I don't think I believed him. It didn't look like there was anything more than jungle down there."

Yang gave a low whistle and said "That's pretty wild. Do you think you could find your way there again?" Naze shrugged and said "I don't know. Maybe." Yang was silent for a few minutes after this. Then, as they turned a corner, she said "Hey, Naze."

He looked at her, and she said "You're an auxiliary, right?" He nodded. Yang started brushing her fingers through her hair and asked "So… missions are coming up pretty soon. I was wondering, maybe you would want to go with us? I'm sure that Ruby would be glad to have you, and I'd like to see you do a little more fighting." Her eyes went from Naze's face to the blade still on his back. She gave him a weird look and asked "Do you ever leave that that thing alone, or…"

Naze shook his head and said "No, I'd rather not leave it anywhere." Yang nodded and said "Yea, it is really important to you, I guess. Does it have a name?"

Naze glanced over his shoulder at the hilt of his blade before looking back at her and saying "A sword." In a flat voice. Yang shook her head and said "No, I mean…" she rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh before saying "I mean like a specific name. You know; my weapon is Ember Celica, Ruby's is Crescent Rose, yours is…" she motioned towards him, prompting him to finish the sentence. He didn't have an answer. He replied "I don't name weapons. It seems kind of weird to me."

Yang gave him an incredulous look. She looked like she wanted to argue this point, but didn't seem to be able to form the words required. Naze used the silent time to observe the street around him. Lights blinked from store windows, and the occasional car went rolling down the street, their drivers focusing on the roads. A pair of individuals, both Faunus, one male and one female.

Yang started to say something, but the two Faunus grabbed his attention by starting to slip into a back alleyway and pulling white masks from their pockets. Before Yang could berate him about the importance of naming a weapon, he grabbed her hand and pulled her slightly to the side, pointing at the two people so that Yang would look at them. Her eyes flicked around briefly before she saw what he was pointing at and squinted so that she could see better. As soon as she verified what she saw she said under her breath "White Fang"

Naze recalled the first foray into the modern world he had taken, and to what disastrous effect the White Fang had intervened. Given their large part in recent events, Naze was considerably interested in what they were doing. It didn't seem the he was the only one, as Yang started to walk after them without any provocation. Naze followed, looking both ways across the street to ensure he wasn't hit by a car.

The pair disappeared into the alleyway, and Yang was close behind them. Naze brought up the rear, not knowing what lay ahead. Yang hung back so she wouldn't alert them to their presence, and watched from afar. Voices started to become audible from deeper in the alleyway, and Naze recognized the voice immediately. The gravelly mutterings of Hale, the undead merchant of Naze and sometimes criminal overlord when needed, was hard to misplace. He was saying something about dust, either to himself or to his guards, Naze couldn't tell.

Yang turned and whispered "They are going to steal that guys dust! We have to help him!" Naze held up a hand to stall her and peeked around the corner. The two Faunus were readying weapons behind a few piles of garbage, and Hale was at the far end of the alleyway, putting large bags over the backs of several undead horses, every inch of skin covered to hide their skeletal frames. Meandering behind him were two tall figures cloaked in ragged looking black robes that covered them just as well as the horses were. Naze immediately recognized them as the guards who often accompanied Hale on "business trips".

Yang made to walk past Naze, but he held out a hand, stopping her. "They've got this." He said "just watch." She looked from Naze to the White Fang members to the two guards, and finally came to a rest back on Naze. "How can you know they can handle it?" she asked, still in the hushed whisper. Naze made a gesture to the guards and said "Look at them! If anything goes bad, then we'll intervene, alright?"

Yang didn't look like she likes this solution, but she nodded. Yang and Naze continued to silently observe the scene unfolding in front of them. Hale gave a loud whistle, and the horses started to move, their hooves clopping steadily on the paved ground. The two White Fang members leaped from their hiding places at this point, placing themselves directly behind the guards before the woman shouted "Hold up!"

The reaction was immediate. The horses stopped, the guards stopped, and Hale stopped. All turned slowly to face the White Fang, and none looking very tense about it. The two robbers held up their weapons and said "Give us the dust, and you can walk away from this." There was a heavy moment of silence between the two parties before Hale broke out into laughter and said "Go home, children. I've met insects in my travels more frightening than you."

The male robber didn't take kindly to being mocked like this, and started to walk up to Hale, brandishing his weapon theatrically. He didn't get far, however, as one of the two guards delivered a sudden clothesline to his head that knocked him flat. The female robber reacted quickly, jumping forward to assist her partner, but the other guard wasn't having it. In one fluid motion he drew a curved scimitar, delivered an elegant yet crushing upward slash to the woman, and sheathed his weapon. The woman was sent flying and slammed into a wall on the opposite side of the alley. She didn't have any visible cut, so Naze assumed that her aura had blunted the attack. Her body fell back to the ground and thudded limply on the ground.

Hale gave another throaty chuckle and turned back to his horses, saying "That was thrilling." In a sarcastic voice. Yang started to move from their hidden position, And Naze again tried to stop her. "What are you doing?" he asked "They handled it!"

Yang nodded like that was the point and said "Yeah, I want to talk to those guys!" and pushed past him. Before he could stop her, she called out "Hey! Who are you people? Are you huntsmen?" Immediately upon being addressed the guards turned away and Hale waved a hand at Yang, saying "Go away girl. This doesn't concern you."

Yang was nothing if not persistent however, and pursued them. "Come on, just a minute. Could you teach me how to do that?" She reached to the point where the White Fang had been seconds earlier and showed no signs of trepidation about being dispatched in such a casual manner. She made a few gestures at the guards, hoping to elicit some reaction before starting to get upset. "Come on! Don't be such dicks!" she gave one guard a kick to the legs, but he remained unresponsive, only continuing to walk forwards undaunted. Fed up, she grabbed a hand full of his robes and gave it a hearty yank. It didn't come off, but a long rip appeared along his legs, revealing the sheathed blade as well as a leathery grey withered leg. Yang's attention was fixed first on the blade as she seemed to notice something, than floated up towards the guards face.

Milky white dead eyes peered back at her from behind a matted layer of wispy oily hair. Numerous small cuts covered the face, and the head didn't even have a lower jaw. That was all the detail she was able to make out before both she fell down and the guard pulled his hood back over his head. Without another word, the caravan started moving again. Naze stepped out from behind his corner and walked over to Yang, helping her up. She immediately fixed him with a panicked gaze and grabbed his shoulders, saying "We have to find help for that guy! We have to… have to…" her voice trailed off, and she did a double take in the direction that they had left in.

Naze fixed her with the best worried look he could manage and said "What are you talking about? That guy looked fine." Yang looked down, confused for a second, before looking back into Naze's face and saying loudly "No! It… he… I know what I saw! He needs help!" Naze shook his head, again looking worried, and said "Yang, I don't know what you saw, but he was fine."

She looked at Naze an expression of pure disbelief on her face. Could she have imagined the whole thing? It had seemed so real…

The walk back to their rooms seemed to pass quickly. Before she knew it, Naze was bidding her farewell for the day and slipping secretively back into his room. She told him that she was looking forward to the mission they would be embarking on together and walked back to her room. When she opened the door, Ruby gave her a hopeful look and asked "How did it go?"

Not sure how to respond, Yang walked over to her bed and sat down, trying very hard to organize her thoughts. "I… I think I need to lie down." was all she could say. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all gave each other concerned looks, but Yang didn't care. She was worried too. She had really thought that she had seen a zombie. There was still one thing that she couldn't shake, however.

* * *

"Do you really think that this guy's blade was the same metal as Naze's?"

Ruby's face was curious and questioning, but Yang didn't think that she really understood why this was a big deal. The other two were slightly better, but both were clearly not making the connection. Weiss nodded her head, agreeing with Ruby. "Yeah, just because they have the same kind of metal doesn't mean that they have any relation."

Blake also nodded and said "Naze's dad, or whoever forged that blade, can't be the only people who knew how to do it. And so what if they were? It doesn't mean anything."

Yang sighed and turned back over on her bed. Something had been off about those men, even if she hadn't imagined one being a horribly mutilated corpse. Naze had acted strangely. Why had he stopped her from helping in the first place unless he knew them somehow? There were secrets going on here, and she didn't like it. But, on the bright side, he had agreed to accompany them on their mission. Maybe she could get him to talk about it there. Wherever "there" happened to be.

Ruby knew that this was eating at Yang, and Yang knew that she knew. Why did her sister have to be so damn good at reading her? A weight came down on her mattress, and she could tell just from the lightness of it that it was Ruby. A hand came down and rubbed her back comfortingly. In spite of herself, she relaxed under it, feeling the tension slowly seep out. Ruby said "Yang, just stop worrying about it, at least for now. We can ask Naze about it tomorrow."

She grumbled in tentative agreement. Her eyes felt heavy, and her breathing slowed. Her grumbling was quickly transformed into snoring, and she drifted off into sleep, a small smile crossing her face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note**

Hello, dear friends. I come bearing another chapter, and ask humbly in return for a review. Even you. Yes, you. Especially you.

Thanks.

* * *

The moon and its many shards rose into the sky, and Naze looked up from the rune on the floor. Multiple seals of protection that would contain any minor demon summoned inside the circle. The diameter of the circle itself was five feet, and every measurement was to such an exact level that nothing short of a highly advanced computer could even hope to get close. He needed a few more things for the ritual, but the most important of them would be Nora. It would, after all, be difficult to extract the demonic parasite without its host.

He pushed off of his knees and turned towards his door, walking through and to the door of team JNPR's room. He came to a stop as he stretched a hand out towards the doorknob. He gave it a few twists before concluding what he had already been almost certain of before, that it was locked. Naze stepped back and bowed his head, letting his attention shift to the souls around him. There were many around him at the moment, but he centered his attention on those inside of the room. He didn't know the bedding arrangements, but he could identify the souls by their feel.

The soul that burned a large but dim flame was Jaune's. A very peculiar kind of potential sat deep at the bottom of his soul, like it was waiting to be used. The next soul was powerful and handled, fairly obviously Pyrrha's. It reminded Naze rather uncomfortably of the Paladins of the past, and how much effort they put into what was essentially sharpening their souls for battle. He wondered if the girl had had a hard life. The next soul he looked at was very clearly Nora's, not only because of the slight demonic tinge to the energy, but also because of the sheer amount of energy pouring out. It was a soul without any reservations, arguably as pure as they came. Naze wondered if she had any passions or goals that he might be able to recruit her with. Such a driven and energetic person was a rare and valuable thing. The last soul was Ren's. Perhaps not quite as powerful in terms of raw energy, but there was something more calculated about his than the others.

He reached out with his power, engulfing Nora's soul. He might've felt bad about doing this, but if she ever found out she would thank him. He bore down on her, asserting his will over her own. It took a few seconds of struggle that wouldn't have happened if he had been there in person, but he was able to possess the girl, her pure spirit bending under his force. Naze commanded her to get up from her bed and open the door. After a few seconds of waiting, the doorknob turned and the door creaked open.

Nora Valkyrie stood looking at him with uncharacteristically cold eyes and a totally blank expression. She wore pink shorts and a dark shirt with the word "boop" emblazoned brightly on its front, both looking wrinkled and slept in. Naze wordlessly turned and started to walk back to his own room, Nora following in a slow, dazed state. The door behind Nora fell closed but didn't latch shut, and Naze made note of that. It would be mildly suspicious if Nora were to get locked out of her own room in the middle of the night.

He reopened his own room and ushered Nora inside. She obeyed unquestioningly, and at a thought from Naze crossed her legs and took a seat in the center of the rune. Naze stood over her, contemplating how to continue from here. There were several ways he might be able to get the demon out of her, but most involved lengthy rituals that would take at least until morning and would be rather loud. Most methods other than those more ritualistic often involved some kind of physical harm to the host of the demon. It was possible for him to summon a poltergeist, or even to delve into her soul directly and pull the demon out, but doing so would risk doing permanent damage to her soul, even with such a small demon as the one that was inside of her.

There was another method of extracting a demon that shouldn't have been too difficult, considering the small size of the demon. If he offered it something more than it already had, it would probably leave Nora of its own accord. After that he could just pull Nora from the circle and the demon would be trapped.

He looked around him room. There were many items sitting in the dark corners and on top of shelves that might've been invaluable to any creature of the flesh, but that wasn't what a demon was. Not entirely, anyways. It wouldn't accept the things that Naze had in his room. It might accept a new host, though, and there were plenty of those around. He guessed that because the demon wasn't very powerful, and had probably survived off of the residue of souls long dead. Because of this even the smallest demon would be stunted. Stunted, but not necessarily stupid. He would need something to fool it, but maybe not something too convincing.

Naze looked down at his puppet body. He doubted that the demon would believe that it was a normal human. It would be able to see that the four crystals of domination were what controlled it. It might be attracted to blood, but Naze had none, and it would already know the taste and smell of Nora's blood. Someone else's though…

Naze turned back to the door and walked back out, drawing his sword as he went. His steps slowed as he started to weave a spell together with the crystals in his body. None of the runes of his blade would help with this one. After a few moments the spell was ready, and he pushed the door to JNPR's room open again. As he did he started to let the spell work its magic. A sickly green vapor started seeping out of his weapon through pores so small they were nearly nonexistent. He walked into the room and passed the blade over each of the sleeping members of the team, allowing the gas to drift lazily over them. Each one breathed the gas in, and each one seemed to slip into just a little bit deeper sleep.

The teens now incapacitated, Naze looked over his options. The demon would undoubtedly be attracted to Jaune's power, but without a doubt Nora's gave off more. It would likely find Pyrrha's soul unattractive, as more tightly controlled souls were much more difficult to leech energy from. That left Ren as the only option. He considered for a moment. Ren did seem to have feelings for Nora, at least to some degree. Perhaps not any kind of romantic feelings, but more that of a sibling love. If there was anything that demons loved to feed off of, it was love.

His decision made, Naze picked Ren up off of his bed and slung him over his shoulder, walking out. He didn't bother closing the door to their room as he left, he knew he would be back before too long. As he reentered his own room, Nora's head followed him, her eyes still without any emotion. Naze put Ren down next to the circle and looked to Nora, saying "Demon, I have something for you. A trade of a sort. Leave the child's body, and we can discuss further."

Nora simply continued to stare at him, expressionless, but he could feel the demon react. Its drainage of the energy being put off by Nora's soul slowed, allowing more of it through. As a result, Naze had to tighten his grip on her soul to keep her in his thrall. He waited a few seconds before being sure that the demon was not reacting before taking Ren's hand in his and sliding it lightly over his blade. Without his consciousness to direct it, his aura did nothing to protect him, and his skin was split easily by the cold metal.

Blood started to leak slowly out of the wound, and Naze smeared the blood of the floor inside of the circle. "Take this. A sample, and a gesture of goodwill between us." He said, doing his best to sound sincere. Again, Nora look at him without any change, but the demon started to move. It disentangled itself from the outer parts of Nora's soul and began to slither out towards Ren's blood. Naze slowly removed Ren's hand from the circle and moved himself to the side of Nora.

From his position behind her, he could see the demon exit her body, slithering out from her mouth, a few strands of saliva and mucus clinging to its nearly translucent skin. A deep ember glowed through its pallid skin, casting a fiery glow over everything around it. The thing was about half a foot long, and small portions of it seemed to phase in and out of existence rapidly. As soon as it was completely out of Nora's mouth, it flopped out onto the floor with a wet thud and started slinking towards the blood.

Naze grabbed a fistful of Nora's shirt and yanked her out of the circle rather unceremoniously. She would probably wake up with a few bruises on her neck, but it was all for a good reason. The demon started to roll around in Ren's blood, and Naze took a step back to survey the scene. The demon was trapped, whether it knew it or not, Ren was still unconscious, and Nora was still solidly under his control. He got up from his position on the floor and walked to the shelves that housed many jars of softly bubbling and glowing fluids. Naze picked one specific jar off of the selection and twisted the top off. An arid smell filled the room, and was accompanied by a slow sizzling sound as the air started to react with the chemicals inside of the jar.

He walked over to Ren, still unconscious on the floor, and dabbed a small bit of the fluid onto the open wound on Ren's hand. The blood steamed and spat angrily, but the flesh began to knit itself back together, the fluid differentiating into the parts that he had lost. It might take some time, but the concoction would heal the damage completely.

Naze looked over to Nora again. She was still sitting quietly. At a mental command from Naze however, she got up, taking Ren in her arms as she went, heading towards her room. She closed the door behind her, and Naze nodded approvingly to himself. She wasn't needed anymore. She could go back to sleep. He could see through her eyes somewhere in the back of his mind as she opened the door to her own room, laid Ren out on his own bed, and put herself under her own covers. Nathan than let his grip on her soul loosen and fade.

She slipped back into sleep, and Naze turned his attention back to the little worm in the circle. It was starting to strain against the outer parts of the rune, throwing itself against the invisible barrier with all its pathetic might. Each time it made contact with the arcane barrier that now contained it, it let out a small squeal and its outer fleshy layer let of a small jet of smoke.

Naze had certainly been correct when he had guessed the thing would be stunted. It was one of the weakest demons that he had ever seen. He wasn't quite as confident that the rest of his plan for the thing would work. In spite of this, he spoke out to the thing, saying "It will do you no good to struggle against that, beast."

The worm stopped its struggles and pointed what Naze presumed to be it's from end towards him. A whispering sound, weak and almost inaudible emitted from the creature. It had been too quiet for Naze to understand, and he leaned in, asking "What?" The demon whispered again, and this time he could just make out the strained sounding gasps. "What do you want from me?"

Naze smiled. Straight to the point, just how he liked it. He replied, saying "A deal. That's what you demons love, isn't it? Though the roles might be reversed on this one, as I hold all the cards, I think we can both still get what we want." The worm stopped moving altogether as if it were considering its options before whispering "How do you know how to trap me?" Naze's reply to the question was a terse "I'll be the first to ask questions, thank you." Before he turned away from the demon and thought. So many things he might ask, none of which the demon was guaranteed to know of course, but that was a chance he was willing to take.

Before he could turn and address the thing again, it whispered up to him "A deal? Yes! Your soul for a service!" Naze raised an eyebrow despite the fact that the thing probably couldn't see it. Such a small demon was very unlikely to be able to do anything useful, and couldn't do anything that Naze's shades couldn't. His response was a barking laugh. It sounded a little more forced than he might have liked, but such was the way of not having any emotions to speak of. The virtual immortality being a lich granted was well worth it. "You" he replied "can provide no service for me that I can't have done on a whim by someone else. No, what we will do… is questions. I will ask you a question, and in return you may ask me one. At the end, if I'm satisfied, I set you free."

The worm considered again before shaking what Naze was now reasonably sure was its head and saying "No, you guarantee freedom! Ask three questions, I ask one, let me go." Naze put a hand to his chin. Demons were known for their keeping of general rules, so long as others also adhered to those rules. They were also known for their trickery and unpredictability. With that in mind, it was difficult to consider that the small parasite in front of him could possibly pose any threat to him, physically or mentally.

"Alright, but both of us must swear to tell the truth." The demon nodded as anxiously as the spiritual equivalent of a tapeworm could, and Naze sat down in front of it. Now, the questions. What would he ask? There were three things he was interested in at the moment, and all of them were things that the demon may or may not have knowledge about. He couldn't be blamed for trying though, and drew in the breath for his first question. "You are one demon, and a small, pathetic one at that. You can't be the only demon in the world. Where are the other ones? Certainly Hell hasn't closed its gates?"

The worm made a high pitch tittering sound that sounded vaguely like laughter. Naze waited patiently for it to finish before it responded "You are either very old, or very. I was born after it happened. The Masters bade that all knowing of to them and minions be destroyed, and that all passages into the mortal realm be destroyed. They fought with their minions, but beat all of them. Many smaller demons were trapped here. I am one of the trapped. I never found any big cities of people, only people old dead people. They don't taste good. Your girl, Nora, was the first living soul I tasted." If Naze could assign emotions to the inhuman voice, he would've said that it sounded almost regretful. He felt no pity for the demon, though. If it had been given free access to the souls of the living from the beginning there was no telling what kind of horror it would be now.

He was much more interested in the things that the demon said. The Arch-demons of Hell had willingly closed their gates? Unlikely at best. He knew better than to ask clarification on the topic though. He had other topics he wanted information on. Instead, he simply nodded and asked his next question.

"What happened to the Paladins of old, the Order of the Holy Light, which made them fall?" This was more a question of personal curiosity than one of any real consequence. He only hoped that they had faltered and burned so spectacularly that they had lost all respect and reverence that they had once held so arrogantly for much of the more recent of Naze's time.

The demon tittered again before saying "You are old. Very old." and stopping to collect its thoughts. After a few seconds it continued "Paladins fell before I lived. I hear story from others like me. They say that Paladins supposed to be strong protectors. The masters knew it was not true, and attacked when they were weak. Many helped Masters to get things. Many helped masters fight. After they fight and win, Paladins become demons. If they lose in fights, Masters eat them. Few Paladins survived. They go into hiding after fights, everybody hate them."

Naze wished that it had given some kind of date or other measure of time. He wasn't about to waste his last question on something so trivial, though. He found himself split between several remaining questions now. How did the Grimm originate, why had the demons done what they had done, what event had spawned the Faunus, and… and how long had he been asleep. He berated himself for the last one, for it was of little concern and would offer up little to no useful information. The demon clicked itself eagerly against the floor, waiting for his next question so that he could ask his than go free. Naze thought hard about what he should pick, when suddenly something popped into his head. All the other things he or someone serving him could find out, but there was one question that would be exceedingly difficult for anything except this demon could answer, having been conscious during the time it was.

"How and why have auras become so well-known and trained? It seems that the standard strength of someone's aura now is that of what used to be reserved for the greatest warriors." It was something that puzzled him. Even people in the city who had likely never held a weapon in their lives had very strong souls.

The demon didn't laugh this time. Instead it slinked back to the center of the glyph and looked up at him. "You" it whispered "know a lot." Naze didn't know if this was meant as a complement. The demon continued, saying "The Paladins who ran away were smart. They knew their Order was dead. Instead of trying to fix, they made it new. Called themselves Huntsmen. Trained others to use their souls, not like before, new. New way believed in self, not human good. Not evil or good."

The demon's garbled speech was getting more difficult to understand, but he thought he caught the gist. The remainder of the Paladins had fled, and assumed new identities. Their faith, the most important part of the Holy Order, had likely been destroyed irrevocably, but they could have found a new strength. From the sound of it, they had trained and hardened their own souls instead of their connection to the light. They had then trained others how to do the same. Traits of souls were semi-hereditary, and if those ex-Paladins had trained enough people, a stronger soul could've become the default for a human. Pure and simple evolution at work. For such a dramatic change to occur with what he assumed to be a small number of Paladins, he inferred that there must have been incredibly small numbers of humans. Dodging the bullet of extinction seemed to be one of mankind's specialties.

The demon gave a few celebratory flops around before looking up to Naze again and saying "My turn! My question now!" Naze nodded and said "Indeed, your one question was earned." The demon gave something akin to an affirmative nod and said "So many curiousness. You don't look like other people. You look different. What are you?"

Naze raised an eyebrow. Had he really just been put in the position demons usually took? There were so many answers that he could give, all technically true, that would satisfy the demons question without giving any useable information. He could say that he was human, he could say that he was dead, he could say that he was a scholar, he could say that he was conscious, and all of that would be true. Whether it was because the demon was kind or stupid Naze didn't know, but it hadn't given any such answers. It was tempting to flip the tables and play the opposite role, but he was capable of being the bigger person. There was no logical reason to lie to the parasite, so he didn't.

"I am a Lich. I have had many names throughout history, but I rather like the one I've earned." He turned again to a shelf and removed a thick glassed empty bottle "My name is Naze the Eternal." He turned and placed the bottle on its side inside the circle. "And that concludes our deal. Get in the glass."

The demon did whatever the slug equivalent of eyeballing him was before complying. As it wriggled its way into the bottle, Naze walked over to the wall and threw the window wide. A quiet but desperate squealing started to come from behind him, and he turned to find that at some point during the demon's attempts to enter the bottle it had rolled to the side of the glyph on the floor. The glass, unbound by the arcane forces that the rune utilized, had continued to roll over the edge, forcing the demon into the barrier. Smoke was starting to fill the bottle.

Naze walked past the rune, giving the bottle a small kick as he went to relieve the demon of his pain. Just because it was evil didn't mean that it needed to be tortured. He took a wet rag off of a table and set it down next to the glyph. Next he took the bottle and stoppered it tightly, making sure that the worm's meek force wouldn't be able to open it. Then, sliding the rag across the side of the rune and breaking its cohesion, he took the bottle over to the window. The demon gave a small jerk as it passed over the lines but relaxed again as it made the journey without issue.

Naze dropped his arm behind him and struck stance that would allow him to hurl the glass as far as possible. The demon voiced some misgivings about what was happening, but they fell on deaf ears, and in seconds the bottle was hurtling through the air, spinning wildly with a screaming demon inside. Naze watched the bottle fade into the distance before falling back to the earth and hitting the ground somewhere far away between two buildings. It landed out of earshot, so Naze wasn't sure if it had shattered or not, but it was hardly his concern anymore. He had gotten what he had wanted out of the demon, and it was already heavily stunted, so it was no longer his problem.

He closed his window and turned away from it, taking the wet cloth in his hand and finishing the cleaning of the chalk off of the floor. Time ticked on, and he thought about what the demon had said. The legacy of the Paladins was all around him, but seemed to have been purified by what Naze could only imagine as a demonic crusade in an effort to send humanity back to the dark recesses of their past devoid of knowledge.

He didn't like it. It was very clearly a plan of some kind, but what the end goal was he couldn't guess. Demons plans were often convoluted and spanned such insurmountable lengths of time that they rivaled even those that Naze had hatched in his time. If the arch-demons themselves had ordered it, and had even fought their own subordinates, they must have had plenty of faith that their plan would work. Naze hoped that their plan had nothing to do with humanity, but doubted it. Mankind had been a thorn in their side far too long to escape their spiteful gaze.

Without any gods to protect them, he doubted they would stand much of a chance against the teeming hoards that served the great evil lords of the deep pits without gods to help them. Divine power was often the bane of the demons, just the same as how holy power had ever so often disrupted his own plans.

Divine and holy… minute differences between the two, but far from the same force. The differences had taken Naze years of comparing and contrasting of differing cultures and beliefs to puzzle out, but he felt better for it. Divine power was from a god, and could only be given by a god by gaining its favor. What this favor required depended greatly on the god, and because of how gods were made, on the people who believed in that god. Someone who embodied the traits that their culture considered like that of their god, than that individual would be in the favor of that god, and thus gain power from them.

Holy power, on the other hand, was more of an individual strength. Not quite purity, but drive, one's desire to do something channeled into a specific kind of power, not unlike how arcane knowledge could be used to cast spells. Less useful to large groups, and difficult to train on a larger scale, it was little wonder that it had never quite reached the commonality that the powers of gods did.

But now it seemed that things had changed. Naze had yet to see hide nor hair of any gods, old or new, and the strengths that humans now possessed in themselves had already been demonstrated to him many times. A paradigm shift he wished he had been able to observe in motion. But it was no use to wish such things, and he had those in his employ who were itching to set out across the world and begin sifting through ruins and digging up cities so that they might chronicle what happened. So what was he waiting for? Why not simply send them out, and take this knowledge?

The answer was simple enough. He didn't need enemies. He had learned all too well that those only inhibited progress. There was a way to bridge the gap between the culture of the dead and the culture of the living, he was sure of it. It was merely a matter of finding it. If the opportunity presented itself, than he would take it, regardless of what his people said. They argued and voted over whether or not the living could be trusted, not over whether or not to reveal themselves. And, with this new demonic plot thrown into the mix, Naze feared that they may be forced into sharing at least some part of the vast knowledge that they had accrued.

He shook his head and withdrew from the puppet body, letting it sink back to the floor. He would go, and speak with the demonologists about what could be done about divining the cause for what had happened, and what would happen in the future.

* * *

The sun rose happily over the city, sending light into the various dorms as numerous alarm clocks went off around the building. Students everywhere groaned as they pulled themselves slowly out of bed and started the dreary ritual of getting ready for the day. Something was different about today, though. Something in the air was just a little more charged with enthusiasm. Today was the day that missions were once again to be assigned, and not a soul in the school wasn't looking forward to that. By now the first years were allowed, albeit hesitantly, to undertake missions on their own. They had already been allowed this privilege several times (if they performed up to standards in class) but it still felt like an accomplishment.

Ruby was, predictably, the first one out of bed, and had her team's equipment all packed away in her backpack. Everything they might need was in that pack, food, tents, fire supplies, everything except for her beloved dog, Zwei. She still had pleasant memories about her first mission despite the fact that it had been somewhat terrifying as it happened. It wouldn't go that way again, though. They would stick to missions more appropriate for their experience level this time.

And they wouldn't be alone! She remembered Yang telling her yesterday that Naze had agreed to accompany them on their mission. She hoped that she might learn something about the mysterious student. It seemed like he tried to keep it that way, though. It kind of reminded her of Blake in a weird way. Blake was more direct about not wanting to talk about her past, Naze always just diverted the conversation away from himself. Beyond telling them about the area that he had grown up in and how he came to find himself in Vale, she knew almost nothing about him. She hadn't even seen the inside of his room. She wondered if he had posters on the walls like Yang.

Speaking of her sister, Yang was the next one to rise from her slumber. She threw the covers of her bed off and stood, stretching her arms above her head before walking across the room, patting her sister on the back and saying "Ready for today?" and entering the bathroom, the door closing behind her and the sound of a running water coming through the walls. Ruby responded eagerly, ready to get out and test herself against the enemies she had been training so long to kill. "Yup! How about you?"

A laugh came through the wall, louder than the water, and was followed by "You know it!" Ruby smiled. That was her sister alright, ready to charge headfirst into whatever trouble she could find so long as she had fun doing it.

Blake and Weiss arose from their slumber at around the same time, sitting up, stretching, and rubbing their eyes, waiting for Yang to finish. She did shortly after, drying her hair off, dressed in her combat gear and strutting out of the bathroom confidently. She nodded politely to Weiss and gave Blake a few playful punches on the arm, saying "How about you, lazybones?"

Both girls gave the exited blonde a tired nod. How Yang was so awake already, even the morning of a mission, was a complete mystery.

The rest of the teams preparations went quickly, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss all getting dressed and checking their weapons. Ruby checked, double-checked, and triple-checked her backpack. Everything that they would need was still there. Hardly able to contain her excitement, Ruby announced that it was time to go to breakfast.

They lined up and filed through the door, but stopped only a few steps after leaving their room. Yang, Weiss, and Blake looked over Ruby's shoulder to see what was the matter, and found Naze sitting with his back against the wall, eyes closed, and totally unmoving. Not even his chest was moving with the breath that should've been rhythmically pumping through his lungs. They stared, dumbfounded for a few seconds before Ruby made a move forward to see if there was anything the matter with him. As soon as she started moving towards him, Naze's eyes opened and it head twisted towards her. For a brief moment the two stared at each other uncomfortably before Naze quickly rose to his feet and gave a small bow, saying "Morning, ladies."

The group of four eyed its potential fifth member cautiously, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Thy found nothing, save maybe the fact that there appeared to be light chalk residue on his hands. Yang asked "Are you still good to go on your first mission with us?" in a hopeful tone. Naze shrugged his shoulders and said "As ready as I can be, I suppose." Yang gave him an encouraging smile and said "That's the spirit!"

Naze gestured for them to lead the way, and they did. The cafeteria was buzzing with the sounds of exited first years quickly wolfing down their food to get to the auditorium as quickly as possible so that they could get their assignments. Ruby's team all sat next to each other eating, but careful not to eat too much. Naze sat on the across from them, looking on distantly. Ruby wasn't sure if the others noticed it or not, but Naze was watching them eat, an expression that was the closest she had ever seen to longing come across his face.

She reached over the table, offering him a roll, but he held a hand up and shook his head. Ruby out the roll back down, her own food suddenly not seeming quite as appetizing as it had seconds before. Blake had noticed this little exchange and raised an eyebrow at Naze, saying "You really should eat something. You could pass out if you don't."

Naze shook his head again before saying "I appreciate the concern, but its fine. I don't need anything." They doubted his judgment slightly, but let him do as he wished. They had never seen him eat before, and it was entirely possible that he had already eaten. The rest of the food was devoured quickly, and the group set off towards the auditorium.

As with the several other times that they had gotten assigned missions, Ozpin was standing at center of the stage, looking over the large number of students waiting to choose their missions. The group stood amid the other students waiting for about five minutes. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss made a few small comments to each other, but there was no real conversation between them. After several more minutes of students slowly streaming into the room, Ozpin cleared his throat, and the room fell silent.

"As you know, your duties as Huntsmen and Huntresses is to the people of Remnant. It is time again for you to go out and serve your duties!" a round of cheers went up among the students, and holographic displays emerged from the floor and flickered into life, letters forming into words and selections of different options.

Ruby looked back to her teammates and asked "What do we want to do?" None seemed to have any particularly strong feeling one way or the other, and eventually they looked to Naze for his input. He didn't even know what the options were. In accordance with this, he shrugged his shoulders and peered around at a few of the screens to see what they were. At the top of each screen was what appeared to be an area marker, "ZONE 1" "ZONE 2" and so on. He rolled a mental dice to decide on a number, and it came up with seven.

He looked towards the seven board. There were hardly any students around that board, and those who were looked like they were simply lingering to look like they were doing something. As Naze started to walk over to the display, Weiss put a hand on his shoulder and asked "Really? Seven? That's pretty far from Vale."

Naze raised an eyebrow and said "How far is it? Is it more dangerous than other places?" His curiosity was genuine, he hadn't heard anything of zoning, even in his reading. Weiss looked to the others briefly while trying to formulate an answer. The other girls gave her back shrugs and unsure looks. She sighed and turned back to Naze and said "It's mostly vacant, with only a few scattered villages here and there. The land isn't very useful. It's just flat plains mostly, with no natural defenses from Grimm. In the far side of the zone there's some thick swampland, but that's about it."

Naze nodded and said "I'm used to swamps. Do you have any problems with that?" Weiss looked hesitant, mumbling to herself "swamps are disgusting…" but the others shook their heads. He gave Weiss an apologetic shrug and said "Sorry, majority rules." And resumed walking. As he came to the display he stepped aside, making way for Ruby. She was still the leader of the team. As she drew closer the display changed, a list popping up below the number, and Ruby read it out loud.

"We've got… two Search and Destroys, one escort, and one scouting." She turned back to her team and asked again "Any preferences?" Yang was quick to answer, clapping her fists together energetically and saying "Search and destroy, I feel like a workout!" Weiss pouted and said "Yang, you always feel like a workout. Can we please do something at least a little bit less terror-filled this time?" Blake spoke out next, saying "What about the scouting mission? That could be interesting."

Yang stepped forward and tapped a finger on a small dot next to the "search and destroy" and a list dropped down revealing details about each one. Both were in the plains, and against fairly small numbers of Grimm, mainly centering on keeping the population in check. Next she tapped the "escort" tab. The list of details came down, revealing that if they took it, they would be taking a small team of scientists to the swampland to investigate anomalous behavior in the surrounding atmosphere. This sounded very close to a ward Naze had placed on the area around his crater and ziggurat to prevent any aerial attacks on his dwelling. It was good to know that even after the indeterminate amount of time he had been gone from the world, his magic was strong enough to continue. It also confirmed the niggling suspicion he had had about the swamp they were talking about actually being the one Naze had created.

It was something of a long story, but it had essentially been Naze's response to growing animosity against him and his people in particular. If people attacking him had to wade through a swamp teeming with bloodsucking leeches, venomous snakes, and the occasional roaming zombie or two, they would just as likely not attack him at all. The plan had worked wonderfully, and the living had deemed the area "The Black Morass" for its alleged cursed origins. He doubted that any of the undead creatures had had originally populated the area with still roamed. They had all been mindless creations, made without any soul or personality, existing only to wander in the muck. Naze had little dominion over what they did as a result, and they acted on whatever twisted instinct drove any such undead.

Next, Yang hit the "scouting" tab. As it had with the others, a list of details dropped down. Naze read quickly, and immediately him mind made connections. The mission entailed going deep into the swamp, finding the remains of a ruined town and looking for survivors, and identifying an alleged new kind of Grimm. The small town that he had first observed upon emerging from his slumber hadn't caused any trouble for him, and Morgana had gotten her claws into several Grimm corpses and applied her… special touch. He recalled what little he had seen of the twisted creatures, and understood how they might be confused with new breeds. They had been so twisted that they barely resembled the Ursa they had been in life. Could this be the opportunity he had been waiting for? Those that already call him friend would've been a logical place to start.

Yang tooled to her sister and asked "Well, what is it, captain? Do you want to go and kill monsters in epic duels, help a couple of egghead scientists, or go sightseeing in the swamp?" Ruby put a hand to her chin and thought. "If we were the ones who found a new kind of Grimm… do you think we would get to name it?"

Naze wasn't entirely sure how to respond to this question. On the one hand, it did display at least some curiosity and drive to learn, but on the other hand it was so childish and half thought through that he didn't know which factor played more of a part. Weiss seemed to feel along the same lines, saying "Is that really your main-" but being cut off by Blake, who stepped forward and said "They probably would let us pick the name."

This seemed to win the girl over entirely, and she turned, about to confirm the selection, when she remembered the new fifth member of the team. "Any objections?" she asked, none of the glimmer fading from her eyes. He shook his head, and Ruby quickly turned around and input her team name.

A green banner popped up, reading "Assignment Confirmed" and a small tone played from Ruby's scroll. Ruby turned back to her team, pulling the device out of her pocket and saying "Alright, we're supposed to report to a Bullhead for an airlift."

The group turned to leave, only to find Ozpin standing behind them. They all gave a small start of surprise, but the man only took a sip from his coffee mug and said "So, off to the marsh I see. I would urge you to be careful there, children. Grimm are likely to be far from the only hazards in places teeming with such diverse life. Treat wounds carefully, avoid disease and infection, I'm sure you know the drill. Swamps pose a unique kind of threat to teams, large or small." He turned to leave, saying "Good luck" over his shoulder as he went.

All of the girls watched him go before turning back to Naze, and Ruby asked in a slightly worried voice "You know how to deal with all that stuff, don't you?" He nodded and said "Of course. It isn't nearly as bad once you know how to care for yourself. I'll keep a close eye on you guys to make sure you don't manage to kill yourselves somehow."

They started walking towards the strips where the Bullheads would be waiting to take them to the outskirts of the bogs. Naze walked beside his new teammates, wondering how he would reveal himself, if he did end up doing it. The answer that he came up with to this question was: carefully.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

I am really happy to present this chapter. It has been the largest so far, and things are really starting to kick off now.

So, If you like it, leave a review, and tell a few friends about it!

Please enjoy.

* * *

The Bullhead started to draw close to the thick tree line and towards the ground as Ruby pulled her map out and started pointing, talking the plan up to her teammates again. Her finger went first to a small red circle near the bottom of the map, and she said "This is the clearing that we're landing in." she traced a small area around the clearing "This is the area that has been scouted recently, and declared reasonably safe." She dragged a finger in a straight line from the center of the clearing to the middle of the bog, and to the crater in the middle. "This is where we need to get to. Once we get there, all we need to do is to confirm that there is a new kind of Grimm, and get out. Understood?"

The other members of her team nodded, and she looked back down to her map, narrowing her eyes and thinking back to what they had been told. "The escaped villagers said that the new Grimm was highly aggressive, and very resistant to damage. What did we say that we were going to do if we were forced into a confrontation?" She knew that the elementary method of quizzing her teammates was probably mildly irritating, but it was important that they all know the plan.

Blake was the first to respond, looking up from the book in her hand and saying "If we get forced into a fight with a new Grimm, we are supposed to get out of combat as fast as possible and regroup as soon as we can and get back to the Bullhead."

Ruby nodded, satisfied with this answer. It was somewhat simpler than the first time that she had explained it, but the core ideas were the same. She moved to the next question. "We're supposed to give a general report as about Grimm numbers and types around here. How frequent are Grimm sightings here, and what kind?"

Quick to respond was Weiss, looking somewhat eager to show off the fact that she recalled the direction as clearly as she did. "Grimm numbers in this area are notably low, and no one is certain why. The only kinds of Grimm who live in the area are pack Grimm only. The majority of those sighted are Beowulfs, but there are some Ursa as well. Sightings are rare because of the lack of any real observation inside of the swamp itself, but those on the edges of the swamp would suggest that Grimm numbers are very low." Ruby started to nod, but Weiss continued talking "It seems to me that the small numbers of Grimm are somehow related to the anomaly in the airspace above it, but I guess I don't really have anything to back that up."

Ruby regarded her for a second in silence, wondering why she had felt the need to insert her opinion in such a non-important place, but dismissed it as one of her eccentrics. If she felt the need to have her opinion heard, than Ruby wasn't going to tell her to be quiet. She waited a few seconds to make sure that Weiss didn't have anything else to add before continuing prepping her team.

"How's the swamp?" a small question, but one that's importance couldn't be understated. Naze had made it fairly clear that without some preventative measures, things would be bad. He had been sire to tell her about all manner of things that could either kill or try and kill them. Bloodsucking leeches, venomous wildlife (both plant and animal), disease bearing insects, and even bacteria infested water were about as far as he had gotten before Ruby had told him to stop and simply tell them what they needed to have. It was for that reason that all four of them were now wearing thick leather pants. They weren't thick enough to hinder movement or give any other detriment, but were more than enough to be uncomfortable.

Yang was the one to answer this question, giving her legs a stretch against the brown leather and saying with some hesitation "It's really nasty down there. There are animals, plants, basically everything wants to either kill you or live in you somehow." Mental images of things like botflies and various parasitic worms that Ruby knew about came crashing down into her mind, and almost made her gag. She wished she hadn't had time to look up some of the names Naze had dropped in such a casual manner as he had. Apparently Weiss felt something similar, because her face paled slightly and she looked down. Yang's reaction wasn't quite as bad, but she defiantly didn't enjoy the thoughts. Blake and Naze seemed totally undisturbed by the idea. Ruby couldn't help but feel baffled by that.

Yang smirked as she saw her sister's reaction, and continued, saying "Sorry sis, but you did ask. Other than that, we should basically stick to general hostile area rules: Treat open wounds as quick as possible, don't drink the water, don't take candy from strangers, and don't get in any vans." Her smile widened at her own joke, but no one else seemed very uplifted by it. She shrugged her shoulders and sat back in her seat, figuring that they could be disgusted if they wanted.

Ruby managed to keep her lunch down, even in spite of the barrage of images that popped up onto her scroll, and that she couldn't have hoped to get rid of quick enough. She supposed that her team was readily enough prepared, and turned her view to Naze. He had been quiet the entire ride thus far, and hadn't displayed any interest in the group's various discussions. He was sitting almost perfectly still, shoulder against the bulkhead and his eyes moving slowly and systematically over the landscape below. There still seemed to be the strange and somewhat disconcerting glint of intelligence that they normally had, but it seemed more distant than it normally was.

She gave Naze a more scrutinizing look. He almost looked like he was asleep, slumped against the back of his seat, not a single muscle moving on his body. Now that she looked, she noticed that he wasn't even blinking. She didn't pay this much mind, however. He had done this before, and being concerned about it had proven fruitless, as he simply snapped out of it after something happened to arrest his attention.

She spoke out to him, saying "Naze, are you alright?" He looked up than at Ruby before nodding and saying "Yes, I'm fine." and returning his gaze to the window. Ruby supposed that that meant he didn't have anything that he wanted to talk about, but Yang looked over at him and asked "What are you thinking about?" in a curious voice.

Everyone else in the Bullhead turned their attention towards Naze, interested to hear his answer to the question. He looked up again from the window and towards Yang, an eyebrow raised, before saying "Nothing much. Just what we might expect to find down in the bog. They're strange places, you know?"  
Yang nodded, agreeing with the statement. "And there might be new Grimm down there too. Maybe we'll be the first to really see it."

Blake leaned forward, setting her book down and asking, "You grew up in a place like this, didn't you? Aren't you feeling strange about coming back to a swamp like this?"

Naze shrugged his shoulders, making his blade clatter slightly against the metal bulkhead as he said "Not really, no. I assumed I would be coming back eventually. I suppose I look forward to being back, in a way." There was something slightly foreboding about his words. It wasn't any particular choice of words or way he said it, it just seemed that there was something behind those words.

A click rang out in the cabin, and a slightly distorted voice spoke over the speakers, saying "I'm going in for a landing, please secure all loose belongings and fasten your seatbelts. We're getting close to the anomaly, so expect a little bit of turbulence."

The four looked up at the ceiling, acknowledging the voice briefly before doing as it requested and fastening the black belts around their waists tightly. The Bullhead tilted down, and began its descent. The engines tilted down and started to weaken, and the whole thing dropped with what seemed to the girls like alarming speed. There was no further word from the pilot though, and Naze seemed totally undisturbed by the drop. The engines gave a short, high pitch whine, and the cabin of the aircraft seemed to slam to a stop. It was a few more seconds before the light tap of the ground on the landing gear could be felt, and the doors slid open with a metallic hiss.

The four girls and Naze undid their seatbelts and hopped out, the voice of the pilot speaking again, saying "I'm staying here in case something happened and you need extraction. Just remember that I can't go any further in than this, so you'll have to come to me. Got that?"

Ruby gave a thumbs up over her shoulder to the direction of the cockpit, and the pilot said "Alright. You kids take care now, alright?" Ruby nodded again, the doors slid shut, and the engines came to a slow stop.

They were on their own now, alone in the swamp. Ruby pulled out her map and, after a few seconds of checking, pointed directly away from the landing zone and said "That way!" in a voice far more chipper than she actually felt.

It became clear after several steps that traversing the muddy bog was going to be far more difficult than they had originally anticipated. While the ground they stood on was sturdy and dry enough to not give under their weight, that solid ground quickly tapered off into what looked like several feet of mud, which further faded into a long stretch of winding brown water, thick with a sickly green, almost slimy layer of algae covering the top. Their eyes drifted over the path in front of them, searching for a more easily navigable path, but none revealed itself. Trees, bark black and chipped away in some places and dark green vines hanging down from their tops, stood in some places where the mud was slightly more solid and high enough off the bottom of the bog to support the web work of roots that the trees constructed.

Naze stepped past Ruby, going first ankle, than knee deep in the combination of thick brown mud and slimy plant growth before turning around and saying "What are you waiting for? It won't get any easier than this. Just wait until you have a snake biting your ankles, or maybe a leech sucking at your juices, then we'll be having real fun." He spoke from experience, however eldritch those experiences might've been. It had been a very long time since he had been alive, but swamps had certainly been a large part of his life. The memories were almost as murky as the waters themselves, piled under eons of study and observation.

Yang was the first to follow him, putting one foot forward into the muck determinately and following it with the other. Blake was the next, stepping in Yang's footsteps to ease the process, like walking through snow. Weiss and Ruby hesitated. Ruby gave a slightly worried look over her back at her beloved hood, and Weiss looked at her white outfit in dismay. Neither one had dressed especially well for the occasion.

They followed though, doing the same as Blake, using the work of the leader to ease their own way. It wasn't long before even Yang fell into line behind Naze, who didn't seem to have a problem forcing his way through the grime, not showing so much as a hint of struggling against it. For the girls however, it was a different matter entirely. The air was humid and hot, practically sapping the water from their bodies. They breathed heavily, starting to feel choked by the heavy fumes and vapor that permeated the swamp.

They dragged on, struggling to continue moving. Things only got worse when a small swarm of insects surrounded the group, buzzing quickly around their heads and occasionally biting and stinging their exposed skin. Ruby put her hood up and was granted some relief from the attacking insects, but the others didn't have hoods that they could use. It was about half an hour until they found themselves on solid ground again, and they all looked relieved to finally get out of the mud.

Naze walked up onto it first, and offered a hand to the others. One by one, he helped them out, offering a hand to pull them out of the swamp. Their leather leggings made unpleasant sucking sounds as they were removed from the mud, and Ruby's almost came off in the muck. She was able to hook her foot back into it and make sure it stayed in place, but a small amount of water fell into her legging, the warm feeling of the slimy water against her skin making her cringe.

Naze finished helping them up and stepped back, observing his four variously fatigued companions. Ruby looked like she had taken the hardest hit in terms of the drain swamps had on people. She had a thick layer of sweat over her entire body, and her hair was soaking wet despite her head remaining well above the water level. The next up was Blake, under similar conditions, if looking slightly less heated. Weiss wasn't looking too bad, considering the circumstances, although she certainly looked the least comfortable. Her normally spotless white outfit was splattered with mud, plant slime, and various other swamp-fluids. When she reached the island of solid land she made a few halfhearted attempts wipe it of before giving an exasperated sigh and giving up, taking a seat on the dirt.

All of the four sat down, very obviously unable to continue for a time. Even Yang, who looked like she was hardly breaking a sweat, was breathing heavily and reaching desperately for a thermos of water. Naze knew that they must've been dangerously dehydrated. "Drink slowly" he said "we'll rest for a few minutes before continuing on."

Ruby gave an exhausted nod and laid back, her cape providing a layer between her and the ground that the others didn't have. The cape itself was sopping wet, just like everything else long enough to hand down, and bore a large amount of bog material. She took her pack off and laid it down next to her, rolling over onto her side to root through it. She pulled her own container of water out and started to drink deeply.

Yang sat next to her, also starting to drink. Ruby tapped Yang's leg and motioned towards the bag before taking the water away from her face, drawing a deep, gasping breath, and saying "map". Yang drew the rolled up paper from one of the pockets and handed it over. Ruby unrolled the map and held it over her head in front of her face, reading it with dull, tired eyes. Naze stepped over to peer at the map as well. Ruby pulled out a red pen and tiredly made a line from their starting point to around where they were now. It wasn't the most accurate of lines, but it would do. After the line was drawn, Ruby let her arms fall limply back down, the map fluttering down on top of her face. As her arms fell, Naze noticed something on the inside of one of her arms. He smiled.

Reaching down and lifting the map up slightly, Naze pointed to Ruby's arm and said "I see you made a friend." She gave him a confused look, glanced at her arm, and gave an earsplitting squeal as her semblance activated and she threw herself into the branches of a nearby tree. The leech stayed firmly in place however, and didn't seem too bothered by the sudden jerk.

Yang was first to her feet, giving Ruby a worried look and crying out "What's wrong?" throwing her arms back into a combat stance and steadying her stance. Wordlessly, Ruby shook her arm at her sister in an attempt to display the creature for her to see. Yang eyed the thumb-sized worm before calling out "You're going to have to come down here if you want any help!"

Reluctantly, Ruby dropped back down to earth, holding her arm away from her as she did so. She and Yang converged at about the middle of the small island, and Yang took Ruby's arm in her grasp, examining the small interloper that had attached itself to her sister's skin. Ruby had one hand to her mouth, trying not to scream again from the sight of the thing.

Yang took the leech in a gentle grip and looked Ruby in the eyes, saying "Hey, focus on me, alright? I'm going to pull it out on three. Ready?" Ruby nodded, and Yang started counting down. "Three!" she shouted loudly, and tore the leech off of Ruby's arm before hurling it back into the murk only a few feet from them on all sides. Ruby gave a cry of shock and pain, pushing her sister lightly, only making her lean back slightly to absorb the force.

Naze clapped his hands together, sending a sharp echo out, bouncing off of the numerous trees, roots and vines that surrounded them. "Alright, I think we're ready to move again. Everyone up, let's get this done!" He sounded far more enthusiastic than he felt. Not a difficult thing to do, given his generally emotionless state as a lich, but he somehow managed to infuse his words with at least halfway believable sounding zeal.

Ruby and Weiss groaned, but the group got ready to start moving again. Naze started sloshing through the thick mud and water, the others using his tracks to ease the journey. With occasional glances over his shoulder, he could tell that Ruby was keeping her arms far away from the water. He decided not to tell her that many leeches also dropped from overhead foliage in order to co-opt a host.

It was about another half an hour before anything else interesting happened. Not even a conversation was able to be struck up, for all the girls were too focused on not letting the various hazards below the water's surface like fallen vines or protruding roots trip them. When finally something did happen that was more interesting than their slow but steady trudge, it was something that made Naze's eyes go wide.

A hollow moan came through the trees, and a far off splashing could be heard. Naze held up a hand, signaling that they should stop, and listened carefully to the sound. There was no mistaking the dead wail of the creature. Somewhere, off in the distance, was one of the corpses that Naze had reanimated in this bog so long ago, still prowling for invaders. How it was still functioning, Naze had no idea. The chances of such an event occurring were so infinitesimally small…

But nevertheless, here it was. Naze extended his mind through the crystals of domination in the body he controlled, and sent his dominion over the undead out around himself. Sure enough, the staggering, moaning, but not quite decomposing corpse was shambling towards them, arms extended like a child reaching for a toy. It was behind a thick veil of vines hanging from a tree, shielded from the sight of the rest of his cavalcade. It had resisted rotting to dirt over the vast expanse of years it had patrolled the area by being systematically frozen, inhabiting areas of the morass with more acidic water, and being depraved of oxygen for any of the microbes that would normally consume it. The combination of these factors resulted in it being almost totally resilient to decomposing, making them very low maintenance guardians. As an added touch, because nothing Naze made was ever quite as deadly as he would like, they had a necrotizing touch, capable of killing almost anything alive with enough contact. The life of the swamp was resilient however, and replaced what was lost so quickly that releasing hundreds of these mummies into the area had no significant impact on the ecosystem.

He was about to suggest that they circle around, avoiding the mindless minion, when Yang spoke from behind him, saying "That sounds like a person! We have to help them!" The rest of the girls agreed, saying that it could've been someone injured by the anomalous Grimm they were hunting, and that it was their duty to help them. He wanted to refute that, but he couldn't. Instead, he sent a powerful mental command out to the mummy struggling against the vines that were rotting away under its cursed touch. As soon as the command registered the mummy fell as stiff as a board into the water, making a loud splashing noise.

Naze hoped that this would be enough to get them to drop it, but he was no fool. They wouldn't let this go. Blake spoke from behind Yang, saying, "Should we split up to find them?"

Ruby responded after a moment of silent thought, suggesting, "We have to look for them, but I don't think that splitting up is a great idea. Maybe we should stay within a few feet of each other, just in case whatever we're looking for really is out there. Right?" The others confirmed this, and started to walk past Naze. He cursed to himself before joining them.

He drew his blade from its sheath, razors edge singing as it sliced the air, and said, "I don't trust this. Get your weapons ready." They obliged, each one readying themselves for a fight. As Ruby's scythe unfolded from somewhere behind her back, Naze took note of how large the weapon was. In a close quarters encounter of any kind in the bog the oversized scythe would be borderline useless.

Naze pointed his sword to the curtain of vines that concealed the now statue-like corpse and said, "It was coming from over here. Cover me while I check." Sounds of affirmation came from behind him as he made his way to the obstruction and, with one deft wide upwards slice, sent most of the foliage into the water. The general form of the mummy was still visible, however, and bobbed beneath the grey and green strands.

The teens behind him made stifled noises of surprise as they saw the corpse. Naze gave the thing a poke with the end of his blade before turning back to them and saying, "It's been dead for a long while. This could be the culprit of the moaning."

He got disbelieving looks in return. Weiss looked from him to the body and back again before asking, "How can a dead body moan like that?"

Naze gave Weiss a raised eyebrow before starting to explain "If a body is dead a long enough time, it starts to decompose. That produces gas in the body, and that gas has to get out somehow. If the body has rigor mortis in its throat at a weird position, it can sound like moaning." Ruby quickly put a hand to her mouth again, trying to hold down her lunch in what appeared to be a continuing battle throughout the day.

The other's reactions were more measured. Yang nodded, Weiss scowled distastefully at the body, and Blake raised an eyebrow before saying, "It doesn't look like its rotting much. I don't think that it would still be shaped like that if it were. Plus, we definitely heard something moving around on two legs, like we do. Maybe you guys can't hear as well as I can, but that thing was definitely person-shaped."

She was certainly observant, Naze would give her that. Differing options presented themselves to his mind, but very few actually got them off the topic of a straggler survivor. Perhaps the most reliable one that did was also the most risky. Naze decided that he didn't have the patience to deal with a hopeless search though, and decided to run with it.

The command to stop the mummy was following ended, and in its place was an order to attack anything humanoid. Instantly it started to motion, pushing itself up from the water and looking up to find its nearest target. The closest thing was dead, like it, but was undoubtedly human shaped. It let out a moan and started moving towards its new target, acting comparably to a machine.

Weiss gave a startled shriek and brought her blade to bear on the corpse, prompting her allies to do the same. Naze acted without missing a beat, turning and stabbing the mummy in the center of the chest, bringing it to a sudden halt. The halt only lasted a few seconds however, before it started to push itself further into his blade. He brought a foot up to kick it back, but to his mild sense of dread, Yang moved past him, her fist traveling towards the mummy's face. It was all Naze could do to hope that she would trigger her gauntlet and not make any physical contact. He tried to communicate to her not to touch it, shouting, "Don't-" but he was too late.

Yang's knuckles connected with the corpse's cheekbone, and her gauntlet kicked as it spat a hot cartridge of dust out into the head of the mummy. The toughened, preserved skin was resilient against the heat, but offered no protection from the physical side of the attack. The mummy was thrown off of Naze's blade and back to the water. Without a second of hesitation, Naze stuck out with a downward lunge, the point of his blade hitting dead center in the neck. As the width of the blade sliced through the tough leathery skin and severed the spine, the mummy's was completely beheaded.

Seeing the opportunity to end the fight, Naze again commanded the creature to stop. It went limp, and bobbed quietly in the water over top of the fallen vines. Weiss, Ruby, and Blake quickly got into ready positions around the fallen body. The corpse stayed still though, and with its decapitation it was easily assumed that it had died a second time.

Yang gave a grunt of pain from next to Naze and pulled her fist close to her chest and started nursing it gingerly. The girls quickly moved around her to inspect the wound, but Naze forced his way through, saying, "Keep watch on that thing." as he gestured towards the mummy, "Yang, show me your hand."

Yang pulled her hand closer to her, saying, "No, I'm fine! It's just a little scratch!" It was far more than a scratch. Mummy rot could easily kill, and if allowed to progress fully, Yang would be resurrected as a zombie, mindless and shambling.

"Yang, whatever sense of pride is making you do this, throw it away! Remember what we said about treating injuries quickly? This is one of those times. This is important!"

Yang begrudgingly surrendered her arm, and Naze took it in a strong grip, inspecting it. The skin on the top of her knuckles was just beginning to blacken, light enough to be confused for a bruise. It was much worse than a bruise, though, and was spreading slowly. Naze brought his sword up and placed Yang's knuckles against the crystal of domination in its hilt. She winced slightly as her hand met cold metal, but didn't pull away.

Naze started weaving energy together. He could conjure many different kinds of magic, many of secrets of the arcane having been laid bare before him over the centuries. In spite of this, one discipline in particular had always been a great thorn in his side. The magics of life and, more specifically, those of mending it, had always been more of a struggle. If he were here in his true body, his lich form, than he would be able to rid her of the rot, and probably leave her better off than she had been. As it was however, working though the proxy of the puppet, weaving a spell like that was difficult.

Power interlaced, his mind strained slightly to keep the spell together, and the crystal of domination started to glow. He managed to wrest the uncooperative magic into what he needed it to be, and expelled it into Yang's hand. She gave a small jerk, but he held her hand in place. Her eyes widened, and she looked on in awe as most of the dying flesh was restored to its prior condition.

Naze let the spell go, and immediately his control over the puppet body wavered, and it fell limp towards the water. Weiss was just able to catch him before he submerged completely, and pulled him back to his feet. He reasserted control over the vessel and got his legs under him again, saying, "Thanks" over his shoulder as he did so.

Everyone looked at him. They were waiting for direction, none being sure what their next move should be. Naze looked to Ruby and said, "Well, that wasn't a Grimm, was it?" she shook her head, and Naze said, "Than let's keep moving." He resumed the trudge towards the center of his swamp, all four girls in tow.

Blake was the first to speak after the run in with the mummy, saying, "What was it that your father said about the swamp? That… if you stay long enough…" Naze cursed Blake's name to himself. If she kept this up, he wouldn't have to reveal himself. He spoke over his shoulder again, saying "That if you were dead long enough, you would start walking around again. Don't lend that old man any credit, though, he was insane!"

Blake responded quickly, saying in an increasingly agitated tone, "Can you explain what that was? We just got attacked by a dead person! You yourself said that it was dead!" Naze was growing increasingly frustrated. If he was going to lie, he may as well go all out.

"I must've been wrong! Dead things don't get up and attack you! Dead things don't waltz around swamps waiting to munch on passersby!"

Blake sounded like she was about to say something else, but Ruby intervened, saying, "Guys, we're on the same team here, alright? Sure, we don't exactly know what's going on, but we have a mission to do! We don't know what that thing was. It could've been dead, it might not have been. I do know one thing though, and that's that we can't just fight over stuff like this!"

There were several seconds filled only by the sloshing and splashing of swamp water before Blake's voice came again, and she said, "I'm sorry, Naze. I suppose it makes sense that that thing couldn't have been dead."

Naze supposed he should give ground as well, and he shook his head, saying, "You were right to. We don't know what's happening, nothing is out of the question, I suppose."

Weiss spoke to Ruby, asking, "Are we almost there?" in a highly impatient voice. Ruby struggled a moment to pull out her map, but there was little need to. Naze could see the trees starting to thin as they neared the edges of the crater. The crater itself was not in view yet, though. He let Ruby answer the question. "We are… about… fifteen minutes or so, I think."

A collective sigh came out of each of the girls. They were tired, hot, and wet, as well as exceedingly eager to finish their mission and get back. There was still swamp to travel though, and the thinning of the trees only meant that there would be fewer solid spots of ground.

A large hill-like formation loomed in front of them, marking the very edge of the deep chasm that Naze called home. The group made their way up the steep hill and, upon reaching the top, gazed down at the dense jungle below. The view was breathtaking. Jade treetops covered mostly everything, but through the few gaps they could see the dirt floor of the area. At the far end there stood the top of a large structure that looked like it had stood for an eternity. They had all seen and studied several ruins in class, but the structure standing over many of those trees looked like it was still in almost perfect condition.

There was another distinct clearing, much closer to their side of the crater than the other. The angle made it difficult to see the ground through it, but Ruby was sure that she could see a few planks of wood and strips of cloth on the ground. She drew the map from her pack again and looked at it. The place the village was, or had been, was very close to where the wood and cloth scraps were. She didn't need her Huntress training to tell her why that likely was.

Naze pointed to a small, winding set of stairs carved out of the earth that started at the rim of the crater and said, "That looks like the only way down." After a quick scan of the rest of the walls, she could confirm that it was the case. Ruby retook the lead of the group, wiping the huge amount of sweat off of her forehead and hoping that the rest of her clothes would dry soon.

The stairs seemed sturdy enough, and were a welcome break after the miles of mud they had already trudged through. Ruby found herself struggling to manage Crescent Rose, and about halfway down decided simply to holster it. The others had much easier times with their weapons, simply carrying them by their sides or, in Yang's case, simply on her wrists.

When they reached the flat bottom of the crater they stopped to take stock of their condition. Ruby drank again deeply from her water, and the others did as well, all accept for Naze. None of them said anything about it, though. He didn't show the slightest sign of fatigue. Ruby decided to let her teammates rest for a little while. She pulled her scroll and set the timer for fifteen minutes. That should've been plenty of time to catch their breath, rehydrate, and continue moving. They took seats on the steps and rested quietly.

Ruby laid down on her back and closed her eyes for a moment. The air in the basin was cooler than that in the swamp, and there was even a slight breeze on her face. Where that breeze came from she didn't know, but she wasn't planning on raising the question. Then, a second later, the shrill tone of her scroll's alarm cut through the air and forced her eyes open. She sat up slowly and with a pained groan. She was already sore, and they hadn't even done any real fighting yet. They might not, and she might prefer it that way, but if they did get into a fight it would be somewhat uncomfortable.

She roused her team from the various states of inaction they were in and rallied them in front of the base of the stairs. They looked up to her expectantly, and she said, "Alright, we made it! Now all we have to do is find this Grimm, take a few pictures if we can, and get out of here. Everyone ready?" An enthusiastic cheer went up among her friends as they all proclaimed, "We're ready!"

Naze watched from a few feet behind Ruby, slightly puzzled at the reason of the somewhat childish display. His attention was quickly grabbed away from the group when he heard something large snap a fallen branch behind him. He turned to face it, and found himself staring at one of the monstrosities that Morgana had created. Its body was mostly hidden behind a large jungle tree, but its head and face were clearly visible. It peered at him with cold, milky white eyes that were devoid of the spark of intelligence that most beings had. In spite of this apparent lack, there was a critical edge to its gaze. Its focus seemed set on Naze, its head cocked slightly as if it was trying to figure something about him out. Then, as soon as it had appeared, it bolted off, moving with a speed impressive for its size. It dashed back into a thicket of trees, sending rotting leaves and pieces of twig flying behind it.

Ruby stepped to Naze's side and followed his gaze curiously. "Do you see something?" she asked softly. He raised an eyebrow. So it was at least smart enough to avoid being seen by multiple people at once. Naze wondered just how intelligent these things were. There were three different reanimated and mutated Ursa that Morgana had had her fun with, and each one had been distinctly different from the others. He didn't quite remember how, but he had a feeling that it would become apparent quickly if they were to fight them.

He also knew that they must've been formidable opponents, as only three had been strong enough to take out an entire village, an accomplishment no matter how small the village had been. That being said though, they would've inevitably sustained damage in the fight. Some Grimm had impressive healing abilities, but upon death those abilities would be lost. The one that he had seen had been mostly shrouded from view, but he would be willing to wager that it bore a few scars from battle.

He shrugged his shoulders and responded to Ruby, "I don't know, maybe. I think I just caught a glimpse of what we're here for." Ruby's eyes widened and she started going over the scene in front of her with great attention to detail. Naze nodded and said, "I think it's gone now, I saw it run away pretty fast."

Blake, Weiss, and Yang walked up behind him, and Weiss asked, "Did you at least see what it looked like?"

He nodded again and said, "It was big. Big and fast. I think avoiding a fight would be a good idea. That's about all I was able to tell."

There was a moment of silence before Ruby took a deep breath, looked down again at her map, rolled it up and said, "Well gang, let's go check out where the village was. We'll be bound to find some clues there, right?" the rest of them nodded, and Ruby started walking. The thick layers of leaves above them blocked the majority of sunlight, and the trees were thick. There did seem to be a slight path, too light to have been there long, but just enough to be visible. A few distorted footprints adorned the dirt, dragged and dug in so that they looked like whoever had made them had been running.

It wasn't long on this path until they came to the first ominous sign. In the middle of the path a large patch of dirt was clumped and blackened. Naze recognized it as blood, and the others seemed to as well. A large mark led straight away from the patch and into a thicket of trees and bushes. The group only regarded it morbidly before Naze said, "That's at least a week old. Someone bleeding that much wouldn't make it a day. And besides, if they did get away, I seriously doubt they would stick around in the giant hole in the ground with the monsters that destroyed their village."

Blake agreed, saying, "If they would've gotten away… there would have been blood on the stairs. Let's just keep going."

They did, and as they walked Naze started expanding his presence around him. He didn't even need to do it through the puppet body, everything in the crater was well within his natural dominion. He felt out, ignoring the thousands of undead who resided in the ziggurat and paying attention only to loose, uncontrolled entities. Other than a few wandering souls, the three mutants were the only things in the crater not under Naze's power. One was still stalking them from the shadows, staying at a distance to avoid alerting them, and the other two seemed to be remaining still at a small clearing. The fact that the clearing was also the location of the destroyed town was likely not a coincidence.

The next signal that something rather unfortunate had happened was much more striking. A mangled corpse, stiff and rotting, was lying still in the middle of the path. A small cloud of buzzing flies hovered around it, and a layer of maggots wriggling on top of it.

Ruby gagged and turned away from the corpse. The pictures on the scroll had been bad, but this… this was something else altogether. The smell of rancid, rotting meat and the sound of the maggots writhing against the body and against each other was so repulsive. All of them reacted somehow. Weiss put a hand to her mouth and turned away, her face scrunched up and eyes closed. Yang took a step back and drew a surprised gasp. Blake seemed less surprised to find a mangled corpse, looking around the body for any clue as to where the perpetrator of the killing went.

Naze was not fazed. He stopped walking only because Ruby had been in front of him. He waited for Ruby and Weiss to recover from their mild gagging fits for about half a minute before putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder and saying, "Just close your eyes, stop breathing and walk past it." She nodded and took a deep breath before closing her eyes and starting to walk again. Yang put both her hands on Ruby's shoulders, nudging Naze out of the way, and guided her sister past the body. Blake and Weiss followed quietly.

They had all seen death before, but not like this. This was very different. This wasn't people dying to defend themselves, this wasn't even people killed to feed a Grimm's ravenous hunger. This body had been left in the dirt for no reason. Whatever had done this was worse than any Grimm they had faced before. They didn't know why they felt like this, but the feeling was strong enough to be felt in the air.

They came to the end of the path, and Ruby held up a hand to signal they stop. She crouched down and got behind a tree, peeking out from behind it and fumbling for her scroll again. The others following her moved similarly to get out of view of the clearing ahead. Naze did the same, putting just a little more focus towards the undead Grimm.

The two waiting in the clearing were already aware of their presence, they were just waiting for something. Naze could've controlled them and forced them to do whatever he wanted, but he was interested to see just how much intelligence they had retained through what Morgana did to them. He peeked around a tree the same way that the others were doing, and got his first good look at the beasts.

Both were still almost recognizable as having been Ursa at some point, they still had a general bear-like shape. The rest, however, was far different. One of the mutants looked like some kind of animated siege engine, with thick plates of bleached white bone covering almost every inch of its body, and numerous spines sticking off of those plates. If Naze had to guess what Morgana's goal had been with this one, it would've been that she was trying to give it some sort of exoskeleton. There were a few cracks and marks on its carapace from battle, but none had broken through its half formed shell. It looked like its mobility was restricted in certain areas, as many of the plates looked like they were grinding against each other at their edges.

The other one looked quite different than the other, appearing to be in constant motion despite lying inactive on the ground. Bulging sacks of foul-looking fluid gestated on its sides and back, and most of its hide was replaced with a pallid, transparent material. Its fur had fallen off, and through its pale skin it innards could be seen, the organs that one might expect to see replaced by bulbous and slightly glowing things. A few weapons were lodged in its side, and through the holes created by those weapons the sickly fluid dripped out, causing steam to rise off the ground as it was assaulted by the chemical. Its muscles and bones were small in comparison to what it should've been for a creature that size. Naze assumed that the excretion was acidic or corrosive in some capacity, and that it used the creature's own body as fuel to continue producing it, hence the beast's weak look.

The final Ursa was still hidden from sight, and Naze couldn't tell the particular details about its form. What was obvious, however, was that it was starting to close in on them. Ruby finished snapping her pictures and stood, turning to her teammates and signaling for them to proceed down the path they had come. They did, and Naze followed, curious as to what was about to happen. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

Before they had taken more than ten steps, the final Ursa sprang from the foliage and set itself firmly in their path. It was perhaps the most monstrous of them all. The creature's hide was thickened by numerous calluses across every surface, and its talons and teeth looked more like metal than actual teeth. These were hardly its most noticeable feature; however, as it towered above them, about three times their height. Muscles bulged out from splits in its hide where it had grown too large for its own skin. A viscous fluid dripped from its massive jaw, and Naze had the distinct feeling that it was a little more than mere saliva.

The beast growled, and Ruby immediately upholstered her weapon and brought it to bear on the thing. It lunged forward towards her, and Yang grabbed a fistful of Ruby's hood before throwing her back. She managed to keep a hold of her weapon, but landed on her back.

Yang turned and sprinted away from the beast, shouting, "Run!" as she did so. As she passed Ruby, she reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her with her out into the open clearing. They got a short distance from the massive beast before noticing that the other two had gotten into positions to block them from escape. Naze readied his blade for a fight, and the others did the same. Ruby called out to her team, trying to give them some zeal for the fight, saying, "I guess we're fighting than! Get ready! We can do this!"

She didn't give any very practical advice, so Naze through that he would add his own. "Don't hit the swollen one too close, it could burst! Don't stay still too long, keep moving!" that was about all he had time to say before the huge Ursa roared and charged forward. Ruby was still the closest to it, but she was ready for it this time. She did an impressive backflip, narrowly avoiding the sharp clawed swipe, before landing on her feet, her rifle pointed at the beast's face, and fired.

It was a well-aimed shot, the dust projectile hitting dead-center in one of the beast's eye and reducing it to a sizzling goop that dribbled lazily out of its socket. It didn't seem to care, however, and merely lunged out again. It was Yang who retaliated against this strike, jumping towards it and throwing a mighty punch into the side of its head. This was enough to knock the monster's attack off course, but seemed to act as some kind of signal to the other two. The armored one took a few clumsy steps forward and started biting at whoever was closest. The fluid-filled one opened its mouth, and a thick spray of its acid spreading over the ground in front of it. What little vegetation that covered the floor of the clearing that was caught under this acid immediately started to smoke and wither. Blake was barely able to jump out of the way.

The massive beast roared again, and Naze's attention was drawn towards it. He looked, and found Ruby directly in the way of its gaping maw, her weapon held limply in a grip that wouldn't afford her any useful action before the jagged metal shards closed around her. Yang was already in the process of responding to this, but her punch was misaligned. If it continued on the path she had set for it, her fist would be inside of the beast's mouth. All it would take was a quick snap shut, and Yang would lose an arm. If he knew Morgana as well as he thought he did, Yang would probably be afflicted by whatever toxin she had chosen to occupy the beast's saliva.

Naze's first thought was to assert his will over the creature and force it to miss the attack, to spasm out of the way, or to close its mouth early. He stopped himself, however, as his lich mind and more manipulative nature started to explore the possibilities of the alternative. What would happen if Yang were to die? The immediate consequences were obvious, of course that her immediate friends and family would be disturbed, but that was of little consequence. He had come here with the intent of eventually revealing himself, but what if there was another way? It was clear from past experiences that people reacted poorly to such reveals. If he had someone already familiar with the culture of those he wanted to introduce himself and his people to, it would be far easier, especially if it was someone who was training to become what was essentially a hero.

But would they blame him for her death? Unlikely. Would he blame himself? Perhaps blame wasn't the right word. The feeling of knowing that someone died because of one's direct action or inaction was dulled momentously once one knew what death was like. He doubted that Yang would turn down an offer to continue the adventures she would be missing by dying. And of course he would offer some recompense for her life, him being indirectly responsible for the existence of the beast's that killed her anyways. She would get more freedom than Naze's typical thralls. He would allow her the freedom to act on her own volition, to do whatever she wanted, so long as she performed for Naze when she was called on.

He watched as Yang's gauntlet entered the beast's mouth and fired a wad of burning hit dust. The brightly glowing projectile quickly burned a hole through the side of the undead Grimm's mouth. That didn't stop the inevitable though, and the metallic jaws slammed shut like an iron trap, taking Yang's arm about halfway up the forearm along with it.

Time seemed to slow as more things happened. Yang looked down at the stump left by the monster's bite, and a devilish grin came across her face. Naze wondered if she fully grasped what was happening and was simply looking forward to the fight, or if her body was going into shock.

A bloodcurdling scream rose from Ruby, only a single word: "Yang!"

Weiss and Blake had their attention directed towards the other two threats, but knew immediately that something was wrong. Without missing a single beat, the monster lunged forwards again, teeth bared and maw gaping like an open chasm. If Naze had been sitting down, even he would've been on the edge of his seat. Yang looked up from her stump and directly into the open blackness before her. Again, she only grinned.

The Ursa's head tilted sideways as it rocketed forward, and the huge metal trap of a mouth slammed shut again, Yang's entire torso now locked between the jaws of the Grimm. The toxic saliva entered into the wounds, and the Grimm shook her around like a dog did a chew toy. Bones broke, blood splattered, and Ruby screamed again.

"Yang!"

For her part in this, Yang looked as though she was only just starting to feel anything, a shocked and surprised expression dawning on her face. She started to weakly struggle against the beast that held her, but after a particularly violent jerk she went limp.

Even from the depths of the subterranean necropolis, Naze could feel the blistering energy of what happened next. Ruby rose her scythe over her head like it was weightless, and her soul blazed brighter than any he had seen in a long time. Her aura activated like a gun firing, and she sped almost faster than the eye could see towards the Ursa and, pulling the trigger and firing the rifle, started spinning midflight, Crescent Rose reminding Naze of a helicopter blade.

She impacted the Ursa, and completely bisected it. The first of her strikes would've been sufficient to disable the Ursa, but she kept spinning. As its numerous tendons and bones were diced into hundreds of separate parts, the monstrosity dropped Yang to the ground. She hit limply, than to Naze's surprise, looked over at her sister, head barely able to turn enough.

As he watched the broken girl look to her sibling's rage at her endangerment, Naze felt something that he wasn't quite prepared for. It had been a long time since any emotion had hit him this hard, and he didn't know if he could quite identify it correctly, but he just might've called it regret. Sure, he could return her to consciousness, and even bring her to an improved level of cognition, but something was lost in death. The sheen of a soul was dimmed ever so slightly.

But she wasn't dead yet, and continued to look on as Ruby utterly destroyed the Grimm without discretion. Congealed blood and shards of bone were thrown in every direction as Ruby continued to mutilate the destroyed opponent.

Naze turned his back on the grizzly scene, opting to assist Weiss and Blake in their battle rather than stand idly by, watching.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note:

Oh man, things are getting juicy now.  
Don't forget to follow, review, tell me what you think. Please. Please for the love of god don't forget. I'm petty, and need feedback.

Also: If anyone has a bizarre excess of both time and talent, or any combination of those two, than I would like to say that some cover art would be nice. If you want to do that for some reason than just PM me I guess.

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Blake narrowly managed to dodge the armored monstrosity's swipe and brought Gambol Shroud's point to bear on it, knowing that her strike would do little more than irritate the beast, but it was all she could do to keep its attention off of Weiss while she tried to bring down the other Grimm. She thought that she had gotten the better end of the deal. Her enemy was stiff and slow, Weiss's opponent was able to hit her from almost any angle. As such she had to keep at a distance, so that it didn't spray acid on her.

She took a small chance and looked behind her. Naze was moving to assist Weiss with her fight, and Blake couldn't say that she disagreed with his choice. She was in a much less precarious fight than Weiss. Evading large clawed swipes was far easier than dodging a torrent of acid. She looked further behind her, and saw Ruby desperately slashing at what looked to be the remains of the Grimm that had cut off their retreat. Between her and Ruby was Yang, lying still on the ground, a pool of blood starting to form around her. Blake felt a sense of dread in her chest as she saw her partner incapacitated.

Another quick strike swept just a little too close for comfort, snapping her attention back to the fight at hand. She leapt into the air and kicked her feet up above her, sending her into a spin before her feet came back down onto the ground. She looked over again at Weiss, and saw Naze approaching the acid beast, his blade raised. She couldn't believe what he was doing. There was no way that he was doing what it looked like he was doing. No one in their right mind would try and use a broadsword against such an obviously dangerous enemy.

Her own opponent seemed to be just as concerned about the other fight as she was, as it started to turn towards them and make its way over. Blake's eyes widened as she realized that she had let herself stop. Gambol Shroud shifter in her hand into its gun form, and she started firing at the armored creature. It didn't react at first, then gave a few annoyed twitches, than gave a loud roar and turned back towards her. She gave a small groan as the beast started to barrel towards her again. Whatever these things were, they were certainly relentless.

Weiss wasn't fairing much better. Every opening for an attack that opened itself up was impossible to take without getting doused in acid. The creature was slow moving and not terribly bright, but every time she got too close an angered look came across its face and it sent a stream of fluid out of some part of its body. So far she hadn't managed to get even a single hit on it.

The creature gave a hiss, and another deadly spray was jettisoned towards her. She danced out of the way and looked for any other possible opening. One of its forelegs came forward, and a spot if flesh was revealed that wasn't either suspended in acid or dangerously close to an acid sack. She couldn't tell if there was anything important inside the area that she could damage by attacking, but she had to try something. A bright rune appeared at Weiss's feet, spinning, and propelled her forwards towards her target. She brought Myrtenaster up in the proper position that would give her lunge enough power to hopefully do at least something, and flew forwards across the ground, the bottoms of her shoes barely touching the ground. She came within distance of the beast and stuck out, extending her arm and kicking her foot out in a perfect lunge.

Her blade hit, and buried itself hilt deep in what Weiss found to be surprisingly soft and spongey. An idea occurred to her, and her fingers tightened around the trigger that sent the chambers at the base of the blade spinning. She twitched her fingers as the vial of red dust came into the dominant position, bringing the spinning motion to a stop. Then, just as the hideous creature started to react to her, she focused her aura into the dust. The reaction inside the chamber kicked off and sent a massive amount of heat out of the blade.

The fluid inside of the creature started to bubble, and the flesh that she had struck started to break apart. Hissing fumes started to escape from various points on its body, and she realized the desperate need to retreat back to a safe distance. Another rune appeared below her, and she was flung back almost back to where she had started. She was about to make another attempt at hurting the creature when Naze stepped forward from behind her, almost giving her a heart attack. He put a hand on her shoulder and nodded towards Blake, saying "Go and help her, I will handle this one."

Weiss eyed Naze's blade hesitantly before saying "Are you sure? There's no way you can hit that thing without-" Naze cut her off with an impatient snort and saying in a deathly even voice "I know very well what is going to happen. Go and help Blake, and leave this whelp to me." Weiss wanted to argue, but the cold and steely look behind Naze's eyes told her that he wasn't in the mood for being offered alternatives. If he did fight it by himself, he would inevitably sustain a huge amount of damage, given his melee preference, but she supposed that he knew that already.

Weiss quickly moved to help Blake, and Naze watched her go briefly before pulling his blade up and facing the acidic undead mutant. It watched Weiss go for several seconds before turning its attention to Naze. He sent out the mental command for it to stand still, and charged it down. His feet pounded against the ground and the tip of his blade dragged a line through the dirt as he ran up to it. Naze's steps soon brought him through the puddles of acid on the floor left over from the beast's assaults on Weiss, burning holes through his shoes, but he didn't care. He couldn't feel pain, and the damage could be easily fixed by the rune on the back of the puppet body. As long as he kept that rune safe, there was nothing that could destroy the puppet.

As Naze got closer, the acid Grimm started to attack him, shooting gouts of acid towards him and bearing whatever short and damaged stubs passed for its teeth. Thanks to Weiss, much of the acid inside was now gas, forcing the creature to spray more acid than it might have otherwise, as most of what it shot was smoke that spiraled off into the air.

Naze closed the remaining distance quickly, and brought his blade arcing up into the monster's main body, puncturing the largest sack of acid. The buildup of gas inside the body of the creature rushed to escape, pushing the majority of acid out with it. The wave of acid splashed over Naze, propelled at a high velocity and almost managing to knock him off his feet. He held his ground, though, and weathered the torrent of corrosive material, waiting for the creature to drain completely. The sound of his flesh and clothing being eaten away was loud, but it was soon enough that the majority of the acid had drained out of the creature enough so that it wasn't able to move anymore, the vast majority of its body mass having been bled away. Its thin muscles now pulled weakly on what remained of its skeletal structure, too feeble to move.

Its eyes tracked Naze as he approached its head, his skin still burning away. The acid was beginning to seep deeper into him, damaging his muscles, and starting to get uncomfortably close to the crystals of domination throughout his body. The acid would do no damage to the crystals themselves, bur resetting them inside of the body would be an entirely annoying process.

He brought his blade above his head, than brought it crashing down on the base of the creature's spine. The bone was severed, and the body stopped moving. Naze drew what remaining necromantic power was keeping the creature animated and poured it into the rune of repair on his back. His skin and muscle started to knit back together, but was burnt away in the same instant. Naze knelt down and put his weight on his blade, focusing on repairing himself faster than the acid could dissolve him. This continued for several seconds until the acid vaporized and left him.

He stood again and looked around. Weiss and Blake were both struggling to find openings in their opponent's armor. Yang was still on the ground, no longer moving. Ruby was standing over what Naze could only describe as a pile of what used to be a fine example of Morgana's handiwork. From the distance he was at Naze couldn't make out many details, but he was certain that he saw Ruby's chest heaving heavily. Her weapon, Crescent Rose, was held limply by the tips of her fingers, and its tip was buried in the dirt. She looked tired.

She didn't look done, though. She looked behind her, her eyes falling first on her friends fighting against the Grimm, than on her sister lying on the ground. Her fingers tightened around the weapon in her hand, and she pulled it out of the ground, turning with what looked like barely contained rage.

She suddenly raised her weapon over her head and fired the rifle, the recoil propelling her through the air. She rushed towards the armored Grimm with impressive speed, and Naze couldn't help but feel slightly impressed at the brightness with which the girl's soul burned. It was not the strongest light he had ever seen, but it was certainly noteworthy.

Ruby met the Grimm with concussive force, the power of her impact sending out a wave that knocked both of her nearby teammates to the ground. The Grimm's thick bone plating cracked, and faulted under Crescent Rose's blade. They didn't break, though, and the grim swiped at Ruby with a large paw. She was forced to back off, and take a more defensive stance. Naze rushed to help, and came into the fight just as Blake helped Ruby up. Both girls looked to Ruby with a worried expression, than to Naze. "She… something isn't right." Weiss said.

Naze shrugged his shoulder and said "Yang got hit pretty badly, if I were in her position I would probably be freaking out like that to. Now, I suggest we help her, before she gets hurt just as badly as Yang did." Blake gave Naze a worried look, but Weiss nodded. She said "You're right! Let's go!" before leveling her blade on the Grimm and zipping off with the use of her semblance. Naze made to follow, but Blake put an arm out and grabbed his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she asked "What did you mean? How badly is Yang hurt?"

Naze did his best to look worried and looked over at Ruby, who was prowling in a circular pattern around the Grimm and shouting something to Weiss, who was just approaching. "She… I don't think she is going to make it." Blake's face paled, and she said "No, you have to be wrong. There's no way that Yang would…" Naze fixed her with a dead gaze, and she wilted under it. "The least we can do is make sure that Ruby doesn't meet the same end, right?"

Blake closed her eyes, shook her head, took a deep breath, and said "Yeah, I guess so." She turned and sprinted towards Ruby and her enemy, and Naze followed again. Ruby was holding the beast's attention, shouting profanities at it and making wild swings with her weapon. Weiss was standing by her, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Blake arrived and started to circle around, looking for an opportunity. Naze didn't waste time waiting for an opening.

He barreled past Blake, hoisting his sword up onto his shoulder as he did so. The Grimm started to turn to face him, but wasn't fast enough to raise any kind of defense. Using both hands this time, Naze brought his blade crashing down with all the might that his puppet body could muster. Cold metal ground against bone for a brief second before the bone broke, and the plate that Naze had hit cracked, revealing the vulnerable flesh underneath.

Naze made to plunge his blade into the exposed area, but the Grimm threw a paw at him, batting him away. Due to the angle, the hit only made direct force, its claws not making contact at all. Naze was knocked to the ground, but immediately started moving to get back up.

Ruby made full advantage of the opening that Naze had made, jumping over the Grimm and doing a spin in midair, bringing the blade of Crescent Rose crashing into the cracked plate, smashing through the bone and sending small fragments everywhere. Naze decided that now was as good a time as any, and started to suck the power out of the creature. As the force that kept the mutated corpse of the Grimm was drained, its movements slowed and its aggression faded.

The Grimm slumped against the ground, and Naze sprung from the ground and struck at the beast in spite of the fact that it was already unable to function. He dug his blade into a small chink on its hind quarters, and the others followed suit. Weiss planted Myrtenaster in the beast's eye, and Blake leapt on top of it, stabbing into its spine with zeal.

The beast went limp. Naze withdrew his blade and looked at the team. Ruby and Blake both had their attention directed towards Yang, and Weiss was staring of the Grimm's face, stunned. Ruby and Blake both rushed across the clearing to help Yang. Naze followed, touching Weiss's arm as he went, getting her to follow him.

The group came to Yang's side, and all had some reaction to seeing Yang's condition. Ruby fell to her knees, Blake put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and knelt down next to her, and Weiss covered her mouth and looked to her feet. Naze gave the damage a more critical eye. Her right arm was missing, gone from about halfway up the forearm, and her upper body looked twisted. He would guess that her spine was broken, and that her ribs had been decimated. It likely wouldn't be any of those that killed her, though. The marks made by the Grimm's teeth were discolored and poisoned, and Naze could tell that is was too late to do anything for the girl.

Ruby started to cry. Not a small cry, like she had hurt herself or was feeling a little bit under the weather. This was a cry that wracked her body and paralyzed her with grief. She took Yang's hand in hers and looked her over, barely able to see anything through the thick mat of tears that was leaking from her eyes. Yang looked broken. Ruby clutched her hand desperately, begging her not to go, to leave her alone like this. Yang's eyes flittered open, and she looked over at her crying sister, a small smile coming across her face. When she saw that her sister was awake, she went dead silent, and motioned for the others to do the same.

The others fell silent, and Ruby leaned in close to her sister's face, saying "Yang, h-how d-do you f-feel?" Yang's eyes closed and opened slowly, and she took a few shallow breaths before saying in a weak and strained voice "Hey… Ruby. How are you... you doing, kiddo?" Ruby started to get teary again, and she said "I-I feel a-alright. W-what ab-bout you?" She wished that she could get her stuttering under control. She heard Naze talking somewhere behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see him talking on his scroll. She didn't care who or what he was talking about.

Yang squeezed Ruby's hand weakly and said "I… I can't really feel my legs… and breathing is kind of… painful… but other than that, I'm… I'm fine." Ruby tried to respond, but her throat closed, making it impossible to speak. Yang continued speaking, a more thoughtful look coming across her semi-unfocused eyes. "I'm… kind of cold too. I think… I think I might be… getting sick, or something to…I don't feel great."

Naze finished speaking on his scroll. Ruby caught the last few words: "-just trust me, it'll work!" before he pocketed the device and knelt down next to Ruby and looked at Yang. The injured girl took her hand away from her sister's and gave the boy a weak thumbs up before letting her hand drop back to the ground. Ruby quickly took the hand back in her own and looked over at Naze hoping that he could offer some kind of help.

He gave Yang one more look over before looking back at Ruby and saying "I've got the Bullhead on its way. Apparently whatever keeps ships from flying straight is weakening. In the meantime we should treat her as best we can, right?" Ruby nodded, and Naze stood, moved to Yang's other side near her stump, and said "First we need to stop this bleeding. Do you have anything that we could use for bandage until the lift gets here?"

Ruby looked over her person briefly before her eyes drifted to her hood and cloak. It was important to her, but so was her sister. Wordlessly, she removed the article and handed it over to Naze. He took it, obviously noticing the importance that she placed on the item, nodding before ripping a length of it off and wrapping it around the stump where her arm used to be tightly and tying it on. The blood from Yang's wound seeped through the fabric slightly, but the color barely changed at all. The blood red cloth soaked the viscous fluid up and held it, doing its job well enough.

While this was happening, Yang gave Ruby a thankful look from the ground, tears starting to fill her eyes. "Thanks Ruby. I know… that thing means… a lot to you." Ruby could only respond one way. She clasped Yang's hand in both of hers and replied "You mean a hell of a lot more to me than that hood." Naze gave a particularly rough prod to her chest, and Yang flinched in pain. Ruby had to fight the urge to lash out at Naze for causing Yang more pain than she was already in. He was helping her. She knew that. She just needed to let him work.

The damage was no doubt severe, and it weighed on Naze more heavily than he had expected. The many thousands of years he had spent doing whatever he needed to do had been fraught with death of all kinds; innocents always died, and by every hand. Really, if one were to look at it statistically, he was probably one of the most benign rulers throughout history, desiring only to be left alone, not to take land or gain riches. Why, then, was the death of one girl arousing emotion that had laid dormant in his breast for so long? And the worst part, at least to him, was that he didn't even know what emotion he felt. Something close to regret, but not quite that focused on what he had done. He searched though his vocabulary for something adequate to describe it. Nervous, anxious, guilty? No, no and no. Perhaps uneasy. Yes, that was far better.

He remembered instances of feeling this way in the past, even after becoming the lich that he was. It always happened when he approached some point of moral ambiguity that he hadn't anticipated. When the multitude of voices that made up his reason failed to come to any agreement. On the one hand; Yang would die anyways. Old age, disease, or Grimm, it was only a matter of time before something snuffed out that light that burned inside of her. In a way, Naze was doing her a favor, sparing her the dragging years of life and various pains that came with them.

But, on the other hand, there were various pleasures that would be lost to her. Things that she probably took for granted now. Naze could think of more than a few things he had missed when he had become undead. The taste of food, the warmth of the sun, and, most notably, his emotions. Liches were quite unique, even for the undead.

One of the things unique about them was that they sacrificed much to become what they were, and most emotion was among that. Naze had clung to what he still had far more desperately than others who had been in his position before, and he liked to think that this had benefited him. It had, at very least, granted a level of understanding towards the living that most liches had lost.

But Yang didn't have to lose as much as he had. Naze took care to preserve as much of the individual's personality as he could. He lost much of what he had been, and he didn't want others to suffer the same. Naze didn't miss what he had lost, though. He didn't care much for the emotions that he used to feel. They had all been those of a sad little man. He was glad to shrug them off. He knew that his case was not the majority, and that most people wanted dearly to hold on to themselves. And so this was something that he granted.

In the end, the decision would come down to Yang. She would be the one to decide whether she stayed dead to fade into the void or served Naze. He wouldn't force her into anything. It was rare for Naze to force the dead into anything.

Yang gave a small squeal of pain as his fingers pushed against a broken rib, and he was brought back to the situation at hand. Ruby was giving his a worried look, holding Yang's hand tightly. Naze shook his head and said "If you've got any gods, I suggest you start praying." Yang gave Naze an unhappy look and struggled out the words "Your bed… bedside manner could use… a little work."

It was just about then that a high pitch wining started to cut through the air, and all of them looked to see the Bullhead hovering above them. It descended through the air and made to land near them. Naze looked down at Yang, than back up at Ruby and asked "How are we going to move her?" Ruby looked around before her eyes settled back on the cloak that had been used to bandage her sister's wounds. It was still mostly intact, save the length that had already been torn off. Naze followed her gaze and nodded, understanding her meaning.

He laid the cloak out flat next to her, and repositioned himself at Yang's head so that he could lift her shoulders. Ruby did the same at her feet. The Bullhead touched down about twenty feet away from them, and in unison Naze and Ruby lifted the cloak and Yang with it. Her face scrunched up as her body was jostled, but she didn't cry out. Naze and Ruby both walked towards the Bullhead, careful to keep her still between them.

The doors on the sides of the Bullhead slid open, and Yang was set carefully down on the smooth metal floor. Ruby and Naze were the next to enter, and Blake and Weiss were the last in. After all had successfully boarded the vehicle, Ruby gave a few pounds on the pilot's door and shouted "Get us the hell out of here!" in a desperate voice. Wordlessly, the engines fired up again, and the craft left the ground.

A strangled silence filled the cabin. No one was sure what to say. Naze immediately started rummaging around for medical supplies, knowing that Yang was totally out of help's range anyways. He started to stich her up, and Ruby again took a seat by her sister's side. Tears were coming back to her eyes again, no matter how hard she tried to keep them in. Yang looked back at her with a dull smile that almost seemed to suggest that she wasn't fully aware of what was going on. It was likely the case, her body was going haywire thanks to the massive blood loss and the poison.

Ruby took Yang's hand in hers again, trying to think of something to say. There was so much that she wanted her to know, but no way to put any of it into words. Yang squeezed her hand again, and said "Don't look so… so down, Ruby. I'll be fine."

These words only made things worse for Ruby. She shook her head, her body going into full emotional revolt. The throat closed, allowing only short gasps of air through, her diaphragm twitched, and tears continued to roll down her face. Through all this, though, Yang somehow kept a firm hold on Ruby's hand.

Weiss and Blake looked on, stunned. They wanted to do something. To ease their friends' pain, but there was nothing they could do. Ruby was going to have to watch her sister die in front of her. Unless Naze was some kind of miracle worker. He was still working diligently, stitching, cleaning, bandaging, and setting broken bones. Each time he did this, Tang reacted a little less. Bones being snapped back into place that should have elicited screams of pain only fetched slight grunts of discomfort, and eventually not even that. It was clear that she was getting worse. Eventually, Naze sat back into the seat across from them and said in a neutral voice "I'm afraid I've done everything I can."

Ruby looked up, her face reddened and her body shaking, and said feebly "What?" Naze repeated himself, and Ruby looked first from Yang, than to Naze again before saying "But… she isn't…"and her voice trailed off as she realized the finality of the situation. Yang looked up from the floor at Naze and asked "You did everything you could?" He nodded, and Yang closed her eyes, her remaining fist clenching around Ruby's hand.

Her soul seemed to darken, and at first Naze thought that she was finally dying. A second later, an immense expression of effort dominated her face, and her eyes opened, her irises a bright red. Her soul blazed brighter than ever before, and her body started to mend itself. Wounds closed and bruises disappeared. For a moment Naze thought that she was actually going to recover. But then he realized the true nature of the poison that Morgana had bestowed upon the Grimm that had attacked her. It was far more insidious than he had first thought.

The powerful light that now permeated Yang's body was drained by the poison, fading into nothingness before it could do any more good. Naze shook his head slightly as the brutal nature of the toxin started to work. Yang's soul spluttered briefly under the pressure to continue putting out so much energy, than faltered. It stopped shining. This seemed to open the door for the poison to work its full potential, and Yang started to spasm violently.

Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she started to shout. Ruby, Blake, and Weiss all reacted with shock and worry. Naze knit his fingers together and watched morosely.

Ruby tried to hold Yang down, to stop her flailing, to do something to help her sister, and the other two girls did the same. It did no good, though, and Yang's thrashings grew weaker and weaker until she was almost still, arms and legs twitching occasionally, a light foam starting to exit her mouth.

Ruby broke. She surrendered herself completely to the tidal wave of emotions that had beaten on her mind for what felt like hours. She was whisked up in the torrent of what she wished had happened, and what she wished she had said. Weiss and Blake started to cry, too. Their friend, as reliable as the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening, had died. The cabin seemed empty now, with only the sounds of crying bouncing against the metal bulkhead.

Whereas the others felt a deafening emptiness, the yawning void of death, Naze felt something different. It was a shift, not a loss. Yang's soul left her body, and entered the space around it. It was without shape or form for several seconds before Yang pulled herself together, and out of the haze the general form of Yang coalesced. Naze watched silently, not giving the slightest hint that he could see her.

Yang looked around at the sobbing faces, confused, and said "What's the matter guys? It worked, I healed myself!" Naze knew what was happening. She didn't know that she was dead. Not yet, anyways. In a situation like this, she was bound to find out quickly. She waved a hand in front of Blake's face, than tried to out a hand on Ruby's head. "Come on guys, quit joking around! I'm right-" her voice was cut off abruptly as she realized what Ruby's head was on. Her corpse was lying on the floor, growing cold.

She simply stared at it for several seconds silently. Then, slowly, the realization of her current situation started to creep upon her, and she started to do what could only be described as freak out. Her hands went to her head, and her form started to lose some of the cohesion it had already established. Naze hoped that she wouldn't do that too much, each time she did it would only speed her way to the void. If she did go it wouldn't be difficult for him to pull her out, but it was an unnecessary step to the process and, at the risk of sounding slightly conceited, somewhat annoying.

Her form started to blur again into a nondescript haze, and he decided that it might be a good idea to intervene. He cast out a projection of his puppet body that would be visible to Yang but no one else. At first she didn't notice the new addition of another soul, but after a few seconds she caught a glimpse of Naze, and reached out a desperate grasp towards him, saying "Naze? What the hell is going on? You've got to help me get Ruby's attention!" She seemed to be calming down slightly as she got a goal, but Naze wasn't interested in that. He needed to secure Yang's cooperation.

"I'm afraid that might be slightly out of your reach." He spoke in a flat monotone. Yang turned back to Naze from Ruby with an angry look, and said "No! I'm here, so there has to be a way I can get to her!" She turned back to her sister, still crying on her dead body's chest, and started talking in a combination of both a soothing and a worried voice, saying "Ruby, it's alright. It's okay. I'm right here."

There was pain in her voice. Naze didn't blame her for it, either. Not only had she died, leaving every earthly thing behind, but she had died a very… unpleasant death. It vaguely reminded him of his own. The memories were buried under many millennia of other memories. At least she had been with friends in her final moments. He spoke again to her, saying "You won't have any luck that way… but I may be able to help you."

She rounded on him with impressive speed, even for a spirit. "What do you mean? What do you have to do? If I can help, let me, please!" Naze smiled what he hoped looked like a generous smile and said "You don't have to do anything. I can give you a short time back in your body, but it won't last long. I might guess around ten seconds or so." A hopeful look came into Yang's eyes, and she said "Yes! Do it!"

Naze reached out with necromantic energy to Yang's body, providing the energy for it to function again. Next he turned his attention towards Yang's soul, enveloping it in the same energies that he had spent thousands of years perfecting his use of and guiding her into her body.

Ruby heaved an especially heavy sob, one that felt like it gouged a hole in her throat to match the one in her chest. She thought she felt Yang's body move, and clutched a tight hold on her throat, looking up to Yang's face with the most hope she had ever felt. To her delight, Yang was looking back at her, a cocky smile on her face, just like always. She moved faster than she ever had before, her semblance flinging her into her sister for her to embrace her. "You're alright!" she cried out, startling everyone else in the cabin. Yang returned the smile, but it faded slowly. Then, suddenly, the seconds beating by started to tick in her head, and her eyes widened as she realized how short of a time she had.

She spoke quickly after coughing a thick mixture of spit, mucus, and foam out onto the floor, bringing her one hand up and rubbing Ruby's hair affectionately. "Listen, this is important." Ruby snapped her eyes to her sister's and listened obediently. "I don't want you to beat yourself up over what happened. It wasn't your fault. I made that choice, so if you blame yourself for it I swear I'll come back and beat the snot out of you!"

Joking even as the clock ticked down and she didn't know if she would get any more time. Admirable, in a way, if viewed from a certain angle. Yang didn't let the joke take any more time than was absolutely necessary, moving on quickly. She pulled Ruby into a rough hug and said "I love you sis." Her eyes flicked around to the other two girls "And you guys too. You were family to me." Her eyes went to Naze, and she started to speak, saying "I wish-"

As much as he would've loved to hear what she had to say about him, her ten seconds ticked up. He stopped feeding the reanimating energy to the body. Unable to sustain, Yang was again forced out of the body, this time with much less of a struggle. She went limp again, head lolling back and arms dropping down Ruby's back. It took Ruby a second to realize what had just happened, but she hugged Yang's body even harder when she did.

Yang recoiled as she was forced out of the body. Naze looked at her, wondering at the best way to make to admittedly strange sounding proposition that he was about to propose. Undoubtedly her sister could be a key factor in winning the girl over, but that wouldn't be enough. Yang looked to soul Naze , a look of both gratitude and regret, saying "Thanks… for that opportunity." Naze the girl small nod and said "The least you deserve is some closure."

Yang seemed to consider this for a few seconds, and then looked shocked. How are you… here, and able to see me? You aren't dead, right?" She looked to the puppet body seated still, staring blankly in front of it. Naze smirked and said "Oh, I don't know about that. "Yang gave him a confused look, and he said "You've been dead for… what, a few minutes? I've been dead for somewhere on the upper side of..." he looked up as he thought, running through the huge amount of time that he had been around and conscious "…five or six hundred thousand years." Yang blinked. "What?" was all she could manage. Naze found himself amused by her reaction, and nodded. "Yes, hard to believe, I know, but it's true." Something occurred to him, and he added "Actually, I could be older than that. I went into a deep sleep recently, and I haven't got a clue how long I stayed that way."

Yang looked his projection up and down, than his puppet before saying "Bullshit. I don't believe you." Naze put a hand to his chest, feigning offense, and said "How you wound me, Yang Xiao Long!" She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes before saying "But seriously, how are you doing this? And how did you put me back in my body? Can you do it again?"

Naze put a hand up to stop the flow of questions before saying "I just told you. And as for the other questions, I would like to talk to you about that. You see… I have something of a business deal." Yang raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. Naze continued "You may not believe me, but I lead a large group of individuals in a quest for knowledge, the end goal being of course to obtain all knowledge possible. This group is comprised of many hundreds of individuals, all of a similar state to me: dead. All throughout our history we have attempted to make peaceful relations with the living of the world, and every time they eventually turn on us, war breaks out, and we invariably win. I would like to break this trend, and secure a lasting peace. I have doubts as to the likelihood of this, though, on account of the large social differences between our two peoples. I would request that you take on the role of ambassador, building relations between our two peoples, in exchange for being resurrected. The majority of time would be yours to spend how you please, attending school, aiding your friends, I don't care so long as you attend the duties I require of you."

Yang leaned back slightly and said "Do you realize how creepy all of this sounds? I mean let's put aside the fact that I don't even believe that any of this exists and that I think you're crazy, and look at the other parts. You are telling me that a whole ton of dead people walking around doing things has gone unnoticed for hundreds of years? Even if they were asleep or whatever you said, someone would've found out about the piles of random corpses!"

Her words hung in the air briefly before Naze responded. When he did it was with a carefully measured tone. "I can understand your doubt, but I urge you to reconsider. You have seen a small portion of what me and my people are capable of, even if you've never seen them." Yang raised another eyebrow and looked to the floor of the Bullhead before it dawned on her. "Those Grimm…"

Naze nodded. "Experiments into the Grimm's physiology carried out by an individual by the name of Morgana. She handles most matters of altering the deceased in ways that magic can't quite manage." Yang responded in a weary tone, regarding Naze now like a stranger. "So it's because of you that I died?"

He had hoped this would not come up. "Well… indirectly, yes. But would you blame a weapons manufacturer if you were shot in the head in the street?" Yang stepped back, processing this information. "Those people… that village… was destroyed because of you." Something was building behind that voice, and Naze didn't like it. But she did have a point there. Any attempt to refute that would've been a boldfaced lie, so he decided to take a different route. "And you can help us set things right." He changed his tone into a more pleading one, but not so much so as to sacrifice any dignity. "Yang, I believe that I've come to think of you as a friend, and I would like to think that you've thought the same about me. Please, you died, and had the rest of your life stolen away from you. Don't deny yourself or the world all the good you could do. I believe that the living and the dead can coexist, and indeed benefit off of one another. You could help that immensely."

Yang slowly asked the question "What would you give to humanity?"

Naze spread his projection's arms wide and said "Everything. You know so very little about the universe and its laws that I feel like I'm watching a child grasp at colored straws. I would spread knowledge of forgotten arts, the arcane and the mystic. Progress would be slow at first, no doubt, as assimilation of such a massive shift would be large, but I believe from what I've seen that your people are ready for such power." The image he was painting was far more grandiose than what he actually wanted, that being to either be left alone to research or to have the living finally contribute something, but it seemed to be working.

Yang shook her head and said "You would be a great salesman, you know that?" Naze nodded, and Yang looked to her sister, still weeping on her corpse. "You said that I could do anything with my time when I'm not doing what you say, right?" He nodded again, and she asked another question. "How long would I be serving you? I'm not going to be, like, trapped forever, right?" Naze shook his head and replied "You can leave whenever you want. Many have tired of their waking death, and I have let them sleep."

Yang turned back to Naze, looking him in the face, and said "What happens if I don't take this deal?" in an assertive but not quite threatening tone. Naze shrugged his shoulders and said "Than you would fade into the void and sleep. You might have the strength to stick around for a few years on your own, but you would fall to sleep eventually."

Minutes passed, Yang simply staring Naze in the face, scrutinizing every detail. He returned her gaze with a flat one of his own, waiting.

After a long while, Yang's shoulders dropped and she said "Alright, fine. I'll do it. Now put me back into my body." Naze shook his head again and said "I'm afraid it isn't that simple. I've got a plan, and I would like to follow it. I have to ask you for the most difficult thing you can give, and that is patience. Now isn't the right time, not yet. The moment will present itself soon enough."

She sighed, and Naze supposed that their business was concluded. He started to fade back into the Puppet, but Yang stopped him with one more question;

"Did you plan my death?"

He was quick to answer this one. "I did not. That you died when you did was an accident, and one that I sincerely hope proves to be fortunate for us both." Yang accepted this. Naze started to fade again into his puppet, but was again interrupted by Yang. "What am I supposed to do now?" She asked "Just wait around until you call me?"

Naze considered what she could do until it was time. There was nothing that she could do for him actively, but she could familiarize herself with the troop that Naze lead. "How do you feel about meeting your soon-to-be allies in death?"

It was Yang's turn to shrug her shoulders, and she said "I guess I might as well. Let's do it!" Naze smiled and started to pull her through the crystal of domination in his blade. She would be greeted warmly, and make a few friends, he was sure. Someone like her was bound to find at least a few new friends, even among the dead.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note:

So, things have happened so far, and I think it's pretty fair to ask: what do you think so far? Please, leave a review and tell me. I would love that.

In other news, I have a friend who is just starting to write. He's got a RWBY fic, and I figured I'd plug it.  
s/10802000/1/The-illusionist-of-Beacon

Tell me what you think!

* * *

Yang felt herself be pulled through the hilt of Naze's blade, and couldn't help but think of a light at the end of a tunnel. Experimentally, she tried to resist the pull, but it was like she was in a wind tunnel. There was no way that she was going to be able to stop herself from moving forward. She wouldn't want to even if she could. If Naze was able to do this, maybe he wasn't crazy. Maybe there was something to what he had said.

She stopped trying to resist, and instead walked towards the blade. Somewhere along the line she must have become smaller, because it seemed suddenly that she was actually in a dark corridor, a light shining brightly from the far end. Her feet weren't moving, and nor was the air around her. Despite her lack of movement, the light seemed to be growing closer. She started walking towards it, eager to see what was on the other side. Its approach sped up, until Yang realized that she was sprinting as hard as she could towards it. Her legs felt no strain or fatigue from it, and she smiled as she got the feeling that she could get used to this. Ruby's crying face echoed through her mind, wiping the smile from her face faster than anything else could. She redoubled her efforts to reach the light, to get to someplace she might help Ruby.

The light approached her, until it seemed that it was going to completely engulf her. She stopped just a second before she collided with it, and in that moment of hesitation a strong force seemed to encircle her and pull her through.

At first the light was blinding, but Yang quickly readjusted to the light. She found herself in a huge and dim room, with several sconces providing a flickering light across the walls and floor. A small shuffling sound behind her grabbed her attention, and she turned, gasping is surprise when her eyes fell on the thing before her.

A what was unmistakably a corpse, with withered limbs and barely any skin left, gazed back at her through empty eye sockets that burned with a bright blue light, as if the glint of intelligence that hid in some peoples' eyes had been magnified a thousandfold. The same blue energy seemed to shine through the rest of its body, showing in its chest, pushing through the somewhat thin and extremely worn robes that covered its body. The robes themselves were an extremely faded color that looked like at some point they might have been another color, but had since become only grey. A thick metal chain was across the corpse's chest, and at the end of the chain a heavy looking book dangled, covered in runes that looked like they were thousands of years old glowed brightly across the surface of the book, some even skittering across its surface quickly.

The corpse held two things in its hands, a long wooden staff with metal reinforcements running along its length and more runes inscribed on the wood. A sharp metal spike protruded from the tip of the staff, making it look ominously like a weapon. In its other hand was clutched an orb, perfectly rounded and with swirling clouds of what looked like smoke. Yang would've liked to examine the thing further, but her attention was more arrested by the body that was holding it. Most of its skin was gone, making its ribcage visible through its robes, and even its spine. The only skin that seemed to still be left on its body was around its face, dried and tight, the same color as old parchment. There wasn't enough to distract from the fact that its face was still a skull, but there was enough to make the skull just a little less disconcerting.

Yang was about to take a step towards the body when it moved. Its arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture, and its jaw started to work, a few stiff looking muscles contracting and relaxing making the appearance of a smile flit across the skeletal face. Its jaw worked as if it were speaking, and audible words followed behind the movements. "Welcome to my home. I hope you find it to your liking, Yang. There's something for everyone down in these halls."

Yang gave the body a confused look, saying "Who are…" before her eyes went wide and she exclaimed "Naze? No way! How are you… like that? What are you, even?" Naze's jaw worked again, and light laughter echoed off of the walls, holding an otherworldly quality, the source of the sound clearly not the same source of laughter as Yang was used to. Naze replied, stepping towards her and saying "I told you already, I've been around for a very long time. Did you think I was ethereal that whole time? No, I kept my body throughout the years. Things would've been quite difficult if I had been without a physical form all those years.'

Yang had too many questions to count, so she asked the first one that came to mind. "Speaking of bodies, when do I get mine back? I would really like to get back to Ruby, and Weiss, and Blake, and everyone else to let them know that I'm alright."

Naze cocked his head. "You are not "Alright" Yang. I don't know if you've fully grasped this yet, but you are dead. You have suffered the most grievous wound possible. And don't forget that you will only be returned to the flesh to serve me when I need you, anything else is secondary." He might've come off as slightly harsh with this statement, but it was accurate. It was a simple task, and would leave her large amounts of free time. Really, she was getting an astoundingly good deal.

Yang's spirit gave Naze an exasperated look and asked "Why do I have to wait? Why not just go back right now? That would be a pretty good first impression, just bringing me back right away!" Naze shook his head and said "No, you would be unable to do your job." She looked at him angrily, and he said before she could say anything "Answer me this; how might you expect to represent a group of individuals of you know nothing about them? If I were to put you back in your body right now, you would embrace your sister, and never leave her side again. Even if you were willing to leave your sister, she would never let you go. She would have to go through losing you a second time. Would you want that? Give her time. Keep your distance. Let her come to peace with your death. Otherwise when you are called to business, it would only he twisting the knife."

Yang didn't want to acknowledge the reason in his words, but she found that it was impossible to remain angry in the face of his argument. He didn't stop however, and gave more reasons. "And beyond that, there are other things that need to be prepared. You lost an arm, remember? Functioning with half of your manipulative appendages is difficult. There are people here who could make you a new one. Better than your arm was before, too. You'll lose a few of your abilities as well. Your semblance, you would call it, so your body would have to be reinforced otherwise. In the meantime, you can spend some time around here. Make some friends. Learn some magic if you really want to make up for the loss of your semblance, that will be easier now that you're dead."

Yang gave him a confused look and asked "Wait, what? Why would learning magic be easier now?" Naze nodded and said "Some parts of magic depends on someone's flexibility with their soul, the amount of power they are able to throw around, which determines a more natural knack for magic. What better way to get more weight to swing around than disconnect from anything holding you down? Of course, that's a good way to drain the rest of your power and speed your way to the void. Going into the void wouldn't be too much of an issue, though, as I could just pull you out when the time comes. I would at least recommend that you try and learn something while you're here. Maybe you even have enough energy to cast a few practice spells."

Yang tilted her head and asked the question "What do you mean by "a few spells"? You are really going to have to start explaining a little more if you really want me to know what I'm talking about when I'm repping you out there." Naze made a physical motion that was similar to what she imagined a full body eye roll would look like. After this was done he waved a near skeletal hand towards her and said "Bah, I've have no patience for teaching the basics. Come back to me after a couple of decades of study, than we can talk. Until then, there are many others here who would gladly show you what they know."

He made a motion towards the large open archway behind him and put his other hand out in front of him, the small glowing orb floating a few inches off of his palm. "Now go, leave me. I've many things to prepare for our grandiose reveal. Go and find something to do until then, I'm certain you will find something."

Yang stared disbelievingly at his back for a second before shaking her head clear and coming to grips with what had just occurred. She had died, become a ghost, been recruited to be the PR department of a giant group of undead researchers, and had a very uninformative conversation with someone who she thought she knew who turned out to be a several hundred thousand year old wizard. Or at least, something like that. And now she was given free rein to do whatever she wanted in what she presumed to be the people's main base.

She was sure that if she still had a stomach, she would've felt nauseous. It was all just so bizarre, she wasn't sure that she could cope with such dramatic changes. It didn't seem that she had much choice in the matter, though, as Naze was still turned around, focused on the orb above his hand. She could practically feel the importance of the item radiating off of it. There was no way Naze would be focusing on it so intently if it wasn't something important.

She shook her head again. Finding out someone you thought you knew was actually a corpse old enough to be a major archeological find was something of a jarring experience. She didn't want to think about the other things that she might have been mistaken about. Just how much of what she thought she knew was true? If he had assumed a body that looked alive, why couldn't he do the same with his personality?

She pushed the thoughts from her head. She trusted Naze enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he had said that part of the reason he had made to offer he had was some personal atonement for in some part causing her death. That showed that he at least was somewhat compassionate. Again she pushed the thoughts from her head, and started walking towards the exit to the large room. As she walked, she looked to her feet. They were white, almost mist in the dim light of the room. She wondered if she could do anything that she had been unable to do before, and experimentally kicked a leg up as far as she could.

Her foot traveled in an arc, first going above her waist, than over her shoulders, than over her head, than where it would have stopped as her knee hit her chest, the leg seemed to melt into the rest of her form. She gasped, looking at the stump where her leg had been seconds before. It didn't feel like she had lost anything, and she was having no issue balancing on the other leg. An idea occurred to her, and she kicked her remaining leg up as well. Just like the first one, it melded into the rest of her. She was still several feet off the ground, and felt no sign of falling. She laughed to herself. She must've looked ridiculous.

She tried to keep moving forward, and sure enough, she did. Without legs to carry her, it seemed that the mere will to move forward was enough. She leaned back into a more relaxed position. If moving around was this easy, she wasn't sure what kind of mischief she would get into. She immediately became aware of something else, too. Her change in posture had offered no difference in how she felt. In fact, now that she thought about it, she couldn't feel much of anything. She put her hands together and pushed them against one another. There was resistance, but it didn't register like it should have. Her hands felt nothing, the only real feeling she got was that there was something blocking her hands. Not even that was something she would describe as a "physical" feeling. It was more like a twinge at the back of her head.

She tried stretching her arms. Beyond her arms becoming fully extended, there was no feeling. No muscles tensing up or relaxing, no bones being pushed or pulled, and no blood being pumped like she was used to. It was then that she realized why all this was happening. She didn't have a body anymore. She gave a shiver as the somewhat uncomfortable thought panged in her mind. That was a lot of things that she would never experience again.

She suddenly felt very small. The silence that now pervaded over everything else seemed almost crushing. Tentatively, Yang brought her legs back and started walking again, trying to take comfort in the familiar action. She met with limited success.

She exited the large room and entered into a wide hallway outside. She walked for what felt like hours in the dimly lit corridors, shadows occasionally flickering off the smooth stone bricks and leaping at her. Each time she jolted back, and each time found herself in another position that she would've thought impossible. First it had been one leg inside of the other, then it had been both arms penetrating her chest, than a fist through her head. She stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, hopping that some facet of inner peace had survived where every other thing she usually counted on had failed. What she found when she turned her gaze inward was something strange.

If she had ever tried to describe it, she would've failed miserably. There were simply no words that could properly convey what it was. If she had ever tried, though, she would've said that it was like a yawning chasm, but small, contained in one point. The more she looked at it, the stranger she felt. It was like the feeling that she got just a second before she fell asleep. She was about to move towards the thing when she remembered what Naze had said to her before. "Then you would fade into the void and sleep. You might have the strength to stick around for a few years on your own, but you would fall to sleep eventually."

The thing was the void that Naze had spoken of. Surely, without a doubt. It had to be. It did make her feel tired, and there was unquestionably a force pulling her towards it. The pull was light, and she almost didn't even notice, but it was there. She snapped herself back to full alertness and gazed again at it, this time with a critical eye. Patterns like waves washed over the point's surface, and she was sure that she could see faces in them. Every time a face appeared tough, it disappeared just as fast.

Yang didn't know how long she spent in that corridor, eyes closed and simply staring at the thing. What brought her back to her immediate surroundings was a slow shuffling creeping up behind her. She shook her arms, reassuring herself that she could still move, before turning to face the source of the sound. At first she had expected it to be Naze, but the figure was much too hunched and didn't look at all the same.

"Hello?" she called out to it, hoping that it might answer and help her. What instead happened was that it continued its slow gait towards her, not reacting at all. She moved towards it, and was taken aback when she found it to be a desiccated corpse, shambling like a zombie through the halls. She ran a hand in front of its white and faded eyes, again saying "Hello?"

It didn't respond, instead continuing to walk forward. Yang kept her hand in place, hoping to force the thing to react, but it simply moved through her, its head passing though her hand like it wasn't even there. Yang felt something boil up inside of her. Something hot. She was afraid, yes, but she wasn't just going to lay down and take it. "Hey! Help me!" she shouted as loud as she possibly could. Whether because of the volume or the nature of her command, Yang didn't care, the cadaver responded, stopping its walk and turning slowly to look at her with its unfocused eyes.

She was about to speak to the thing when a shadow seemed to settle over her and a voice echoed through her head, loud enough that she would've believed someone was speaking right next to her. It was Naze's, and he said "What the hell are you doing out there? You aren't a banshee, so quit screaming."

Yang looked around her for a brief moment to ensure that the source of the voice was in her own head before thinking in reply "Can you… help me get somewhere? The corridors and stuff are kind of starting to freak me out." A few seconds of silence passed, and Yang could practically feel the annoyance. A small voice, slightly different from the first said "This is why dealing with fresh spirits is a bad idea" before immediately being covered by the first voice, saying "Why? You can't be hurt by anything, just go. You don't need to take your time, just speed through the corridors. You have figured out that you can do that, right?"

Yang was never one to cover a weakness, but there was something in the tone of his voice that made it seem like he thought she was an idiot. "Yes, of course I have, it's just that the darkness is a little unnerving." Naze's response was quick, and the disbelief in his tone was obvious. "Right, of course. Well just pick a direction and go, you will come to someone eventually. They might have time to give you directions."

The voice stopped, and the presence faded. She was left alone again in the darkness, not any les lost that she had been before. The zombie behind her groaned, and she turned to face it again. It was still looking at her, like it was waiting for something. She spoke hesitantly to it, saying "Do you think you could show me where the nearest people are?" she asked in a hopeful voice. It kept staring at her blankly, and she thought back to how she had gotten it to do what she wanted the first time. "Show me where the nearest people are." She spoke in a commanding voice, but it faltered, showing her unease. If the zombie noticed, it gave no sign. Instead, it turned slowly and pointed short shriveled finger at a wall. She was about to ask it what that meant before she reminded herself of the futility of trying to actually converse. Just before she was going to command it lead her, an idea popped into her head. She was a ghost, and she didn't know a lot about ghosts, but she was pretty sure…

She stepped over to the wall being indicated, and put a hand out to it. As first it acted just like she expected it to, but as she imagined her hand going through the wall, it did so. Slowly at first, than it was like there was nothing there at all. One hand in the wall, Yang looked back again at the zombie, taking note of the angle its finger pointed at. Slightly upwards. She nodded to herself and turned back to the wall, a look of determination coming across her face. She started moving through the solid stone,. At first it was dark, but she was quick to adapt to the lack of light. Somehow she was still able to see, but all that this ability reviled to her was rocks and pebbles zipping past.

She continued like this for what again felt like minutes, until eventually she came to another smooth stone brick wall. She stopped just before it, feeling anxious as to what she would find on the other side. Slowly, she started to move through the wall, the same way that she had through the first on. She melded through the bricks, and as she completely melded through the wall, she was shocked to find herself hovering far over the ground.

She was hanging about forty feet off of the ground. She jolted back halfway through the wall before she remembered that she could fly. She edged back out of the wall, gazing down at the floor far below. At first she couldn't tell what the floor was made of. It heaved and moved and glowed in an almost alien way. Then she realized what the floor was. Molten magma glowered up at her, spitting huge jets of flaming gas and globs of the viscous material upwards towards her.

Yang cast her gaze to the rest of the room, trying very hard to ignore the bright and distracting molten rock beneath her. She saw various constructions crisscrossing in the air above the lava, mostly connected by wiry-looking scaffolds and bridges. The unmistakable shapes of hundreds of forges lined the walls at varying heights. Anvils and other smiting equipment were scattered around on the catwalks, just waiting to be used. She couldn't help but think how much Ruby would love this place. The things that her sister could make here…

Well, if it were not probably blisteringly hot and brimming with toxic fumes. She wouldn't know, of course, she couldn't feel the heat coming from the magma, nor could she smell what she was sure smelled foul and sulfurous. Something else caught her attention too. Figures moved along the catwalks and forges, all coming into direct contact with the substance that Yang knew was hot enough to destroy almost anything alive. She reminded herself that she would likely not find anything alive in the tunnels and rooms, and started to approach them.

As she got closer and closer, she realized more about them. They were burned, charred corpses, all walking around and doing things, but not like the zombie she had met outside. They were moving with a purpose, and seemed to be much more conscious. They also all seemed to be helping one other charred individual standing in front of one of the largest forges, carrying varying hunks of metal of varying size to it. Yang floated towards that one, if she had to guess, she would say that it was probably the one in charge of the forges.

As she approached, a few of the undead seemed to notice her, waving if they had a free hand, and one handed its load of metal off to another before breaking into a clumsy sprint across the catwalk back towards the one she presumed to be the leader. She watched it go, somewhat mesmerized with the speed at which the red, burned, and blackened mixture of flesh and bone could move. As it ran she took note of what its general body structure was; its lower half seemed to be mostly skeletal, with metal joints and bolts holding it together while also providing movement. Its flesh started at about its waistline, and seemed only to comprise of flesh burned beyond all recognition. Further but its chest the skin seemed to flatten into something closer to what Yang would consider "normal" but was still a greatly reddened mess. They looked like they would have been first degree burns. The person's arms were a different story; at about elbow point, the flesh again disappeared, replaced again by bone and metal mechanisms. Its head was bald, whether it was from the heat or not Yang couldn't tell. Its face looked like the thing most untouched by the scorching heat, covered only in blackened soot and ash.

As the thing reached the leader, another jet of fiery material shot up from the molten floor, engulfing both undead in heated earth. Yang stopped for a moment, certain that both individuals had just been destroyed, but let her jaw drop as the magma dropped back through the wiry bottom of the catwalk. Both corpses simply gave themselves hearty shakes, sending smaller flecks of the still glowing material flying. Yang noticed something that she hadn't seen at first. Small runes were etched into their skin and bones as several points, like tattoos. The marks on the two who had just been covered in lava were glowing almost as brightly as the lava itself.

The one that had started running to its leader reached them, and tapped them on the shoulder before starting to speak, pointing a skeletal finger in Yang's direction. The one at the forge looked, and its manner seemed to lift as it looked up at her. She paused, waiting to see what it did.

It waved her to come closer to her, gangly arm flailing in the air. She did, and when she got within a few feet of the figure she got a very good look at it. It was a masculine figure, so she assumed that it was a man. His skin was red, and his eyes were sunken deep into his skull. His eyes themselves were black and glimmered with a light that Yang thought reminded her of a few educational videos she had seen back at Signal Academy when she was training there that had given a visualization of what scientists thought someone's aura would look like if it was simply removed from the body. This thought was pushed out of the way as he moved to the side and motioned towards the forge he had been working on. She looked past him, and saw something that she wasn't sure what it was.

It looked like it was a mock-hand, with the tendons replaced with wires, and the skin replaced with a thick metal frame. The frame only about a fourth of the way done, leaving much of the inside still open. Numerous mechanisms inside of the hand sat still, waiting to move. The ghoul took the hand in his and started walking towards the distant exit to the room. Yang asked "What's going on? Can you tell me what that is?"

The ghoul continued to walk, not reacting to her question. Yang was about to ask again, when it occurred to her that they were in a very loud place. The rolling magma and jets of fumes created a huge amount of background noise that she most likely would have noticed, if she had had her ears to alert her. As it was, the huge roar had simply been ignored because she hadn't cared about it. She didn't have much choice other than to follow the ghoul.

It was minutes before the two reached the stairs of the catwalk that led back up to the exit. They walk up them, and entered the hallway outside of the massive forge. Now free of the roaring of the earth and iron, the ghoul looked to Yang and said in a throaty voice "Hello! You must be the one Naze picked to represent us, right?" He looked her misty form over before saying "I'd shake your hand, but…" His gaze shifted to the mechanical hand clutched by his fingers, and a wry smile came across his face. He held the item out to her and said "Here, use this."

Yang looked from his face to the half-finished hand and back again, a confused expression on her face. The man across from her rolled his eyes and said "Put your damn hand in the other hand." She did as she was told, and was rewarded with a strange sensation. It was like when her incorporeal hand touched the metal of the mock-hand, it soaked into it. She gave a few experimental twitches, and the wires responded, pulling the framework of the fingers closed.

She said quietly to herself "Whoa…" and leaned in close, getting a better look at it. The ghoul wrapped its fingers around the metal ones and gently shook the hand, holding it up on his own. "There now." he said "My name is Brazen. Resident Forge Master. Best and oldest blacksmith here. I make the weapons and armor, along with other things. Making your hand." He held the hand up again for her to see again.

Yang pulled her hand from the mechanical one, again noting how strange if felt for a part of her to simply materialize. She looked from her own hand to the mechanical one, comparing the two. The mechanical hand looked like it was going to be completely identical to her old one. She didn't know how such precision was possible, especially for one who had never even seen her hand. Her face must have shown her feeling, because Brazen gave a raspy laugh and said "Naze gave me the measurements. Quite a memory on him, no denying that."

Yang noted the casual nature that Brazen used Naze's name. She would've thought that someone resurrected by him would show a little more respect. She would be in that category soon. She decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. "Is there a way that we are supposed to address him? Like, I don't know, a title or something?" Brazen waved a hand dismissively and said "No, he doesn't care. As long as you show respect, you can call him anything. As for a title, he does have one. He didn't pick it, of course, but I think he likes it: Naze the Eternal." Brazen shrugged his shoulders and said "I suppose it's got a ring." Brazen shook his head, twitching a few times in the process before clapping his hands together and saying "I doubt you're here for small talk, though. You should go around, get to know the others." He gestured behind him "The number of smiths is small in comparison to the others; researchers and the like. Make friends with them first."

Brazen turned to leave, but Yang said "Wait!" in a worried tone. Brazen stopped and turned, giving her a puzzled look. "I uh… don't really know my way around. Do you think you could help me? Or at least get someone who can?" Brazen looked down at the mechanical hand, muttering something about a schedule that he had to keep to, than looked around him in the hall. His eyes fixed on something she couldn't see a far distance away, and Yang was about to ask him what he was looking at when she noticed them.

A pair a softly glowing eyes suspended a few feet off of the ground. Brazen motioned for them to come closer, and in a sudden flurry of movement the eyes rushed towards them, a smoky form not too unlike Yang's own twisting behind them. The shadowy figure came to a dead stop a few feet from them, focusing on Brazen. Brazen motioned to Yang and said "Take her to Azrile, he's done this introduction more times than I." The shadowy form nodded, and out of its vaguely humanoid shape a long arm and spindly, spiderlike fingers sprouted. It held its hand out to Yang in a somewhat theatrical fashion, and she put hers in its hesitantly. It started to lead her off down the corridor. Brazen waved and cried "See you around, Yang! Do a good job!"

"Simple advice." she muttered to herself "Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

* * *

The Bullhead touched down, and snapped Naze's attention away from the budding network of shades that would be his eyes and ears in upcoming political affairs. His mind returned to the puppet, and to the dismal conditions inside the cabin.

Ruby still clung to Yang's body, despite several halfhearted attempts by her teammates to remove her. No more tears ran from her eyes, but Naze would've been astounded if they had. The girl had probably dehydrated herself. Her eyes were half open and glazed over, and she rocked steadily back and forth with each breath. Most of her clothing was covered in blood. Who most of it belonged to could certainly be debated, and if it were than the two leading candidates would be either her sister or the Grimm that had slain her. Either way, her cloak was now a much deeper shade of red, along with the rest of her wardrobe.

She sat on the floor, in a pool of her sister's blood that had leaked from her wounds, namely the severed arm. At some point during the flight, the viscous fluid had started to dry and coagulate, becoming like a thick sticky paste. She stared ahead of her blankly, her eyes occasionally flicking over to her sister's unmoving face, than resuming their study of the air in front of them.

The other two girls weren't much better. Blake had a hand on Ruby's back, rubbing her back and trying to whisper comforts to her. Ruby didn't react to any of her words, only continuing to stare blankly ahead. Weiss sat across from her, not sure what to say. What could she say? She hadn't gotten along incredibly well with Ruby or Yang, in spite of considering them her best friends, maybe even family. She didn't know anything that she could say that would help her friend. Instead she remained silent.

They didn't seem to have noticed the Bullhead touching down. Naze stood from his seat and moved towards the doors in the side of the Bullhead, waiting for them to slide open. The girls still didn't react, so he said "I think we're here."

Ruby and Blake looked up at him blankly before returning to their respective actions. Weiss was the only one who did anything, standing and getting up to lend a hand to Ruby, offering to help her up. The speakers in the sides of the bulkhead clicked into life, and the pilot said "We have arrived back at Beacon. Medical teams are waiting to receive your wounded. Doors opening-" the thick metal doors slid open, letting fresh air flood the cabin and revealing a team of white-clad individuals, all bearing medical supplies "-good luck." the pilot finished. The medics gazed at the scene inside of the Bullhead with slightly dumbstruck expressions. Naze knew that they had their work cut out for them, not only with giving whatever treatment they thought might help Yang, but also with prying Ruby away from the corpse.

Naze stepped down onto the stone pavement, removing himself from the way of the medics. Weiss did the same, knowing that giving the professionals space was the only thing she could do to help. The medics streamed into the Bullhead, and started talking to each other in very concerned voices. After a few moments both Ruby and Blake were ushered out of the vehicle, Blake holding Ruby's shoulders tightly and still whispering to her. Ruby strained against Blake's hold, but lacked the strength to break free. One of the medics approached the pair and shepherded them away from the scene towards one of the buildings that dotted the edge of the airstrip. Weiss was herded away next, and he was the last to receive an escort from the scene.

The medic assigned to take him kept putting an arm around Naze's shoulder, like she was trying to offer him comfort. He continually shrugged her off, but she was diligent in insisting that he needed support. He ignored her, and walked on his own towards the same building that the others were being ushered to.

It wasn't long before Naze found himself in a sterile white room, sitting on top of a medical bed. Several doctors had already tried to take some reading of his vital signs; either trying to hook him up to a machine or trying to take his pulse. He knew this would only confuse an already chaotic situation, and prevented them from doing so, insisting that he was fine. His major concern now was more towards Ozpin, and how he might react. Naze was a unique student, and one that now had a track record of a teammate dying on a mission. Such things tended to look very bad on résumés. Would he blame Naze? Unlikely, but certainly possible.

He sat in this room, waiting, for about two hours before the door opened. He was about to tell the doctor or nurse to find something more useful to do than bother him, when he recognized the brown shoes of the headmaster himself. Ozpin walked through the door, a solemn expression on his face. As he entered the room, he took a sip of coffee from the mug in his left hand and put some weight on the cane in his right. Naze regarded him with a cold look, waiting for him to say whatever he had come to say.

Without speaking a word, Ozpin walked over to the other side of the room, grabbing a spare chair from a table in the corner, and walked back to the side of the bed, sliding the chair in front of him and taking a seat. Naze lifted an eyebrow. Ozpin looked up to him and heaved a heavy sigh before saying in a tired voice "It never gets any easier. Never becomes any less painful."

Naze could guess what he was talking about, but decided to play dumb. "What never get easier, Sir?" he asked, his voice as innocent as he could manage. Ozpin took a long sip from his coffee, studying Naze's face as he did so. When he finished, he rested the mug and his hand in his lap and said "Please, don't humor me. Not like this, anyways. You knew precisely what I'm talking about." Naze obliged, letting the worried expression on his face drop in favor of a neutral one. He replied "You're right, of course. The loss is regrettable."

Ozpin shook his head and said quietly, almost to himself "That girl… such a bright future ahead of her… so much good she might have done. I think regrettable is a dramatic understatement." He then looked back up to Naze and said "But that is not what I would like to talk about. What I would like to talk about is the other things that happened during the mission. For instance; all three of the members of the team insist that before the main confrontation with the Grimm that ended her life, Yang was attacked by a "walking corpse". This corpse was described as partially decomposed, and to have a necrotic effect on flesh that touched it, namely Yang's fist." His eyes narrowed, and he asked "Do you know what this creature was, or where it came from?"

Naze considered the question for a moment. Perhaps it would be beneficial to reveal his true nature to the man in advance of the rest of the world finding out. He seemed wise enough to take the information without much of a dramatic response. He replied in a slow, measured voice. "Yes, I do."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed even more, and he leaned forward, asking "What was it? Why was it there and how did it get there?" Naze answered in the same measured voice, saying "It was exactly as you said: a partially rotted corpse, animate and aggressive. It was there to provide a deterrent to those who might seek to intrude into the swamp. As to how it got there… I could say that it walked, but I assume you mean the question more in the way of its origin. I put it there, perhaps several hundred, or maybe even thousands of years ago. It was mummified by bog conditions, then reanimated to provide extra hazard to the swamp, discouraging intrusion by those who might seek to disturb me and my ilk."

Ozpin's eyes widened, and he said "What? What do you…" He stopped, looking to the floor, his eyes darting back and forth as he thought. Naze figured that he would save him the trouble of asking several of the questions he was bound to, speaking out first. "I lost count of my exact age around five or six hundred thousand years. I and my people have slept for a very long time, and none of us are quite sure how expansive that period of time has been. Now we've reawakened, and are ready to resume our work." Ozpin raised an eyebrow, but Naze continued "We are… researchers of a sort. I value knowledge over all else, and recruit others who share that interest. The time that undeath grants is used for the accumulation of knowledge of all kinds." Naze stood from the bed, and started to pace. "With our reveal, I hope to build some goodwill between our people, and encourage peaceful relations. There have been incidents in the past where our existence was not taken well, and war declared on us. I would advise you to not encourage such a course of action. It would be a war you cannot win."

Ozpin also stood, and stopped Naze by putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked deep into Naze's eyes and asked "Are you telling me the truth? How can I believe that you are that powerful?" Naze shrugged Ozpin's hand off and said "Look to the anomaly in the air above the swamp. It has, without fail, prevented air travel over the swamp for as long as air has been available to travel. Then, without any discernable reason, a Bullhead is able to fly all the way to center to pick up five teens. I was among them. I was the one who deactivated the ward making such travel impossible."

Ozpin turned his back to Naze, a hand on his chin. "How-" Naze cut him off, knowing what this question would be. "In-between my falling asleep and waking up, it seems that quite a bit has happened; the living forgot everything about magic, demons isolated themselves in hell, the moon shattered, things have been interesting in my absence."

Ozpin only looked more surprised. "Magic? Demons?" He shook his head and put a finger to his temple. "I'm afraid that you are going to have to do a little more thorough job of explaining." Naze nodded, a smile coming across his face. "Gladly, but first we have to agree on something; everything that is discussed between us is to remain that way until I reveal myself and my people to the public. Is that understood?" Ozpin nodded, and Naze's smile widened. "Good, now, let me tell you about something called a mage…"

* * *

Yang looked around her in awe. There were thousands, maybe millions of books, all sitting mundanely on huge shelves that stretched almost as far as the eye could see. Countless numbers of corpses were shuffling around, seated at tables reading, or organizing the shelves using ladders stories tall that seemed to move of their own volition. The shade that had guided her here dropped her hand from its, and pointed to a bleached white skeleton at the middle of the room. Yang moved towards the skeleton, examining it as she went. It wore thick silken robes, draped over its hollow frame and hanging loose on the floor. In addition to the robes it wore, there were also thick rolls of parchment wrapped around several places like sashes. Symbols glowed on these sashes, and Yang thought she recognized a few from Naze's sword.

She approached the skeleton, feeling somewhat nervous as she did so. How old was this thing? Was it a male or female? What was she supposed to ask it? Questions darted through her mind faster than she could comprehend, when suddenly the skeleton looked towards her and beckoned. She approached, and the skeleton's jaw started to move, reminding her of Naze, and a deep reverberating voice came not from the skull, but more from deep in the skeletons chest. It said "Welcome, child. You are the one chosen as an ambassador, are you not?" She nodded mutely, and it continued "Good. I look forward to seeing how well the living take to magic now. Now then, what can I help you with? Are you looking for a tome?" he gestured around to the uncountable books, many of which looked thicker than any book she had ever touched in her life.

She shrugged her shoulders and said "I… I don't really know. Naze told me to get to know the people around here, and Brazen told me to come here, so I did…" Her voice tapered off as she looked around again. There were so many books. Blake would love it here. She could probably spend hundreds of years doing nothing but reading, and not run out of books.

The skeleton nodded sagely and said "It was probably wise of him. Brazen can be… eccentric at times." He put a hand to his chest, and lake noticed the joints of its arms that would normally be held together by muscle and sinew were instead bound by some softly glowing force. "I am Azrile, the greatest scribe and enchanter that currently walks the earth. But you don't want to learn about me, do you? No, mine is a fairly boring story. Born into a high family, spent my life learning, than died. Nothing terribly spectacular."

Yang shrugged her shoulders and said "Actually, I am supposed to learn about all of you. How else am I supposed to represent you? It would be hard if I didn't know anything." Azrile stroked his chin with his boney fingers before saying "I suppose you're right. But merely talking is not enough. You could be here years before you form an accurate opinion that way. Instead, there is a book for you."

The skeleton started to walk away, and motioned for her to follow. She did, and it wasn't long before she and her guide came to a plinth set aside from the other books. It wasn't like the other books that she had seen. Instead, it bore a striking resemblance to the book that Naze had attached to his person. She was hesitant to go near it. It seemed to radiate a strange vibration. Azrile touched it without hesitation, brushing a finger across the cover and watching as the cover opened of its own accord, coming to rest on the flat platform it sat on.

Azrile stepped back and made a gesture to the book, saying "It is a copy of our lord's own personal record. In it is every moment that he has ever experienced. What better way to learn about a cause that to experience its creation?" He turned and walked away, saying over his shoulder "After you're done with that, come and seek me out. I may be able to show you a few spells before you are called upon to make contact with the living."

Yang waved weakly to the corpse slowly walking away before turning back to the plinth and gazing disbelievingly at the book in front of her. Was he being serious? Would she really be able to experience everything Naze had? It was exactly what she needed. A strange-feeling energy started to burn inside her, and she felt more energized then she had in a long time, even when she was alive. Reaching forward with a cautious hand, she took hold of the cover page and turned it, feeling relieved as the physical object reacted to her touch, and revealing lines upon lines of burning symbols.

She leaned in closer, and felt something start to push on her mind. She was resilient at first, but slowly let it in, and was surprised to find an expanse of memories she wasn't sure were hers flood into her mind.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note:

Oh man, Naze backstory. That is one thing I am kind of unsure about, so if you could leave some feedback on that, it would be greatly appreciated. Other than that, just the usual tlel me what you thought kind of stuff. Thanks for reading!

* * *

An immense pressure started to push against Yang's mind as she looked at the symbols on the page, and she felt the world around her start to shiver and fade in a very peculiar way. She had never felt anything quite like it before. It was disconcerting, and she lost her bearings very quickly under the force. Her head spun, and she was pulled out of the world into another experience.

.

He sat alone in the small hut he called a home, hunched over the heavy book, trying to parse the draconic symbols that he knew coalesced into some kind of comprehensible information. It was slow going, but he found it far more enjoyable than working fields or hunting. He didn't have the build for those things. A fact that he was constantly reminded of by everyone else in the village. He wasn't quite a runt, but he had been stricken with sickness most of his childhood, and as a result was much weaker than the rest of the men in his village.

He lived alone, and much preferred it that way. He could hardly stand the company of others, even on the best of days. He didn't know if it was a result of his isolation, or some twist of fate, but he seemed to be the only one in his village who placed any value on knowledge, save for the elder. But it was the Elder's job to be intelligent, and to smooth the relations between his people and their great overlords.

The Elder told stories of a time when humanity had been strong and powerful, had ruled over the earth as the only force strong enough to not only push nature back, but to dominate it. The rule of man had been fruitful, and people had lived lives replete with leisure and freedom. This eroded the strength that had been so built up, and soon humanity fell weak again. This weak time had been the point of a new age, at least so the Elder said. He said that this was when another kind came into being. The Elder didn't know what they were called, but they had risen, and tried to take mankind's place. Humanity fought back, and soon enough grew strong again, repelling their attackers.

According to the Elder, this had happened numerous times. Humanity rose and fell in great arcs, until one time they didn't rise again. They were defeated by a race stronger than them. The Basilisk, strange versions of the lizards that he was sometimes forced to eat when no other food arose that were a head and a half taller than the tallest man, had claimed man's world, and forced them into the dirt and mud. Content not to drive man to extinction, the Basilisk now lorded over them with a scaly fist. Able bodies were taken when they were needed for their great constructions, and rare was the day when any returned. Those who did spoke of sprawling cities of grand stone, pearly white and glistening in the light of the sun, and of towers so high that they seemed to gouge the heavens deep wounds that seeped white clouds.

He doubted these claims, of course, but he supposed that there was nothing that he could do to refute them, other than get sent to the constructions himself. A fate that he was keen on avoiding. Those who returned spoke of whips of flame used on those who didn't work their fill. While that was something he was eager to avoid, it was also something that he wished he could see. Occasionally the Basilisk guards who looked over his village threw roaring balls of fire at those who disobeyed orders. This usually resulted in the death of whoever the ball was aimed towards, but it was a sight that he never looked away from. As morbid and callus as it might've seemed, he looked forward to it every time.

He had paid astute detail to every detail he could during these events, and had noticed a few things. Every time one of the guards (or sentries, as they called themselves) threw one such projectile, they assumed a wide stance, and controlled their breathing much more heavily. He himself had tried a few times to achieve similar results through imitation of these technique, but had been rewarded only by disappointing nothingness.

And now he sat in the darkness of his home, trying to read a language he knew almost nothing about. The book that he had gotten he had stolen from the Elder, who read it aloud to everyone during weekly town meetings. Everyone who heard it knew it by heart, and he used this to his advantage.

"The mighty Basilisk have overpowered our armies in the past, and they will not hesitate to do so again. Under their mighty weight humanity will be crushed at the first sign of an uprising, for it is through their grace and mercy that we still exist. In return for life, all that is asked is complete cooperation, and refusal to give this will result in the taking of your life…" and so on and so on. The text went on to speak of the strength of the Basilisks being given by their gods, and about how the gods of the Basilisk had destroyed the gods if the humans.

He might not know how to read, but he could figure it out if he knew what it said. He was sure of it.

Certain combinations of certain figures meant certain things. It was a mystery what figures meant what, and how they combined, but he had only just started. He would figure it out, if he gave it enough work. He was sure of it.

A knock on his door made him jump, and he hurriedly tossed the book under a pile of refuse before bolting to his feet. He knew that it wasn't a Basilisk at his door, they didn't knock, but it was still a strange occurrence that anyone come calling for him.

He opened the door, and found a girl with long, brown hair and fit frame looking back at him. Her green eyes almost shone with a bright caring for others, but her stature was hunched and heavy, beaten down from seeing too many people suffer. She was the closest thing that the village had to a doctor. Whenever someone was hurt or sick, she was the first to come to their aid. Her name was Valery. She had a natural aversion to him on account of his introverted and unsympathetic personality, but that didn't stop her from occasionally trying to make friends with him. The urgent look in her face told him that this was not the reason for her visit, and this was affirmed when her melodic voice rang through the dismal silence.

"Naze, we need you at the town center. It's serious." He raised an eyebrow, but Valery was having no delay. She reached out in an attempt to grab Naze's hand and pull him with her, but he stepped back, avoiding her. "I'm afraid I'll need a little more detail than that." he said in a suspicious tone. He was called down to the village center from time to time to help the fools puzzle out matters of reason and common sense. They had never been this desperate, though.

Valery gave him a pleading look and cried "Naze, please! I know you have issues with us, but I really think we need you!" He crossed his arms and leaned back, making his message clear. Valery gave a frustrated grunt and looked around her quickly before saying quickly "Someone in a village to the east found a book, and they can read it! They are asking for anyone who can to go and help them with it. They say that it could help us to free ourselves! We need to know what you think!"

If it were a lie, it was either an awful one or a damn good one. Naze felt his whole body prick up at the thought. A book they could read? He could be executed for even touching the book that he had, let alone read it. If there was a book that could be read easily, he would take any risk to get to it.

He motioned for Valery to lead the way, now thoroughly interested. She took off quickly towards the village, and Naze plodded along behind her. As he did so, he thought about the east. The bog that his village was located in was not fertile for many organized crops, but apparently the east was different. After several days of travel, the thick mud and muck of the swamp turned to arid sand and cutting winds. The villages in that area were much larger than his because they received some support from the Basilisks. It was barely enough for the population to grow, but all they had to do in return was tend spice plants that didn't grow anywhere but in the desert. Where they would've found a book was a mystery, but Naze hoped that he would find out soon enough.

It wasn't long before he entered the middle ring and center of the town, moonlight guiding the pair on their way. Naze's eyes flicked to the side in the direction of the guard tower that overlooked the village. The bright flame still burned at its tip, and he thought he saw a few moving shadows of the foul guards in the windows. He didn't have much disdain for them, but most other people wished nothing more than to see that guard tower topple. He didn't share this desire, but he could certainly understand it. His house, distant from the town in comparison to everyone else's, afforded him much more freedom than others closer to the village had. He wasn't too bothered by the actions of the guards, at least not directly. He wished he could be free of the effect they had on society, oppressing the acquisition of knowledge. All he really wanted to do was learn. By whose grace he didn't particularly care.

Valery shouldered the door in front of her open and walked inside of the large log longhouse that served to provide a meeting place in times of trouble or crisis, as well as when orders from their overlords had to be doled out. As Naze followed the girl in, he noted that the usually packed rows of rough wooden benches were all empty.

At the front of the longhouse was the Elder of the village. He had a thin piece of parchment in his old and veiny hands, and was looking over it, his fingers trembling. Valery called out to him, but he put a finger over his lips and looked up from the letter, motioning for them to come closer. Valery practically sprinted to the man's side, but Naze was much less eager. He wanted the book, not a conversation with an old man.

Naze walked to his side, looking at the letter over his shoulder. It was written in the same letters that he had tried to read earlier, and seemed just as incomprehensible. The elder looked up into Naze's face in-between glances down at the paper, making sure that he was reading it correctly. His old voice waivered under the strain of speaking, but he did it all the same as he read the letter aloud.

"My fellow leaders, we of the village Golden Sands require aid. We have discovered something that may be the key to becoming powerful, and to freeing ourselves. We have discovered a tome that can be read by all, and contains the knowledge of how to defeat death itself. We must request the best that you can spare, and we must define who the best are."

He took a deep breath and continued "Physical strength seems to have little to no effect on the effect of the learning. Instead, it seems that understanding of the material is the most important thing. We beg of you, please send any help that can be spared. The best interests of not only our lives hang in the balance, but those of our children, and our children's children. I hope that this plea does not fall on deaf ears."

Both Valery and the Elder looked to Naze, a look that he had never seen before in their eyes. Was that…respect or angst? They both continued looking at her, until Valery said "Look, there's no beating around the bush here. You are more or less the smartest person in the village. You've been treated... not well, but I really hope that you at least consider it."

The Elder nodded and said "There are several others we will send as well. This is more than we have asked of you before, but I ask you now, will you lead our people to Golden Sands?" Naze snorted and shrugged in an exasperated manner "I don't know if you've realized, but I'm not that much of a great leader or anything. All I want to do it to learn, not be some group head. I'll gladly go, but find someone else to lead the rest of them."

.

The world started spinning again, and Yang pulled herself away from the book. Its dancing symbols seemed to beckon her back, but there was no way that she was going back in. Not without a long break first, anyways. If she still had a brain, she was sure that it would feel like it was on fire. She took a step back from the plinth and tried taking a few deep breaths to calm herself before she remembered that physical actions like that didn't work anymore.

Brittle footsteps on the stone behind her alerted her to the presence of someone behind her, and she turned to find Azrile looking through her chest at the book. It was a strange feeling to realize that someone was looking through her. He gave a small nod and said "Ah, that's where you are. Surprising, is it not, that he was ever alive?"

Yang nodded. It seemed like a strange question, but she knew what he meant. The way he acted, she might've thought that he had never been alive at all. But he had been, and had apparently lived under the rule of a species called the Basilisk. Yang tilted her head slightly as a thought occurred to her, and she asked "What happened to the Basilisk? I know I could probably just look in the book again, but there's no way I'm going back in there, at least not yet." Azrile looked to one of the great shelves and said "There are numerous books and studies on the topic, but if you desire a truncated version, I could provide it orally." She nodded, and said "Just tell me, please."

Azrile gave another small nod and began speaking, saying "Our master, along with several others from his village made their way to the desert. They began learning the art of necromancy, but soon had learned everything that the tome had to offer. Some began building armies of the dead, waiting for the right moment to attack the Basilisk, but the Master continued to research necromancy, and started to look into other forms of magic as well. Those who had already mastered necromancy held a review of all those who had been preparing, and assigned roles accordingly. Master Naze was instructed to stay near the rear of the offensive and continue his research, using whatever was left by the forward offensive to further his research."

"The war began, and the Basilisk were taken highly off-guard as guard post after guard post went quiet. It wasn't long before they found out why. Scouts sent to investigate reported teeming hordes of dead humans crawling and clambering their way towards the nearest Basilisk city. They readied their defenses, but they knew very little of necromancy and how resilient the undead could be. The only saving grace that they had was that their natural scaly armor made it difficult for something such as a simple risen corpse to do any real damage to them. This was not the ultimate advantage you might think, though, as with every Basilisk killed, their armor and bone was stripped and turned to weapons for the risen. It took several years, but-"

Yang held up a hand to stop the onslaught of information before saying "Alright, I get it. There's a lot more detail than I thought there would be. Maybe I'll study up when I've got a little more time. Until then, do you think you could try and teach me some magic? Naze said I would probably lose my semblance when I got my body back, so I would like to have something to make up for that in a fight."

Azrile tilted his head lightly to the side and spoke "He said that? Hmm…" a few bony fingers started tapping against his bleached white chin. "What is your semblance?" he asked in a curious voice. Yang was quick to answer, saying "When I get hit, my aura gets more powerful. I can basically charge up by taking hits." Azrile nodded again and said "Yes, there could be issues with such a reactive semblance. Your soul is bonded with your body during your life in a way that can't be replicated, no matter how tightly a necromancer might bind the soul. You might regain partial semblance use, but it is a good idea to learn something else to supplement the loss."

Yang nodded. She was looking forward to learning some magic. Not nearly as much as she was looking forward to seeing Ruby again, but she reminded herself to take everything one step at a time. "Where do you think is a good place to start?" she asked.

Azrile immediately started talking again, asking her what she was interested in learning, and pointing to several of the shelves. Yang found herself quickly overwhelmed. She looked around, hoping for someone to come in and save her.

.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, knitting his fingers together and putting his elbows on his knees. "And…these "demons" enter the world how, exactly?"

Naze answered by wiping the marker off of the white board and setting the marker flat. "There are a few ways; the first is that they can just find a hole, and crawl out. This is how most minor demons get through. Usually this hole snaps shut behind them, but sometimes they let multiple demons through. The next is that a demon can be summoned by anyone who knows enough to summon it, and is usually bound to do their bidding. This information is tough to come by, thankfully enough, and demons summoned this way are rarely very powerful. The next method is that a physical rift can be torn between this world and Hell. They happen naturally every now and again, and always represent a major threat to everything with a soul on the planet. The last way is pretty similar to the last, except that it is created on purpose. When a highly powerful demon wants to get something, they'll do anything to get it. This includes tearing apart real space and shoving as many demons through the rift as they can. When that happens… it's bad."

Ozpin nodded and said "I can imagine so." in a reserved voice. Naze stood again and walked to the window, looking out to the city beyond the school. "I must say, you're taking this with far more grace than I originally anticipated. You almost give me hope that the rest of the world will be as accepting." Ozpin raised an eyebrow and peered over his tinted glasses. "Almost?"

Naze made a dismissive gesture with his hand and said "You living people always find something to hate. I have faith that you'll do the same you always have." Ozpin took his hands apart and stretched his arms tiredly, saying "Yes, I think I'd be forced to agree. You have far more experience than anyone now could imagine; what do you think is going to happen with the Faunus, if you don't mind my asking?"

Naze made another dismissive move with his hand and said "Things are going to escalate before they can calm. The best thing for you, as someone who supports Faunus rights, is for the White Fang to continue their little tantrum. In fact, if they start doing worse things, it would be even better."

Ozpin opened his mouth, about to argue the point, when he stopped to consider. There weren't really any in-between opinions on the Faunus, either they were right, and should continue fighting, or were doing the wrong thing, and should stop. Such a dichotomy could bring non-supporting Faunus and humans together against a common enemy. One might've thought that the Grimm would be able to fill that role, but it appeared that their constant threat had been somewhat internalized. He took a moment to appreciate the wisdom of a being older than his entire civilization. The rather starkly anti-personal attitude made sense, but how far did it stretch? How much was a life worth to the long dead man in front of him?

This reminded him of the casualty that had been sustained. Yang… the poor girl. She had a bright future ahead of her. She would've made a wonderful huntress, but instead had her life cut short so unceremoniously. A niggling little thought started to burrow at the back of his brain, and it wasn't a thought that he wanted to be accurate. If this dead man was so capable to foresight and planning, who was to say that he didn't cause Yang's death deliberately?

His thoughts must have either shown on his face, or been otherwise detectable by the mage, because he turned from the window and looked him in the eye, arresting his attention with an otherworldly weight in his gaze. "I didn't kill Yang. I had the opportunity to save her, yes, but I didn't take it. You might not understand why, but I do. I've spoken with her since her death, she is fully aware of the situation. She does not blame me. In fact, she is rather enthusiastic to begin the tasks I have prepared for her."

This made Ozpin suspicious again. "What tasks would those be?" he asked in as unassuming a voice as he could manage. Naze regarded him with an amused look before letting out a few hollow laughs. The noise was strangely disconcerting. Ozpin felt his body tense, even against his conscious effort not to. His hand instinctually went to his cane. Naze spoke, eyes boring into Ozpin's very being "I don't know if you've picked up on this, but I'm not good at this. If I were to be the one to introduce my people, we would stand for the archaic, and for entropy. A constant reminder of mortality, and as a carrot on a stick of an escape. Yang is a bright eyed, optimistic teenager. Her message will be much easier received and interpreted accurately."

Ozpin quite agreed. He hadn't even seen Naze's true face, and he knew that it would be one to send a grim message. He would've offered his help in trying to get world leaders to accept him, but somehow he doubted that the eons-old decedent needed any assistance.

He shook his head, saying "The best of luck to you in your endeavors of peace. Now, there is something else I would like to discuss. You said that demons have sealed themselves in Hell, but never that there weren't any left in our world. I would imagine, by the way that you described them that they don't care much for their brethren. I would like to ask you if there were any still left." Naze paused, his hesitation obvious, even on the blank face that he always wore. Ozpin could tell that he was at something of an impasse, deciding whether or not to do something.

After a few pregnant moments of silence, Naze nodded and said "Yes, I've come across one in the several weeks I've been here. It had established a parasitic relationship with the girl Nora Valkyrie, and was feeding off of her residual soul energy. It was removed, I exchanged some information for its freedom, and I then threw it out my window."

Ozpin starred at Naze's face, expressionless, as he processed this. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond. Anger? Was it justified? He had said that minor demons weren't too much trouble, but he had not said that the demon he had set loose was a minor one. Naze looked back at Ozpin, awaiting his next action patiently. Slowly, Ozpin formulated the words "Oh…well…where is it now?" Naze shrugged his shoulders and said in a nonchalant voice "I don't know."

Ozpin was starting to wonder at Naze's sanity again. Here he had just finished how demons represented possibly the greatest threat the world had ever faced, even in Naze's own time, and he was casually admitting to setting one loose in his school. "Was… it a dangerous one?" Again, Naze shrugged and said "It could be, I suppose. It was stunted and weak, so it was hard to tell. I can give you my personal assurance, however, that if it raises to be a problem, I will take care of the matter personally. Besides, it was inside of the girl. If I hadn't removed it, I don't have a clue where we would be now. It would be stronger, though. That much I can be sure about."

Ozpin was starting to come out of his daze of confusion, and felt aggravation taking its place. "You let a potentially dangerous creature loose in my school?" His fists were starting to clench tightly. He was careful to make sure that this was the only sign of his anger, though.

Naze's neutral response was more or less what he expected. "I had no place to keep it. I made a deal with the little bastard, and I can hardly go back on that, now can I? If I see it again, I'll tell you." He exhaled his frustration in a deep breath, letting the tension seep out of him. It was a valuable skill to have for a headmaster. "Very well, I suppose that will have to do."

There was another heavy silence between them, during which Ozpin reached over to the table near him and grabbed a hold of his white coffee mug, taking a sip from the steaming dark liquid and swallowing it before it had time to burn his mouth. His thirst sated, he set the mug back down and again leaned back in his chair. Naze but his back against the wall next to the window and folded his arms, eyes wandering quickly around the room. It was several minutes before either one of the men said anything.

When one did speak, it was Naze first. He asked "If it isn't too much trouble to ask, how are the others doing? I am well aware of Yang's condition, but what of her teammates? I'm sure that things are going swimmingly, correct?" Ozpin either didn't find his comment humorous, or suppressed any sign of it. Naze would've guessed the former.

"Yang Xiao Long, as you know, is deceased." The disdain was clear in his voice. Saying the words obviously left a bitter taste in his mouth. "The rest are doing as well as could be expected. Only minor injuries, and the worst issue was that Ruby was heavily dehydrated when she came in. She has since been sedated and put on an IV." He shook his head and said "She fought tooth and nail to stay with her sister. I wouldn't be surprised if the first responders had to get medical treatment after she realized that they were separating her from her sister." His words hung in the air heavily as he took another sip from his coffee mug before continuing.

"The other two girls were exceedingly docile. Ms. Schnee seemed to be more in shock than Ms. Belladonna, who appeared fully conscious and cooperated fully with medical teams. She expressed… great remorse and regret at the loss of her team mate." He took another sip, this time a pained look in his eye "Ms. Schnee was unresponsive to attempts to speak with her at first, but after attempts were made for several minutes she came out of her dazed state and I was able to debrief her." He pulled a deep breath through his nose, his chest expanding, before he let the breath escape back though his nose. "Ms. Rose has yet to be debriefed, but such a task would be difficult, considering that she is currently under the effects of a large amount of sedatives. That left only you…" His mug clinked against the table as he set it down again. "…and I do think we've covered the happenings of that mission quite well."

He pushed against his knees, standing up from his chair again. "I thank you for your cooperation, Naze. I think, if you were to really consider it, that you would make an acceptable Huntsman." As Ozpin turned to leave the room, Naze smirked. He must have known that making such a remark would be fruitless. But, still, he couldn't be blamed for trying.

Ozpin put a hand out towards the doorknob, wrapping his fingers around it and beginning to twist. A small voice in the back of his head shouted protests. He tried to ignore it, but as he continued to twist the knob, it acted like a volume control, making the voice louder and louder, until it grew to an unbearable roar. His conscious blaring in his ears, he turned, taking his hand from the knob and faced Naze again. "Naze." He said simply, mind racing on how to approach the subject.

Naze glanced back over at him, an eyebrow raised, and said "Yes, what troubles you?" in the same even voice that seemed to be his only setting. Ozpin took a deep breath, steeling himself, before saying "I cannot, in good conscious, leave this room knowing that the soul; the very essence of everything one of my students is, is in the hands of one who might potentially do her harm. You cautioned me against starting any wars, and I will take that advice gladly, but now I ask you, not as a superior as I do students, not as an equal as I do the leaders of nations and armies, but as no doubt a child in comparison to you; don't harm her. Please, let her be as she was. Don't twist her around your finger like a mere tool. She was so much more."

Silence pervaded after Ozpin finished speaking. Naze looked at him with a maddeningly neutral expression until, stepping towards him, Naze said "An eloquent plea, for a child. Tell me Ozpin, what reason would I have for choosing her in particular, if I were merely going to twist her into a different shape? Why wouldn't I simply pick any odd soul and do the same?" He shook his head. "I've grown quite a distaste for doing such things. In fact, none in my current employ have been altered in any way that they didn't request. Some have had passions, but not the drive to chase them, and I've given that drive, but only hesitantly." He put a hand on Ozpin's shoulder, which he found strangely comforting considering the fact that he knew that it belonged to a corpse. "I tell you, not as a promise, but as a personal policy, that I will not make a single alteration that she herself does not suggest and approve. Changing individuals to suit my needs displays a revolting disregard to the individual serving. If I want a specific type of person, I will wait for them to die. I have the time."

Ozpin looked into Naze's eyes. There was something deep inside of them, some intelligence that glowed an ominous, old fire with fuel unknown. He suddenly felt something that he hadn't felt in a very long time: small. He nodded, and tried to say something, but he couldn't. His brain couldn't formulate a proper response. Instead, he turned to the door and continued his way out, his conscience now content to let him pass. Before he stepped over the threshold of the door he turned and looked over his shoulder, saying "I'll tell them that you're… that you're alright to go."

Naze made a small bow, and Ozpin left, shutting the door behind him. Naze continued starring at the door after he had exited, thinking. Ozpin had certainly taken all of that better than he had expected. And even more impressive, he had proved that he cared greatly for those he cared for. Endearing qualities to be sure. Naze concluded that he was a good man. Perhaps when he died, he might find his way into Naze's ranks.

But he couldn't just sit still and wait for that day. There were other things that required attention. He had a diplomatic introduction to plan, and other important business to attend to. One of the more minor of the thoughts that had been floating around in his mind occurred to him, and he wondered if it would be possible.

He cast his focus away from the puppet body and to the many shades that now watched over much of the world. They saw much, but he searched for only one thing in particular. The one with bright green eyes and curly ginger hair, the golem, Penny.

He wanted to know how an artificial soul could be generated. He had never given the matter much thought, but now that he did, many possible uses of such technology arose in his mind. And besides, he had somewhat enjoyed their last encounter. There wasn't much else for him to do with the puppet until rest of team RWBY was at least conscious. He stepped towards the door while sifting through the shades' sight. One in particular jumped out at him, and he focused on it.

Penny was walking through what looked like a crowded circular area surrounding a large tower that looked like it was meant for communications. He recalled seeing a similar tower whilst walking through the town on his first visit, and started to plan a route to it. A woman that looked like one of the people who had escorted him inside tried to get his attention as he walked past, but he ignored her. The double doors to the building opened, and the sun welcomed him back out.

It was several minutes of walking before he got to the tower, which he determined though random bits of other people's conversations to be called the CCT. Central Communication Tower would've been his first guess as to what the acronym stood for, but he couldn't muster the energy to care. There were much more interesting things close by. He stopped and looked around. The expansive circular area was not as crowded as it had been when he had looked through the shade, but there were still large numbers of people.

He spied his shade trailing behind the girl/golem and made a beeline for her. A few people walked in front of him as he went, and he stopped to avoid collisions, shooting them harsh looks as they went. They passed, and Naze continued his route. He drew up behind the girl and was about to speak out when he considered the meeting. If he simply appeared, it could send the message that he had some inexplicable knowledge of situations a far distance from him. While completely true, he didn't want this information to become common. He doubted that Penny would tell anyone, but one less person who knew would be one less problem.

He removed his scroll from his pocket, turned his back to Penny, and casually threw the device at her feet. As soon as it clattered to the ground, Naze put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and assumed a position that seemed to suggest that he was waiting for someone. Penny reacted at almost the same time he did, bending over to pick the miniature tablet up and looking around for whomever had dropped it. Her eyes seemed to follow an invisible line until they came to rest on Naze's pocket. From there the quickly flicked to the back of his head.

Naze felt a tap on his shoulder, and the gentle voice he had been expecting said "Excuse me, I think you dropped this." Before he had even turned, he knew that she had recognized him. Whether it was the clothes he wore, his general figure, or the lack of vital signs, he didn't quite care. "Ah, Penny. Thank you." He took the hand-sized device he was being offered and said "Fancy seeing you here. What have you been doing since we last convened?"

The girl looked down quickly before her eyes flicked back to Naze and she said hesitantly "Oh, nothing much. How about you?" Naze raised an eyebrow at this. Was she nervous? "I've not been doing a whole lot, I got into Beacon, like you suggested, but let's not talk about me. Where have you been? What have you been doing?"

It seemed that his pushing made her more and more skittish. She took a few small steps back and brought her arms up, hugging her elbows defensively. Naze could see that she was close to leaving. He didn't need her to flee, so he gave up on pushing for her to tell him. "Alright, alright, fine. Never mind, forget I asked." A relieved look came across Penny's face, and she took a few miniscule steps towards him again.

"You made it into Beacon? That's wonderful! How are things going there?" Her tone had changed completely. It was like she didn't remember any of what had happened seconds earlier. Naze was fine with this, as it if anything it only made the interaction easier. He answered her question with a shrug. "It's going alright. I just got back from a mission, actually." Penny perked up, and asked in a happy voice "Oh, wonderful! How did that go? Was it a success?"

Naze was about to answer when he reminded himself that to everyone else, Yang dying was a tragedy. He did his best to look troubled, and said "It was, but not at a significant loss. One of the people on the team I was going with, Yang, was killed."

As soon as the statement left his mouth Penny's hands went to her mouth, and she gasped, shocked. "Do you mean Ruby's sister?" she asked, horrified. Naze raised an eyebrow. He hadn't know that Ruby had made Penny's rather unique acquaintance. He made a mental note to ask Ruby about it before nodding and saying "Unfortunately so. She was killed by a Grimm's venom. It was… not pleasant." Penny simply stared at Naze for a few moments before looking down to the ground and putting her hands to her hear, clutching it tightly. "Oh no! No, no, no, that isn't good! Ruby is my friend! I… I can't…"

Naze watched the proceedings with interest. It occurred to him that he didn't know how Penny worked. Her soul may have been real enough, but there was still much that would have had to have been "programed". He wondered if this was done with enchantment, or if reactions were coded digitally. Her "brain" would have to be what determined her personality if it was done digitally, at least until that personality imprinted strongly enough on the artificial soul. He thought of this because if it was digital, there was a chance that whatever program governed her thought had suffered some kind of glitch.

If this was the case, though, she recovered quickly. She shook her head and looked back up to Naze, saying "Where is she? I think I should go and see her." Naze felt foolish for letting the conversation get sidetracked from his original intent. Now there was no way he would be able to discreetly ask her about her construction. He answered, the concern that had been in his voice before starting again to give to the neutrality that permeated all his actions. "She's back at a medical building near the landing strip at Beacon. I doubt that going to her now would do much good, though. She's been drugged to keep her calm."

Penny looked to the ground, considering this, than looked back up at Naze and said "I still want to go. Ruby is my friend, and I should be there for her!" It was clear that she had made up her mind on the matter. Naze considered his other options briefly. He could go back to his room and do nothing very important, go with Penny, go and see Yang's corpse, or resume watching the world through his shades. While the shades sounded far more alluring at the moment, he reminded himself that he needed friends who not only trusted him, but would continue to once they knew the truth.

Without any display of emotion, he said "Do you mind if I tag along with you?" Penny gave him a puzzled look and said "I thought you said that going-" He cut her off with a dismissive wave "I know what I said, I just… I don't think I'm really thinking straight. Big day, you know?" The excuse practically burned his tongue as it left his mouth, but he knew it would be easily believed. He resolved to never speak against his own facilities again, unless absolutely necessary or true.

Penny gave him a sympathetic nod and said "Sure thing, friend!" She held her arms out wide and asked "Do you need a hug?" She continued to stare at him for several seconds before starting to wither under his gaze. Naze only responded after she looked like she was second guessing the suggestion. "No."

The single word answer came out perhaps more harsh than he had intended, but Penny's reaction was quite amusing, which almost made it worth it. She lowered her arms and looked down to the ground, saying "Oh. I'm sorry." Naze gave her a look that was hard to place before turning away from her towards Beacon and saying "Now, are we going to go or stand around here all day?" Instantly the golem girl perked up again and nodded, following him.

Naze felt a prickle of something in his mind. There was something more to this golem. It acted almost too human, and at the same time not enough. There was something strange about it. He had seen perfect constructs that were essentially alive, androids and the like, but Penny was different. He found himself looking forward to meeting her creator. When, he didn't know, but it would matter little. He had all the time in the world. He turned his attention to more immediate matters. If Yang were to be returned to her body, there were preparations beyond those of her body itself. Media would have to be bribed, news stories to be forged, all things that he was more than confident he could get done, either by his own effort or by others with him. It would all have to go to plan, and he had yet to think of an adequate plan.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note:

Things are starting to spiral into depression, I've noticed. Good, things were too upbeat anyways!

Thank you to The Baz (I fucking love that name) for the OC, Solace. Big things for that guy, big things.

So remember to leave a review! And, if you should happen to have a friend who is looking for something to do, just point 'em over here, I would really like to see some growth for this story.

* * *

Ruby Rose lay on her back in the hospital bed, her red cloak, stained red and sticky, was still under her. A few people had come to try and take it away, but she didn't want them to. She had fought with them when they tried to take her away from Yang, but then they had given her some injection, and now she just felt relaxed.

She looked down at the needle in her hand. She had never really liked needles. It had a steady drip of clear stuff going down into her vein, and it felt cold in her arm. She couldn't help but smile at the strange sensation. It felt strange for her blood to be literally running cold. It might've bothered her, but she was simply so relaxed that she couldn't summon up the energy to do anything.

She cast her gaze around the room. It was white, clean, and quiet. She supposed that she appreciated the quiet, but she might've preferred some company. She looked to the corner of the room near the door to make sure that Crescent Rose was still there. It was, in its compacted form, leaning up against the wall. She started to try and get up, but the attempt was halfhearted at best. Her muscles were so loose that she flopped back onto the bed limply. She didn't really want to get up anyways.

Her eyes stopped on Crescent Rose, and she started to think about it. Someone who didn't have the same passion for weapons that she had might not have noticed it, but she knew that Crescent Rose had taken some damage. When she had attacked the Grimm, she had gotten a little out of control, and had used her weapon in a bad way. Now the blade was chipped and flawed. She would have to get a new one some time. She groaned. They were always so expensive. But that's the price she had to pay for creating her weapon by her own standards instead of industry standards. She had to get her blades custom ordered. Maybe she could ask Yang for some money, Dad never really trusted her with much.

Then she remembered what had happened. Yang had gotten hurt really badly. But she had showed the Grimm that did it, though. That was why Crescent Rose was damaged. She wondered how Yang was doing. The people had told her that Yang was dead, but they were wrong. They had to be. What could possibly kill Yang? Her sister was too tough to die, she was sure of it. How could someone like that really die? She shook her head, smiling. Yang loved jokes, this was probably all just one big joke. How she enlisted the doctors' help Ruby didn't know, but Yang had always been able to pull off some pretty incredible things before. She nodded to herself. That's what it was, it was all just a big joke. She didn't think the others would get it, though. Blake was always so serious, and Weiss didn't have much of a sense of humor. They would probably get mad when they found out it was all a joke.

A knock at the door startled Ruby, and she looked to the door for a few seconds before realizing that whoever was on the other side was probably waiting for a response. "Yes?" she said, accidentally slurring the word slightly. The door opened, and the nurse who had been one of the few who brought her in poked her head into the room. "Excuse me, Ms. Rose?" She nodded to show that she was, in fact, Ms. Rose, and the nurse continued, saying "There are some people here to see you. Do you mind if they come in?"

Ruby smiled again. She had just been wanting some company. She shook her head and said assuredly "Send them on in!"

The door opened the rest of the way, and through it came a stream of her friends: Blake, Weiss, Naze, and even penny made an appearance. She went to bring both hands to her mouth, but felt a tug on her left one. Looking down at it, she remembered that there was a needle attached to a tube in her vein. It was weirdly easy to forget that. She put her left hand back down, but still put her right hand to her mouth. "Hey guys! How's everyone doing? Penny, even you came! I'm so happy to see you all!" her eyes narrowed as she realized that one among them was missing. "Where… where's Yang?"

Everyone in the room seemed to shuffle uncomfortably. Ruby waited for an answer for a few moments before realizing what was going on. Yang hadn't let them in on the secret yet. She must've been planning to let them all know all at once, so that she could surprise all of them in one fell swoop. It was clever, she had to give her sister that. If she could make her reveal that grand, she would be forced to give her even more credit. It would sweep everyone off their feet at once.

Blake and Weiss looked at each other sadly before Weiss stepped forward and knelt down next to Ruby's bed. "Listen, Ruby, I think we might need to have a little talk." Ruby smiled back, tilting her head to the side questioningly. "What about?" She asked, feeling confused at the pained look that came across Weiss's face. Her pale friend looked back over her shoulder at Blake briefly before looking back and saying "Ruby… I don't think…" tears started to come from her eyes, and she said "I'm sorry, but Yang is dead. You saw her die, remember?"

Ruby thought hard about the past day. She had been on a Bullhead, walked through the swamp, gotten a leech, saw a zombie-thing, came to a crater, took some pictures of some Grimm, gotten cornered by Grimm…

The memory came back. She had been protected by her sister. She had gotten hurt protecting her, but she hadn't died, had she? She couldn't have. But, then again, she had been in the Bullhead… she had felt for a pulse…

Ruby shook her head, hands starting to come up to her head in a vain effort to protect herself from the thoughts that were starting to set themselves upon her mind. She had cried, she had fought, she had pleaded, but Yang hadn't moved. The people had tried to take her from Yang's side, but she had fought, even going so far as to viciously bite into someone's hand to try and get back to her sister. That was when she had felt the needle, and everything after that was… blurry.

The nurse, who had been standing in the doorway the whole time, said "She's starting to come out of it now. She likely won't remember much. She might need some time to… well… it looks like you all need some time." She looked around the room for confirmation, but everyone was too preoccupied either looking down or looking at Ruby. Eventually Naze simply nodded and motioned for the woman to leave. She nodded understandingly and exited, closing the door behind her.

Blake and Weiss both put their hands on Ruby's back, trying to offer some comfort. Even Penny walked over to the side of her bed, sitting hesitantly next to Ruby's legs and petting them in what she probably thought was a comforting manner. Ruby hardly noticed this, though, as her head was starting to clear.

"Yang… oh god no… please, no!" She couldn't bear it, but the thoughts wouldn't stop. They just kept beating on her brain relentlessly. She could hear somewhere for off in the distance Blake, Weiss, and Penny trying to comfort her, but they were drown out almost completely by the chorus of voices putting a huge pressure on her mind. Tears leaked from her eyes, her body started to spasm again, and she curled up, feeling the needle in her hand pull on her again. Angrily, she attacked the thing, yanking the tube and feeling the tape that had kept it stationary peel off of her skin and the needle slide out of the small hole that it had created. Blood started to jet out of the wound, but she didn't care. Yang had lost her life, she could stand to lose some blood.

* * *

Naze watched the dejected girl simply sit still as her friends tried to pull her out of the rut that she had fallen into. He couldn't help but feel…something at the scene. Surprise, mainly. He would've thought that she would be able to cope better, given her generally optimistic personality. But, Yang was special to her. He hadn't heard much of the twos' story, but Yang had seemed to play a part in Ruby's life beyond that of just a sibling.

As interesting as it would've been to sit and watch Ruby try and fight off the inevitable mental trauma she was facing, it would not be good for his relations with any present to simply observe. He knew that faking enough empathy to talk Ruby out of her despondency was just a tad out of the range of his interpersonal skills. Instead, he walked over to the bag attached to the needle that Ruby had rather unceremoniously removed. Blake was also eyeing the bag worriedly, and when Naze stepped over to it, she said "Is it something important?"

He peered at the bag. The clear fluid inside continued to drip steadily through the tube, out of the hypodermic needle, and onto the floor with a slow regularity. It was a solution to help rehydrate the girl, as they had been told by the nurse as they had been brought to the room. He supposed that Blake not listening was understandable, considering the circumstances.

He shook his head and said "No, she should be fine without it." She had been on the solution for a few hours anyways, she couldn't be too dehydrated by now. Blake nodded and turned back to Ruby, continuing to speak softly to her. Naze looked at the girl again. If he had to think of a adjective to match what he saw, it would be "broken". If Ruby let this crushing depression get the better of her, she could lose herself in it.

He considered his options. There were plenty of things that needed doing, but was Ruby one of them? He would've thought that Ruby would be able to recover quickly from the trauma of losing her sister, but if he had to make an assessment based on what he was seeing now, he would rethink that standpoint. The possibility existed that when Yang returned Ruby would bounce back, but there was also a good probability that this would only confuse her more, sending whatever adjustments she had made into a downward spiral.

Patience, he reminded himself, Patience was important. She had been dealing with the death of her sister with a clear head for the sum total of a few hours. If she failed to show any improvement than he would step in and lend some assistance towards her recuperation. Not from any sense of sympathy or guilt, of course, but because Ruby was important to Yang. If Yang lost one of the major reasons that she agreed to return, than there was a good chance Naze would lose his ambassador, and be forced to find another. He didn't want to go through that trouble, so the easiest thing to do would be to keeps Ruby sane and, by extension, keep Yang willing to help him.

At least, that's what he told himself. The feeling that he had gotten earlier when allowing Yang to die hadn't quite faded yet.

He looked over Ruby again. She had pulled her knees up to her chest, pressing her face into her knees and hiding it with her arms. Penny, Blake, and Weiss were all still trying to calm her. He solidly determined that there was nothing he could do in the situation before withdrawing his focus from the puppet and casting it towards the only team of people he had out at the moment.

Hale and his two guards, along with their undead pack animals, were just exiting the city's borders and reentering the wilds that had laid claim over the rest of the world. Communicating with him was somewhat difficult because of the distance between them, but Naze only had to give the message more attention to make it better heard.

"Hale" as soon as the thought floated through Hale's mind, he stopped, and motioned for the others to do the same. Looking up towards the sky for a reason that Naze had never been too sure of, the black-market merchant said "What is it, Boss?"

Naze's reply was near instant, acting at the speed of his thoughts. "Do you have to dust?" Hale laughed, throwing his gaze to the pack animals. "Boss, you've got enough dust to blow the city sky high, from what I've been told." Naze responded quickly again, saying "Good. Send one of your guards with the caravan and have them come back. You aren't finished in Vale."

Hale pointed to one of the guards and motioned for him to continue on the path. The animals followed. After this was done he looked back to the sky and asked "What else is there?" Naze considered his phrasing for a moment before returning "I'm sure you've seen that the media is quite expansive. If we want this ambassador thing to work, people need to know who the girl was, and what she stood for. I'll assume you still have plenty of bargaining items, you always do; I need you to go around and bribe, blackmail, whatever you have to do to get coverage on the girl. Yang Xiao Long is her name, she went through Signal Academy before going to Beacon. I want every news channel running stories about what a hero she was. Got that?"

A smile crept across Hale's face behind the heavy purple bandana that covered its lower half, and he said "You got it, Boss. Shouldn't be too much trouble at all. I'll get right on it." He straightened his hood before turning back towards the city, walking back on to its smooth paved streets. Naze replied curtly "Good" before turning his attention back to the puppet body.

It jerked back to animation and looked around. Ruby had her legs over the side of the bed, face buried in her hands and body shuttering as sobs continued to rock it back and forth. She wasn't the only one crying, however. Blake also had tears starting to leak from her face, and Weiss looked like she wasn't far behind. Penny looked almost as mortified, making Naze raise an eyebrow. Just how much feeling did she have? He brushed the question off as unimportant.

He tapped Blake on the shoulder, as she was the closest to him, and asked in a hushed voice "I feel rather out of place here. Should I perhaps leave and find you guys when things start to look up?" Blake looked back at him, and for a little more than a second there was anger in her eyes. That faded quickly, though, and nodded. Her voice was choked as she said "Y-yes. I think that would b-be good."

Naze bowed his head respectfully before making towards the door. He turned the handle and opened the door, stepping through the threshold. With one final look over his shoulder, he saw Penny tying a bandage tightly over the bleeding wound in Ruby's hand. Ruby herself was watching the process with a tired expression, still crying. The normally optimistic spark to her eyes had gone out. Naze turned and left, trying to think of what else he could do to prepare for the return of Yang. There had to be more. He couldn't just sit idle until it happened.

Naze walked back to the dorm, and to his room. The door clicked shut behind him, and he seated the puppet on the side of the bed before withdrawing from it completely. His mind free of having to control the second body, he bared down completely on the huge numbers of shades that had started to spread across the planet. Numerous sights became his, most of which he was sure were classified somehow; great armies of mechanical soldiers, white fang secret underground bases, but none captured his attention as much as one thing in particular, one sight that a shade was watching.

His brow furrowed and his fists clenched. He was careful to avoid putting too much focus into the shade so that his prey would not notice it. He knew that his luck had just been a little too good. Of course the Paladins couldn't be completely gone.

He clutched the orb of control tightly and gazed down at it, taking in every detail he could. The gaze of the shade was obfuscated by the immense amount of holy energy coming off of the individual, but if Naze was careful to avoid making his presence known, he could observe the individual himself without hindrance.

* * *

Solace Lah walked through the streets of Vacuo, looking for anything that he might be able to help anyone with. He looked around at the many signs hanging on the shops, talking a moment to read each one. He wished that he was able to read better than he could, but for only being exposed to the language for around two years, he had made some very good progress. He had also made very fast progress with the spoken language, having become fluent very quickly.

And he owed it all to one girl. Reisha had been the absolute love of his past two years. She had been the one who taught him to read and to write, as well as to speak. Whether she had done this because she was a generous person, or because he had saved her life, he didn't know, but he hardly cared. All that mattered now was that they were in love. His hand laid on the pocket at his breast, and over the top of the last letter he had received from her about a week ago. It was similar to all the others that he received from her, telling about the things that had been happening at the village; how people were doing, what she was spending her days doing, how much she missed him, everything about her life.

And in return, he told her everything about his. All of his adventures, all of experiences, he wrote to her about it all. Every act of heroism, every sermon he gave, every inspiring message he could think of. He poured his soul out to her, and she did the same to him. She was the only one who knew his secret. The secret that he both kept clutched close to his heart, and shared with any who would listen.

He was a Paladin, and one of incredible age. He had been put into a sleep by his masters so that he might be awoken when he was needed to fight against the undead menace. But this never happened, and he had awoken at a far different time, when the enchantments that had kept him timeless and asleep in his coffin had given out. He recalled waking up from this deep sleep well, it had left him with an immense aversion to enclosed places. He recalled coming to, dazed. He remembered the oppressive darkness, crushing to his very soul. He remembered shouting out for assistance, sure that there had been some mistake.

But no one had answered.

He had known then that something was wrong. He had been placed in the inner sanctum of the monastery, and that was never empty. Always, there was someone praying quietly to themselves, blessing their equipment, or reading their catechisms. He should've been awakened, that he might rejoin the fight against the undead. But he wasn't.

He remembered the pounding of his heart in his ears as the air in the coffin started to thin and fade. He remembered the dizzy feeling of suffocating. And then he remembered something else. Something that made his chest swell with purpose. He had called upon the holy light deep within his chest, and it had answered. He found his body and senses restored, and his spirit bolstered. Every minute increment of hopelessness and doubt that had accumulated as he had slowly come to accept his fate had been burned away in the presence of so incandescent and warm a power.

His blood had boiled with energy, and he started to beat on the top of his coffin. His voice raised to throat-tearing volume, and he fought. Fought against the darkness, against the fear, and against the coffin. The ornate marble lid shattered under the immense force of his blows, and a heavy layer of dirt and grime had rushed in to take his place. The light inside of him had never faltered, however, and he had continued to fight, clawing his way up and out of the coffin. It felt like hours, but he had eventually breached the surface, gasping for air and dragging himself out of what now seemed much like a grave.

He had stood, looked around, and started brushing off his ornate golden and white armor. As he had done so, he had looked back to the hole he had dragged himself from, and started to laugh. In spite of all the questions that he had, and all the worry about what had happened to his Battle Brothers, he laughed. The irony was so think he probably could've given himself a concussion with it. He had spent most of his life fighting the undead, and here he was, crawling out of a grave in what he was sure had been a perfect imitation.

He had laughed like that for hours, simply unable to handle the situation. He smiled even now, just thinking about it. Someone bumped against his shoulder, snapping him out of his reminisce. She shook his head and apologized before continuing his walk.

He felt the light in his chest, even now. It was in everyone else around him, too, but was dimmed. Untapped potential. It made him sad to think that in whatever span of time had passed that he spent under the ground, his order and everything he believed in had faded so thoroughly. There were remnants, of course, but they were mysteries to everyone who used them. No one knew where the knowledge and power they called "aura" came from, or how to use it to its maximum potential. They had made progress in advancing it, however, with the discovery of the "semblance".

His Order had never discovered this, and he had jumped at the opportunity to learn it. His dearest Reisha had taught him, and now he traveled. She had begged him to stay, almost everyone at the village had, but he simply couldn't. It was not his way, staying in one place. He had to travel the world, helping any who needed it, and crushing the wicked beneath his heel. He also felt the need to spread the Holy word, and to perhaps train people in ways long forgotten.

It was just as Solace started to cross the street, making his way to a restaurant that he felt a prickling sensation stab at his mind. He knew this sensation to be his aura warning him of some kind of stalking danger, and he looked inward to find the light to which he had devoted his life. A bright, luminous shield engulfed him as he spun in his heel to face whatever the enemy was. He had neither his weapon nor his armor with him, but he would be damned if he was going to back down.

What he found as he turned was something that made his stomach turn in surprise and disgust. It was a human form, with identifiable torso, arms, and head, but seemed to be made entirely of wispy smoke. Two bright, penetrating eyes peered back at him, absorbing every detail with greedy hunger. There was no one behind the creature, so Solace lunged out at the thing, huge fists clutched tightly into fists, intent on banishing whatever foul intent the twisted creature before him had.

As his fist drew closer, the solid light radiating off of his form intruded into the thing's ethereal darkness, and it gave out a loud, high pitched whine of pain. The area around Solace's fist almost seemed to be burned away by the Holy power he exuded.

His fist passed through the thing completely, and he went to strike it a second time when its remaining form balled into what seemed almost to be solid shadow, and soared faster than the eye could follow into the sky. Solace looked above him, and just as his eyes found the thing again, it soared off in a different direction. To the East. He thought of what lay to the east. There were numerous villages between Vacuo and Vale, with an even larger number of individual settlers. That… thing could be heading to any one of them. Once it reached them there was no telling what it could do. There was no chance that he would be able to catch it, though. Only to follow behind, and to hopefully find and destroy it before it caused too much damage.

Strange looks from the people passing on the sidewalks reminded Solace that he was not alone, and he quickly started walking again, setting his course now back to the inn he had been staying at. He would need his armor and his weapon if he were to hunt the creature.

He found himself deeply disturbed by the thing's appearance. It had been undead, a spirit risen from the grave. An unholy abomination. Solace felt his chest swell with purpose, but also a deep dread. In the two years he had spent in this new world, he had never as much as caught wind of any undead. The people weren't even familiar with the concept. This was a good sign, meaning that undead weren't a problem. But now… now he had seen one, and when there was one there was invariably more. He could only hope that he wasn't too late, and that whatever foul power that had brought that poor soul back from its sleep had not yet grown too powerful.

When at last he reached the building he had been staying, christened "The Foamy Cup" by a hanging sign outside, he opened the door and entered, having to duck slightly to get through the doorway. When he did so, the man behind the bar waved happily and said "Hey, Solace! What's with the grim face?" Solace debated briefly with himself about whether or not he should answer, or if it would be a better use of his time to simply continue on his way. Every second could count.

In the end, his courtesy won out over his urgency, and he said "Hello, Brower. I'm sorry, but I don't have time to talk. I have urgent business." With that, he continued to his room. His armor fit over his enormous muscles like a glove, and he brought his hammer, Judgment, off of its resting place on the bed. The weapon was enormous, even by the standards of weapons he had seen since waking up. It made since, because he had acquired it after the event. When he had clawed his way out of the dark sarcophagus he had not taken his original weapon with him. No matter how many times he went back in an effort to find the buried thing, he was never able to locate it. Reisha had seen what a devastating loss this was to him, and had had her father, Griswold. He was the blacksmith for the village, and had been practically hunting for a way to repay Solace for curing his daughter of a ravenous cancer that had left her body dilapidated. It was in the time after this that the sweet girl had taught him to read, write, and speak.

The hammer itself was made, for the most part, of a solid silver metal, and stood roughly six feet tall from head to handle, making it reach only just to his shoulders with his armor on. Without the armor, the weapon was around six or seven inches shorter than him. The majority of this was taken up by the handle, but the head made up at least a good foot and a half. The entire thing had been blessed by him numerous times, making its mere touch something for the dead to avoid. His knowledge of runes was limited, but he did know a few. One of them, holy in origin and being created long before he had even been born, was etched on the handle just below the head, and made the entire thing nearly weightless, but only to its wielder. Solace was capable of wielding the war hammer without it, but its inclusion gave Solace the endurance to battle for as long as it took to defeat his enemies.

He peered into the mirror briefly before leaving. The tips of his brown hair brushed against the pearly white plate armor. Not a single chink existed in the armor, and it was capable of protecting him from even being hit by a train. In conjunction with the shield that his holy connection granted him, this allowed him to endure inhuman amounts of damage. And he needed to, considering the opponents that he often found himself coming up against.

He lifted Judgment off of the ground and brought it back down onto the floor with a loud thump while holding a small button at the top of the grip about halfway up the handle. The front portion of the head opened and folded back on itself, revealing a round protrusion and several large vials of dust. The contraption had appeared alien to him at first, but he had quickly learned that the protrusion was, in essence, a cannon, with its ammunition being the vials of dust. It was not a very economic weapon, consuming an entire vial with every shot, but when he used it he made sure that it was worth it. The vials of dust, eight in all, were all filled with an electric blue variant of dust. He would've been skeptical at the strange design if he hadn't seen the unwavering strength of the hammer, and the torrent of raw elemental power that could be unleashed by the cannon first hand.

He put the hard metal helmet on his head, and watched as every personal detail disappeared. Now all that could be seen of the man behind the white and gold armor was his dark brown eyes through the horizontal slit in the helmet's front. The golden seal of the Order of the Holy light stood stark against the silver breastplate. He had been asked about it several times, but each time he had given the same token response. "It's an old family crest." This was accepted by everybody, and he found out soon after using this excuse that most families did have such symbols.

He continued to the door, now having to step carefully through the frame rather than simply stoop slightly. He was careful to make sure that his hammer didn't hit the doorways and cause any structural damage. He had had problems with similar events even before he had awoken from his long sleep.

He walked out the door to the building without saying a word to Brower. The man knew that something was amiss with the Paladin, in spite of the fact that he had only known him for three days and spoke infrequently. He didn't drink, so opportunities to talk were quite limited. Solace emerged back out onto the bright street, now fully clad and armed. He started to walk in the direction that the corrupted spirit had gone, his heels carrying him quickly.

* * *

Naze hissed through his boney teeth, being extraordinarily careful not to crush the orb of control in his skeletal hands. Of course he couldn't have just been free of the Paladins. The mortal enemy to everything that he and his people were couldn't simply vanish in time along with the rest of his problems. Even the demons had simply disappeared, leaving not a scrap of knowledge in their wake. But of course, the Paladins had to cling stubbornly to existence.

Naze immediately commanded all shades he had to begin searching for sources of holy power. If there were more Paladins, he wanted to know. This could destroy everything that he had worked for. If that man were to find a way to any political standing, it could be disastrous. If he were to speak out against Naze, as he undoubtedly would, people would likely listen. And even worse, people would believe. Who knew what examples he would bring to attempt to "prove" that Naze was evil? He had done some atrocious things, but certainly none within this man's recollection.

He started to summon up other thoughts. He turned his attention not to the orb, or even any of his existing servants, but rather towards the void that all souls faded to eventually. He used his immense power to tear a hole in the space in front of him.

The air shuddered and cracked as a power that was very much on the fringes of what was normal, or even possible, and with an unearthly wail, the very empty existence in front of his was shunted aside in place of a hole into the void. Countless sleeping faces looked back at Naze, one for every being that had ever lived and died through the course of history that was lucky enough to have their spirits remain peacefully in the void of the dead.

He wasn't looking for faces, though. He was looking for spirits that had been lost; ones that had been dead so long that they remembered nothing about who they had ever been. Finding two such souls, he drew them from the infinite blue, and let the summoning portal close behind them, ruminating on how many weeks of preparation such a feat would have taken him even as his undeath had begun. He had certainly grown since his death so many countless eons ago. The irony was not lost on him.

The portal snapped shut once its support from Naze was removed, and he examined his two new thralls with a highly critical eye. Both had faded beyond recognition, not even a shingle shed of their minds left. They were totally blank slates. Being as such, they were also the only kinds of souls that Naze twisted entirely to his whims anymore. If he had to make a comparison between changing a stronger one and using a faded soul, he would've likened it to erasing someone else's writing on a chalkboard and replacing it with his own work versus simply acquiring a new chalkboard. More trouble in the short term, perhaps, but leaving with a far greater diversity in content.

He took the two spirits and awakened them from their deep slumber. Both peered back at him with narrow, slit-like eyes as a thin mist seemed to fall from their intangible surface, not a single thought going through their heads. Naze knew they would be weak. They always were. It was what he looked for. Less natural power meant more for him to give.

He put a hand out towards them, and the necromantic energies that he had spent so long growing a mastery over flowed freely towards the two, empowering them. Their forms changed from mostly mist and without any real structure or definition, to altogether more strange things. They sprouted numerous limbs with small, finger-like manipulators at each end that worked ceaselessly, and whatever projections of legs that had been shrouded by the mist was removed as they started to allocate their forms differently. Their necks turned to flexible appendages on which their heads sat, and their eyes turned from small dark slits to wild and burning things that darted around suspiciously, like they were waiting for the chance to do something.

Naze looked at the two poltergeists, satisfied with the results. They were not the most powerful ghostly minions he had ever created, but they needed not to be. If they were too powerful, they would be visible to everyone. These would likely already be seen by anyone with a trained aura.

He stopped the flow of energy just as they linked the two creatures into the same gestalt consciousness that all of his servants shared with him, in spite of how little attention he normally gave it. He had plenty of thoughts of his own he had to wrest with without adding the collective murmurs of thousands of others.

As soon as the energy stopped, the two poltergeists folded their multitude of new limbs into themselves and held themselves stock still, awaiting a command from their new master. He provided one swiftly, that being to follow the Paladin and prevent him from finding out about the entire city of undead hiding. If he did find out, Naze would probably have to take action against him. Another idea popped into his head.

With so much talk and thought of peace, he was forced to consider the possibility of peace with the Paladins as well. They had always been aggressive towards him in spite of the many offers of peace and attempts to convince them that he was not the cause of the numerous undead that had spurred their creation. They never listened, though. He was, as they reminded him at every opportunity "an unholy monstrosity". His patience had finally worn, and he withdrew from diplomacy altogether. A few armies had been sent after that, but they had been crushed easily. Combat in the Black Morass was tailored for his people to win. The knotted trees and murky water made ambushes easy.

The poltergeists chittered excitedly and soared away, unable to keep themselves from following the single purpose they had been given. They exited the door and started to weave their way quickly to the surface through the twisting halls and tunnels like wisps on the wind. Naze watched them go, thinking his dark thoughts.

If the Paladin found out about him before everyone else, it would be bad. Unfortunately, there would be no way to keep the information from him once Yang's revival went public. He would inevitably speak out then about the evil that Naze represented. He could use this to his benefit, though. If he allowed the man to speak out against him and spread his lies, than made an offer to settle their differences amicably, it would make him appear a raving lunatic. In addition to this, there was a chance that the man would see reason, and lay the old rivalry to rest. Naze very much doubted this though.

He shook his head and looked back to the orb of control in his hand. There were other, much more important matters than one little Paladin. He had yet to find any evidence of others, and he doubted that they existed. He would have heard of them by now, through one channel or another.

* * *

Yang shimmered, her misty form shimmering and threatening to fade. Again, she felt an almost irresistible pull towards the hole deep in her chest. She groaned as she tried desperately to keep her mind from slipping into the dark feeling that felt just a little too much like a deep comfortable sleep. The idea did sound good…

No, she couldn't. He had to stick around. If not for her own sake, than for Ruby's. She wondered how the little kid was doing. She had told her not to beat herself up over what had happened, but she knew exactly what she would be doing if she were in her sister's place.

A new, very strong motivator now in her mind, she pulled herself out of the pull of the void. She didn't want to sleep. Not yet. The area around her came back into focus, and she found Azrile standing a few feet from her, glowing eye sockets peering quizzically at her. It might've just been her imagination, but she could swear that there was a facial expression on the bleached bone. His jaw opened, and he said "You know, you may be trying too hard. That would certainly explain the energy deficiency."

He had been trying to show her how to cast a spell for the last several hours. After a while of inquiring about what she wanted to learn, she had blurted out something about a fireball, and he had latched onto that idea. He had explained countless times the thoughts that she had to hold in her mind, "Something that arouses strong emotion. Anger. Get angry, picture the flame in your mind, and let your power ignite!"

She got the feeling that he was skipping a few steps in the process. He had talked about "studying" magic before, and what she was doing now was a far cry from anything that she would call studying. She could infer that "studying" probably had something to do with the massive shelves that held more books than had probably ever been printed in the history she had learned in school.

She tilted her head questioningly and asked "How would trying to hard make me not have enough power? That doesn't make any sense." Azrile rolled his glowing sockets and said in response "You really have no knowledge of magic, do you? I'd thought that Lord Naze had been exaggerating. The flow of energy should be tightly regulated to control the size of the spell."

Yang felt inside of her for a brief moment before replying angrily "I haven't got any energy! I thought that's why I was getting mad! If I was still alive, I'm sure I could do this! I just… I can't make enough energy to use." The anger in her voice tapered off. Azrile only clicked his fingers against his chin, thinking. Yang threw her hands up frustrated and started to walk away before Azrile spoke up, saying "Wait. I know what is happening. You were killed via Morgana's poison, correct?" she nodded, and he continued "It reacts with the soul, sapping the excess energy that builds over the life. That would explain why you've almost slipped out several times; the energy you've been trying to use is what keeps you here, awake and conscious. That's all you have right now because the poison drained you of your excess energy."

Yang shook her head "I really don't care about any of this. Can you fix it or not?" Although he had no muscles to possibly smirk, Yang was sure that she saw one work its way across the dry bone. "I know a thing or two about necromancy, giving power to a ghost shouldn't be too hard."

Her fists tightened, and she said "Good, then do it! I hate feeling weak like this." Azrile nodded, saying "Of course." Before taking a few steps back. Yang probably should've felt some trepidation from this, but she didn't. She was already dead, what else could happen to her? Azrile put a hand out towards her, and after a brief pause in which nothing happened, an arc of deep purple and dark green energy was shot out of his hand and struck her in the center of the chest.

She cried out in a combination of surprise and pleasure as her misty form started to thicken. Before she could fully process what was happening, it was over. Her fists worked furiously, her arms jittered, and a manic grin spread across her face. It felt… wonderful. She felt invigorated. Better than she ever had in life, like she could do anything. Experimentally, she reached over to a nearby table and made a swipe at a candlestick in the middle. The stick went flying, clanging against the stone floor and skidding off a long distance away.

She watched it go until it came to a complete stop under another table. She looked at her hands, her smile only growing wider. It felt good to be able to do things like that again. She looked back to Azrile, a mad glint in her eye. "I think I can do it." Azrile's only response was to put a hand out towards the wall that she had been attempting to shoot at earlier. Yang pictured fire in her mind, clear and bright. She felt an immense swell of something inside of her, and pulled her arm back in the well-rehearsed stance she had always used. As her fist came forward, she drew the feeling out, just as she had been told.

As her arm reached its full extension, the feeling seemed to reach its maximum potential, and like firing Ember Celica, a gout of orange flame ignited the air in front of her fist and burst forth, spreading against the wall, tongues of flame licking the dull bricks.

Before the fire had even burned itself out, she turned to Azrile and said "Do you think I could go back to Vale and check something?" Azrile tilted his head questioningly and asked "What is it you plan to do? I would think that you should speak to Lord Naze about it."

Yang replied quickly, eager to go. "We talked about this already. He said that I could go and see my sister as long as I didn't communicate with her or anything." Azrile continued to gaze at her, and she put her hands together, saying "Please, can I go?" Azrile turned away from her and started walking away, saying over his shoulder "Why are you looking for my permission? If Lord Naze said that you could, than go. So long as you don't neglect your other responsibilities there will be no issue."

Yang smiled again before speeding quickly towards the exit. She never realized how much she would miss her sister after leaving on such a sad note. The memory of Ruby's face as she had gone limp in her arms… she hoped that she wasn't taking it too hard.

.

Ruby rocked back and forth, legs folded to her chest, back rhythmically thumping against the tiled wall of the bathroom. She hiccupped occasionally, and each time she did a wave of pain went through the muscles all over her body. Dark bags had formed under her eyes, which were red and extremely bloodshot. She stared at the locked door in front of her, hoping, praying, that she would hear a knock, and that Yang's voice would come though saying that there was a terrible misunderstanding, and that she was really fine.

No such thing happened, though, and she just kept rocking, back and forth, back and forth. Eventually she looked at her scroll and saw that the time was 11:47 PM. She didn't remember what time she had come in here, but it had been shortly after noon. Blake and Weiss had called out to her for a while, trying to get her to come out, but she hadn't responded. She didn't want to come out. She couldn't come out. Out was where Yang's bed would be empty. Out was where her clothes were, where her weapon was, where everyone who would ask Ruby where she was resided. Here she was safe. Here she didn't have to think about that. Here on the cold, dark floor of the bathroom, just next to the sink.

Her mouth and throat were dry and scratchy. She tried to push herself up so that she could reach the faucet, but her arms were too weak to support her. She fell weakly back to the floor, eyes closing as they tried to summon up more tears. She didn't have any, though, and she resigned herself to laying there all night, waiting for Yang to come. If she didn't come...

Ruby wrapped the cape covered in Yang's dried blood around herself and brought her hood over her head. There was nothing that she wouldn't give to see Yang just one more time. She pulled the cape tighter around herself, trying to trick herself into thinking she could feel Yang's arms around her. It didn't work. She slid over into her side, face against the cold white tiles, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Her eyes were still locked on the door when she felt something that almost made her jump. A pair of arms wrapped around her. She gave a concerned pull against the arms, but stopped when she realized that they were warm and comforting. In the dark she couldn't see whether or not there were really arms around her, but she didn't care. She knew what she wanted to believe, and that was good enough for her.

Ruby's eyes drifted closed, and her breathing slowed. She fell into sleep, and relished the release, however temporary, from her grief. She dreamed of her sister.

* * *

(review)


	15. Chapter 15

Author's note:

Things are continuing to move. It feels good to know where you're going with something, doesn't it? Anyways, give me some opinions on how I did with Nora there. It felt kind of weird. And, of course, some feedback on how Ruby and Yang are acting would be greatly appreciated as well. Other than that, just the usual pleas for reviews and follows and whatever. Thanks!

* * *

Ruby awoke from the light sleep that she had been able to fall into, jerking the covers off of her in a sudden fit of motion. She had had the nightmare again. Every night, it was the same thing. Every night she saw the same damn thing. Yang getting caught up in the maw of that massive creature, getting shaken around like a chew toy, and they getting tossed like a ragdoll. She wished that she didn't have to relive that moment. Every time she did she woke up in a cold sweat, usually screaming. She hadn't screamed this time, though. Maybe that was a good sign.

She looked to her side at the empty bed that used to be Yang's. No one had touched any of her stuff yet, Ruby hadn't let them. It just seemed disrespectful. Blake sat on the bed above Yang's empty one, looking over at her from behind a book. Ruby returned her gaze without saying anything. She didn't have anything to say. Blake didn't feel the same way, though, and she asked "Are you doing alright? You were tossing around."

Ruby nodded, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her knuckles. "Yes, I'm fine." Her voice sounded tired. She felt tired. She was tired, even though she had just woken up. It was difficult for her even to slide her legs over the side of the bed and stand. Her knees were weak, and her legs shook under her own weight. She had barely moved on her own in the past five days. Weiss and Blake had brought her food. Otherwise she wouldn't have eaten.

She dragged her feet across the floor, slowly making her way to the bathroom. Blake watched her go, obviously wanting to say something, but held her tongue. Ruby appreciated this. She knew it pained her friend to see her like this. It pained her too, though, and she continued to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She made sure to lock it behind her.

She turned around, flicking the lights on and looking into the mirror. What she found might have startled her a few days earlier. Large dark circles had formed under her eyes, which were still bloodshot. Her skin had faded to an even paler color than it normally was, giving her the appearance of being sickly. Her hair had become bedraggled from lack of care, and stuck up at odd angles with a greasy sheen to it. She made a halfhearted attempt to flatten it before noticing something else.

She held her right arm out and tried to flex. She had never had any great amount of muscular strength, but her state now was nothing short of concerning. Her arms looked like toothpicks. She could see very clearly the bones that gave them structure. Another thought occurred to her, and she lifted the bottom of her pajamas tank top slowly. Her belly curved in from her pelvis, and only arced back up to meet her ribs, all of which were very visible. She let out a sigh and dropped the garment back down. Yang would have some pretty strong words for her if she could see the state she was in. She felt her lips start to tremble at the thought of her sister and tried to push the thoughts out of her mind. She couldn't keep breaking down every time she remembered her.

Instead she tugged at the cloak still around her shoulders, as it had been for the past few days without being removed. The dried blood that had worked its way into the fabric made the thing rigid, and occasionally flaked off, but Ruby had been careful to avoid moving in ways that would cause that. It wasn't difficult, considering how lethargic she had been. Weiss had offered to take it and wash it, but Ruby had been rather radically opposed to the idea.

She had done something she never thought she would do. She had lashed out and hit her friend. It wasn't a hard hit, as she was quick to remind herself. But all the same Weiss's face as she looked back up at Ruby, touching she budding red marks of Ruby's hand on her cheek had only twisted the already salted knife in her heart. She had apologized, but Weiss had only turned and left. Now that she looked back on the incident she was glad that her partner had done that, because in her fit of blubbering she probably would've only made matters worse.

Her self-examination complete, Ruby turned back to the door and unlocked it, walking back into the bright light of the bedroom and making her way back to the bed that had served as the center of her suddenly much smaller world. She hadn't even left the room since being brought back by her friends. There was simply nothing left for her out there.

She clamored back onto the bed and turned her face to the ceiling. Her stomach growled at her angrily, but it was easy to ignore. She had done practically nothing else over the past few days. Her eyes drifted shut, and again, she was watching her sister disappear into the massive jaws of the monstrous Grimm that had ended her life. She tried to move against the thing, but her arms felt like they had lead weights on the ends. All she could do was watch in terror.

Before the scene could advance too far, something jolted her abruptly and sent the world around her dissolving into nothing. Her eyes jolted open again, and she found Weiss looking up at her, holding out a large plastic bag with one hand to her. She could smell the scent of food from the cafeteria. Not the best smell to wake up to, but her body certainly needed it. Weiss looked past the bag at Ruby's face and said "Are you going to take it or not?"

Ruby's eyes flicked from the bag to Weiss's face, and back again. She was trying to muster the strength to deny the edibles, but her aching stomach made a far more convincing argument than she could. Maybe it was some deeply rooted instinct, maybe not, but she was unable to resist the meal. She took the bag quickly, mumbling "Thank you." in a hushed voice. She turned away from them, laying the food out before her. There were three sandwiches, a bottle of water, and two apples. She started by stuffing almost an entire sandwich in her mouth, chewing greedily.

Behind her she heard Weiss say to Blake "Blake, can you come here please? I think we need to talk." Blake slid off her bed and murmured "Sure, let's go." Before both started towards the door. Slowly, Ruby lowered the food away from her face and strained her ears to listen. The door to the room opened, and both girls walked out into the hall, the door closing to just a crack. Ruby could still make out what they were saying, though.

Weiss was the first to speak, saying "Blake, they're getting worse. They're on practically every channel." Blake responded quickly with the same hushed voice "I know. I've even gotten a few on my scroll. How did they find out so fast?" Weiss gave an exasperated sigh and said "I don't know. How did they even find out? The school doesn't just release that information to the public, do they?"

Blake was silent for a moment before saying "I don't think so. I don't know how they found out. Unless her father made some kind of announcement I can't think of anyone who would…" Her voice trailed off as she seemed to come to some kind of a realization. After a short pause she said "You don't think Naze could've done it, do you?"

Weiss gasped and said "I don't see why he would, but he's really the only option, isn't he?" Ruby wondered what they were talking about. She hadn't looked at her scroll in… she didn't really remember the last time she had looked at it. It had buzzed a few times, but she didn't care. She went back to her food, still listening carefully to their conversation.

"Have you seen the most recent ones?" Weiss asked. There was silence, and Ruby assumed that Blake had nodded her head, and Weiss continued "They've even started to interview her father. He doesn't seem to be taking it too well. Remember how you told me what Yang told you once about her father almost shutting down? It seemed to me like he was on the verge of doing that again." Ruby raised an eyebrow to herself. Interviews? They must've been talking about the news.

News people were interviewing her father? And, worse than that, he didn't seem to be taking it well. She didn't remember too well the time that her father had receded into himself when her mother had died, but from what she could recall he had simply…stopped trying. Sort of like how she was now.

Blake's voice came back, and she said "I'm going to talk to Naze about this. If he told anybody, I'll find out. In the meantime, you go in and talk to her. She hasn't said a word to me, but maybe you can get a little more out of her. She isn't doing well. And make sure she's eating." Footsteps came back into the room, and Ruby turned over to find Weiss closing the door softly behind her. Weiss looked up to her and said "Blake is… uh… going to sort a few things out. She'll be back a little later."

Ruby nodded and turned back to her food. They thought that she couldn't hear them. She wasn't about to point out that she could, though. Weiss quietly walked over to the side of the bed before slowly turning and taking a seat on her bottom bunk. There was a pregnant silence, and Ruby could practically hear the girl's mind grasping for straws that could lead to a conversation. She never had been the best conversationalist.

* * *

Nora looked around the alleyway for any sign of illegal activities. She wasn't entirely sure what to look for, but she was sure that she would know it when she saw it. The Huntsman who they were shadowing, Peter Ciar, walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. He spoke, and his gruff voice sounded like gravel under heavy tires. "Have you found anything yet, Ms. Valkyrie?"

She shook her head cheerily, smiling at the man and saying "Nope!" Peter hissed through his teeth, irritated, but nodded. "Good, good. Glad to hear it. Come, I want to hear what your friends have found." The large man turned and walked back towards the street, his coiled serrated whip hanging at his side. Nora followed after him, skipping slightly as she did so. Something occurred to her that made her tilt her head. "Why is it good that we haven't found these dust dealers? Isn't that a bad thing?"

Peter looked over his shoulder at the short red haired girl, an amused smile on his face. "You're very energetic, aren't you?" Nora was about to respond when he continued talking "Every street that we find lacking signs of these junkies is another street that isn't under those bastard's control." The two reached the street and their eyes went to the large neon sign that they had chosen to designate their rally point, reading "TATTOO" in large burning letters. Peter looked at the watch on his wrist and nodded, saying "They should be here by now."

Nora looked up at the top of the man's bald head. He was about a head and a half taller than her, and probably weighed around three times as much as her. She jostled her back to make sure that Magnhild was still secure on her back. The grenade launcher sat happily on her back, practically waiting for an opportunity to be used. Nora couldn't blame it, either. If she had to sit there, just waiting for a time to either throw grenades at something, hit something really hard, or do both at the same time, she would probably explode. She giggled to herself as she noticed what she had just done. Maybe it was a good thing that she wasn't her beloved war hammer and grenade launcher. She would probably be in a lot of trouble if she was.

As she walked past one of the many alley ways that dotted the sides of the streets of Vale, one in particular seemed to catch her eye. She couldn't say exactly why, but it just seemed to call out to her. She tapped on Peter's shoulder and said "Excuse me, can I go and look down that one?" while pointing. Peter looked in the direction, raising an eyebrow and asking "Why? What's down there?"

Nora looked from Peter to the alleyway, trying to pinpoint the reason. She was prone to sudden inexplicable urges, but this seemed different. This time it seemed different, though. She was certain that she was being called towards this one. Something wanted her to go down there. She doubted that Peter would believe that, though, and she said "I think I felt something happen with my aura."

Peter nodded and said "Than it would be irresponsible not to go. Do you think that you might need my help?" She shook her head. Something about the mysterious feeling made her think that it would be best if she went alone. Peter shrugged and said "Alright, but I'll be nearby. Just shout if you need anything." She nodded enthusiastically and said "If I need you, you'll probably hear some explosions first." Peter laughed to himself before waving a hand in the direction of the alley and saying "Alright, you go check it out."

She was happy to comply, waiting until traffic on the street they were on subsided than crossing with a series of light, bouncy steps. When she reached the other side, she was sure that she felt a pull towards the alley. Not just the feeling that she should go down it, but a real force pulling her feet towards it. She was happy to follow.

When she came about halfway down the alley, her eyes were drawn to a small object laying on the ground near a pile of trash. It was a thick glass bottle, with one of the heaviest stoppers that she had ever seen. The glass looked slightly cracked, like it had fallen from a great height, but the bottle looked like it was still sound. Inside of the bottle that made Nora take a few steps closer out of pure curiosity.

It looked like a black and red blob of…well, a blob of something. It looked like it was squished in the bottle, and portions of it seemed to appear and disappear infrequently. A dull red glow burned in the middle of it, shining through the undulating black outer skin. It looked strangely fleshy, in a way that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. In spite of this, she felt a kind of bizarre familiarity with the thing. She was sure that she had seen it before.

She knelt down next to it, taking a closer look. What was this thing? She reached a hand out towards it, and as her fingertips just started to brush the glass, the mass inside pulsated. Nora felt the urge to lurch back, but stopped herself, wrapping her fingers around the bottle and lifting it up towards her. The thing in the bottle kept pulsing, and Nora put her fingers at the stopper. Surely whatever this was wasn't dangerous, right?

She pulled of the stopper, and it came off with a loud "pop", and immediately the thing inside the bottle started to work its way out. Nora dropped the bottle, memories of shaken sodas being foremost in her mind. It looked like it was solid, not a liquid. If she had to say what it looked like as it wiggled its way out, she would say some kind of worm. She didn't like worms. Were there Grimm worms?

She looked over her shoulder, just about to call for Peter, when a voice attracted her attention. "You…help." She turned back, looking over the alleyway. There weren't many good places to hide, so unless someone was messing with her…

"Nora… help." The hoarse whisper came again, and this time Nora was able to tell more of a direction. She looked down at the thing, now almost entirely out of the bottle. "Can you talk?" She asked it incredulously, kneeling down beside it. No Grimm could talk, she was sure of that. The thing lifted on end up, Nora assumed the head, and nodded, whispering again "Nora… help."

She tilted her head questioningly. "What can I do to help you? I let you out of the bottle, you're free now!" It wiggled its head from side to side, whispering "No, Nora help. Pick up." Nora raised an eyebrow. What was this thing? Could she trust it? She should call for Peter. Or Jaune. Or Ren, Ren knew a lot of things, he could probably tell her what it was.

She blinked, refocusing on the thing at her feet. It looked small, almost helpless. She knew if she left it, it would probably get eaten by a dog or something. She couldn't just leave it. After all, they had talked! They were basically friends now! With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Nora scooped the thing into her arms. It was warmer than she had expected it to be, and weighed almost nothing. The top layers of it seemed to conform to the shape of her hands, almost like the thing was a water balloon. The sudden urge to throw it against the ground arose, but she stopped herself. She couldn't just do that to her friend.

She reached out to the thing with her aura, trying to see if she could tell any more about it. Her aura touched it, and instantly she felt better, like the thing had some effect on her mood. She smiled. Maybe she could use it to help other people feel good. She turned to leave the alleyway and started walking.

Before she could leave, the thing started to squirm in her arms, squealing "No show! No let see!" she stopped, bouncing the thing up and down like a baby and saying in a gentle voice "Hey, hey, calm down. It's alright, I'm here. I'll keep you safe." The thing stopped squirming, but didn't seem any less distressed. It squealed "Hide me!", and Nora felt the warm comforting feeling fade, replaced by a nervous anxiety. What would happen if they saw this thing? What would they think of her, picking up some random thing and just carrying it around with her like that? They would think that she was crazy.

She looked around for something to hide the thing in. A bag, a bin, she even considered putting it in the bottle again. She knew that it had hated the bottle. She would too, if she were that thing. As she looked, she asked it "What are you?" in a curious voice. There was a short moment of silence before the thing responded "Half… half soul. Need help… to live."

Nora cocked her head. A half soul? Did that exist? Her eyes widened as the thing's earlier words started to make sense. "You… you want me to help you live?" The thing nodded its stumpy worm-like head, and Nora felt…touched. It felt very strange, knowing that something like this would put its very existence in her hands.

She replied excitedly "How do I do it? I want to help!" She felt something about it change, as it had given off a sigh of relief. The thing started to wiggle again, like it was trying to worm its way into her chest. She giggled, holding it away from herself and saying "What are you doing?"

The thing continued to attempt to press against her chest, slipping slightly out of her hands and pointing itself directly at the center of her chest. "Need protect and hide." was its only response. Nora tried to process what her new friend meant. It wanted to hide in her shirt? It might be kind of noticeable, but she supposed that if that was what it would take to make her new friend happy, she was willing. But it didn't seem like that was what it wanted. If it wanted to get in her shirt, it could've simply reared up and slid down the collar. No, she got the distinct feeling that it meant inside of her.

Was that safe? She didn't want a gaping hole in her chest from it forcing its way in. That would probably hurt. It was still pointing at her chest, and Nora started to feel weird just standing there holding it. "This won't, like, hurt me, will it?" she asked hopefully. The worm-like friend in her hands shook its head again, saying "No hurt. Feel good."

Nora supposed that she could see that. Just touching the thing with her aura had cheered her up, maybe by helping it she would feel even better. She loved feeling good. It felt great to feel good.

She gave her new friend a smile, and said "How are we going to do this? Tell me what I have to do." And listened attentively to what it said. "Pull me… into soul. Need warmth." Nora nodded, understanding now. It wanted to hide in her aura, where it would get warmth by the energy that it gave off. It was simple, really. Another small detail occurred to her, and she asked "Who put you in that bottle in the first place?"

The small friend wiggled angrily and spat the name like it was an insult. "Naze the Eternal." Nora's eyes widened as she took in this information. She didn't know anyone with the name "Eternal", but she certainly knew someone by the name Naze. How could he do that to this poor creature? All it really wanted was some protection, like a puppy looking for a home.

With that thought, Nora brought it in close, and squeezed it in a tight hug, doing her best to pull it closer to her with her aura. It squealed slightly, but she could tell that it was a good squeal. Her friend started to almost deflate, and Nora was overcome with a joyous feeling. It was like pure ecstasy pounded through her veins. Her eyes closed, her toes curled, and her knees shook, struggling to keep her standing. She couldn't even think straight. It simply felt too good. She knew immediately that she had made the right choice.

Her arms fell back to her sides, and she breathed heavily, practically immobile. The feeling faded slowly, allowing her to move and think freely again. She looked around her for her new friend, but he was gone. Nora started to feel worried for her little puppy-worm-thing, but quickly became aware of a new, alien sensation. It felt like there was something different. There was a second presence within her own, a small little mind that worked all on its own. She had never imagined such a feeling.

Experimentally, she tried thinking at the new addition to herself. "Is that you?" she asked, her own voice echoing around her aura. The new presence seemed to resonate with her thought before responding in a voice that seemed to mimic her own almost perfectly, just a little too deep and sharp. "Yes, still me." A moment of silence passed between the two before Nora asked "So, what am I supposed to call you?" Again, the new presence seemed to resonate with her thoughts before replying in the same eerily similar voice "Call me whatever you want. I am yours."

Nora noted that that statement had been much more fluent than anything it had said before. Was it learning from her how to speak? There was an almost adorable charm to that. She wondered what else she would be able to teach it. And speaking of teaching…

She turned around and made her way back out of the alleyway, looking for Peter. She spied his light blue padded vest near the front of the large tattoo parlor looking around at the crowd that passed by him. She started walking, again thinking at her new partner, trying to tell anything she could about it. It was small and not very powerful, but it certainly had some kind of strength to it. She could only describe it as potential. It slowly and lazily sucked at the power Nora's aura naturally gave off, and she could tell that it was happy.

She reached the parlor after waiting at a traffic light and weaving her way through a small throng of people, coming to Peter's side after ducking out from the stream of people. Peter nodded to her as she came back into his view, and he clapped her on the back, saying "Find anything down there?" in his gravelly voice.

Nora was about to tell her about the wonderful experience she had had, and about the discovery of her new friend, when a wave of nausea hit her like a brick. She clamped her mouth shut and put one hand over her mouth, the other on her stomach. Peter reacted quickly, kneeling down next to her and asking "Are you alright? What's wrong?" in a concerned voice. She barely heard this, though, as her new voice in her head said "Don't tell him. It's a secret."

The nausea faded, and Nora took a few deep breaths, making sure that her stomach was calm. Peter looked at her, waiting for her to tell him how she was. She smiled weakly and said "No, I didn't find anything. I really thought there was something there, though." This seemed sufficient, and Peter straightened back up, resuming his lookout for Nora's teammates. "Are you alright?" he asked, not looking at her. "You looked like you were about to blow chunks there."

Nora nodded, coming up with the best lie she could as fast as she could. "Yeah, there was some pretty gross garbage down there. No drugs though, which is kind of good, I guess." Peter nodded and said "Yeah, people throw out some pretty rank stuff." Something seemed to catch his attention, and he waved over his head, saying first to Nora "Oh, there they are." before cupping his other hand to his mouth and shouting "Jaune, over here!"

Nora tried to look over the crowd, but she was too short to make out anything over the heads of the people. This annoyed her a little bit, but there wasn't anything that she could do about it. Peter called out again, saying "Over here! Come on!"

It was a few moments before the rest of her team returned, but when they did, Jaune was the first to push his way through the crowd, smiling and waving at both Peter and Nora. He was followed quickly by Pyrrha, who looked very neutral. Behind her came Ren, and seeing him made Nora smile. The three newcomers greeted Peter and Nora, and quickly started talking about what they saw. Nora wasn't paying much attention, though, as she was busy looking at Ren.

There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary, but he seemed to look different somehow. It was a very strange feeling, one that she wasn't familiar with. She had never really been attracted to Ren, at least not in a romantic sense, she had always looked at him more like a friend. Now it seemed that something had changed. Now it seemed that he was…quite desirable.

The voice of her new buddy came through her head, saying "You want him, don't you?" She thought about the question for a moment, not wanting to give her friend an incorrect answer. It would be kind of weird, but she really couldn't deny her feelings. "Yes" she replied in her head "I suppose that I do. Why do you ask?" In return she got the sound that she imagined a shrug would make if it were put into a communicable thought, and "I don't know. Perhaps I could help you… make him yours." This made Nora raise an eyebrow. It sounded kind of weird. She shrugged it off and thought "Maybe later." To her new friend. It was good that they wanted to help her, though.

Her attention returned to the scene at hand as Jaune handed Peter a small note. He took it, looked over it for a few brief seconds, than crumpled it up and tossed it to the ground. "Damn, it looks like we've missed out window of opportunity. They caught wind of our little hunt, and have packed up and gone elsewhere." Pyrrha stepped towards him, saying "Aren't we going to go after them? We can't really just pick up and let them get away, can we?"

Peter put a hand up to set Pyrrha at ease. "I certainly won't, but your job is done. They could have fled to any corner of the globe, and I can't drag you around with me in good conscious on what could very well be a wild goose chase. No, you should go back to Beacon. I'll radio in transport for you, and then I must be off. I'll be sure to call Ozpin, too, and explain the situation, just in case there is any confusion."

Jaune looked down at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck and saying "Well, thanks, I guess. It just feels… kind of wrong to leave this halfway through, you know?" Pyrrha and Ren nodded in agreement, and Peter smiled, clapping Jaune on the back. "You keep that feeling, boy. It'll take you far, and leave no loose ends behind you. But as for this matter, let it go. This isn't your mission, and it isn't your time." Jaune nodded again, saying "Yeah, I guess."

Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, and he smiled over his shoulder, showing his appreciation. Pyrrha then looked back to Peter and bowed her head respectfully, saying "Thank you for your time and patience, Mr. Ciar. It was a pleasure for all of us to work with you." Ren spoke up, saying "Yes, it really was insightful." He looked over at Nora, motioning for her to say something, and she thought she almost felt her heart skip a beat. She had never noticed how deep Ren's eyes were.

She blinked the thoughts away and tried to focus on what he wanted her to do. "Oh, yeah! I had a great time!" Peter bowed his head to the group again and said "Well, maybe I'll see you all out in the field someday. Until then, study hard, keep vigilant in your classes." He turned away from them and started walking away. After taking a few steps, he stopped mid stride and looked over his shoulder, saying "Oh! And if you see Professor Port anytime soon, tell him I said "Hi", would you?" Jaune nodded, saying "Will do." In a very sure manner.

Peter nodded and continued walking, disappearing into the crowd as he pulled his scroll out from a pocket. Jaune turned to Pyrrha and Ren, starting to talk as Nora simply stared at Ren. He addressed the group, saying "So, does anyone have anything else they want to do before we go?" No response came other than silent head shaking, and Jaune nodded. "Aright than, I'm going to call Ruby and see how her mission went." Ren nodded, and Pyrrha took a step towards Jaune, saying "Do you mind if I listen in on that? I would like to talk to her too." Jaune shrugged his shoulders and said "Sure, I don't mind." He looked around at the loud street and motioned towards the tattoo parlor, saying "Maybe we should duck in there for a little quiet."

They all agreed that this was a good idea, and the four pushed through the glass doors and slipped inside. The loud roar of voices, footsteps, and car engines was replaced by the slightly less loud sound of music being pumped through large speakers set in the walls. Jaune pulled out his scroll and selected Ruby's face off a small list before putting the device to his ear. Nora let her eyes wander around the room as she waited for Ruby to pick up.

The air coiled with light smoke, and smelled like dust. The floor was made of long dark wooden planks nailed down, and the walls were made of concrete slabs supported by visible girders and beams all along the ceiling. By the door there was a counter, and a large man with a scraggily beard peered at them from behind a pain of sunglasses. He wore a thick leather jacket, but that was all Nora could see of him. Her eyes were drawn to something behind the man by the dim murmur of conversation. Two men were behind the counter, one laying on an almost flat elevated and cushioned seat, and the other one sitting in a plain wooden chair, a small pistol-like device almost pressing against the other man's arm.

Nora wondered if she could get a tattoo. She had the money for it, but she didn't know what she would get. Her family symbol was good, but was just so… bland. If she was going to get something, she wanted it to be more original. She liked hearts, and she was perfectly comfortable having one on her skin forever. She started to walk towards the counter, but Ren caught her arm, saying "Nora, you don't need a tattoo."

Her shoulders slumped and she pouted at him. "It would look really cool though!" Ren shook his head and replied "It might, but you still don't need it." Nora pouted again, defeated. Ren usually was the voice of reason that curbed her impulses. She knew that she had to listen to him.

The voice in her head spoke up again, saying "If you want a tattoo, you should get one. I think you're right, a heart is the way to go." The words bounced around in Nora's head for a few seconds before she responded "I can't. Ren says I don't need it, so I won't get it." The ethereal voice that only Nora could hear scoffed and said "What, do you let him rule everything about your life? Take some initiative. Men like assertive women." This made Nora cock her head. What was that supposed to mean? She thought Ren was attractive, but…

Her thoughts were interrupted by Jaune exclaiming loudly "Man! Three times! You'd think that she would at least text back or something. Maybe Yang will answer, she always has her scroll on her." He scrolled down the list and selected the next face. Nora bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, waiting impatiently for Jaune to finish his call. Her eyes again drifted to the man in the back who was already receiving a tattoo. She strained her eyes, trying to make out what it was. It was large, and made primarily of black and white. There were small splotches of red, too, and Nora struggled to figure out what it was. After a few moments, the voice spoke again, saying simply "It's a Grimm."

With this knowledge, the picture seemed to make much more sense. The red was the eyes, the black was the hide, and the white was the bone plates. "Thanks!" she replied, thankful for her friend's help. Ren looked over at her, an eyebrow raised, and said "Hm? For what?" Nora clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized that she had spoken instead of only thinking. She giggled and shook her head, saying "Nothing, don't worry about it."

Jaune made another frustrated noise, saying "Alright, something's up. Yang defiantly should have picked up." Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder and said "Maybe they aren't back from their mission yet. I think you should wait until we get back to Beacon. Then we'll know if we're interrupting anything."

Jaune shook his head and said "I just… I can't shake this feeling that something happened. I want to make sure. I'll call one more time, alright? Let's see…" he scrolled through the list some more. "Weiss never picks up when I call her anyways, so I guess Blake it is." He tapped the button and waited. The dull tone that indicated the phone was ringing came from the device several times, and then the voice of the Faunus came through, saying "Hello? Jaune? What do you need?"

This response was somewhat more curt than he had anticipated, taking him off-guard. Nora watched him, a smile on her face. Jaune was funny when he tried to talk to girls. "I, uh, was just calling to… is anything wrong? I just tried to call Ruby three times and Yang twice, and neither one picked up. That isn't normal." All four waited to hear Blake's explanation. There was a heavy moment of silence, followed by Blake heaving a heavy sigh and saying "Are you guys on your way back?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at his teammates while saying "Yeah, we just got transport called for us, why?" There was another short moment of silence before Blake said "Look, I'll explain it to you later, but… Yang…" it sounded like her voice was starting to crack. Pyrrha gave Jaune a worried look, and he said "Blake? Come on, we need to know!"

A deep gasp for air came through the scroll, and Blake choked out the words "Yang… Yang got… killed… on our mission. Ruby's really… not…" it sounded like she was on the very edge of bursting into tears. Jaune's face palled, and he looked to Pyrrha with a shocked expression. She made a few motions for him to keep talking, but the scroll simply sat in between his limp fingers. Pyrrha acted quickly, grabbing the device out of his hands and speaking into it with a commanding voice. "Blake, Pyrrha here, listen; we're going to be there soon. Just… keep it together until we get there. We can talk this out, alright?"

When Blake's voice came back, it was shaky and weak. "Alright. Just hurry." Pyrrha said in as comforting a voice as she could "We will." before hanging up and handing the scroll back to Jaune. No one said a word. Even Nora was speechless, her bubbly attitude finally coming up against something that could crush it.

The voice in the back of her head spoke again, and it provided the only shelter from the harsh feelings she had that she could find. "Don't worry. You're alright. And you've got me now. I can help you through this."

* * *

Solace plodded down the path, his massive boots making sizeable impressions in the dirt as he went, and Judgment sitting on his shoulder, one hand on the handle to keep it steadily in place. The other hand held the thick leather-bound tome that held nearly all the sacred litanies and catechisms of his people. Such an artifact was invaluable to him, but was likely that it was worthless to anyone else. He had never even shown it to anyone else, other than Reisha, of course. He had no secrets from her.

He read his psalms aloud as he walked down the street, his voice echoing off of the sides of the buildings in the large village he was in. A small gathering of people was starting to trail behind him, drawn to the smooth and flowing lines of prayer in a language none of them knew. Solace was glad that they appreciated it, but it was a shame that he could not tell any of them about their true origin. He wished that he could tell them the stories of all the heroes that had bourn the same crest as he did, the Hammer of the Holy Light.

As he walked, a few flashes of bright light from a small television in a store window caught his eye. It was the opening animation to a news broadcast. He didn't watch much television. He was usually doing things other than that, helping people in some way. He didn't have time to lounge around and do nothing. Not until everyone was safe.

The face of a prominent news broadcaster erupted with a flash of color, and the woman's voice came out, saying "Tragedy at Beacon Academy this week, Ya-" before the television started to lose the signal and the image flickered. He knew what was happening. He could see the dark powers working over the device clearly. Unholy energy worked in the air around the thing, the poltergeist starting its work. Solace didn't know why, but they seemed only to be destroying electronics, and only those near him. He couldn't see the beast, but he knew that it was there, along with a second one. He could feel them.

He wracked his brain for anything that they might hope to accomplish by doing something so trivial. It could be that they only wanted to annoy him, but they had to serve a more powerful master, and that person or persons had to have a motive for sending their foul lackeys after him in such a manner. There was something that they didn't want him to know, but what?

He stopped his prayers and turned to the people following behind him, pointing to the now malfunctioning television and asking through his helmet "Do any among you know what that report was about?"

They seemed startled that he had stopped his until now unbroken string of preaching, but one, a man of slight build, stepped forward and said "I-it was about a girl who died training to become a Huntress. Yang Xiao Long, I think her name was. Studying up at Beacon." Solace nodded and turned, continuing his walk in silence now, thinking. If someone did still possess the secrets of necromancy, than a deceased Huntress-in-training would be a prime target for reanimation. It would be extraordinarily bad if someone like that would be able to gain access to more people, possibly even dead fully-fledged Hunters.

His pace quickened and he changed his course. It was all clear now, why had he not seen it before? The two poltergeists were only serving as a distraction, nothing more. When he found whoever was pulling the strings on this insidious plan, he would give them what they deserved. He would give them what all necromancers deserved.

To Beacon he walked.

* * *

Naze let out a deep rumbling sound that had replaced a sigh over the thousands of years. Things were certainly not dull. The orb of control floated a few inches over his palm, displaying the sight of all his minions.

Ruby was making a recovery, if a little slow. All things considered though, she was doing better than he had anticipated. Perhaps his intervention into her mental health wouldn't be necessary after all. It would be one less thing to do, at least. Yang's return would likely bring her almost back to full strength, perhaps with a few more mental scars than she had before, but such was the way of things.

Then there was the matter of Nora. What would he do about Nora? Sure, demons could influence the minds of mortals with even the slightest word, but she had practically served herself on a silver platter to the thing. It was almost like she wanted to become possessed. He shook his head, making a mental note to tell Ozpin about the matter. It would be interesting to see the man's reaction to the situation.

There was also the matter of the Paladin. One of his shades had traced a letter from the man to a small village nearby Vacuo, where apparently he had something of a sweetheart. The girl was the daughter of a blacksmith, and had been saved by the man through use of his holy power to cure a disease. The whole thing sounded rather drab to him, but given the man's position, it was best to keep a tight eye on all his affairs.

The best news was that Taiyang, Yang's father, was planning her funeral. It was what he was waiting for. With the help of a few shades, he had been able to speed the process along, providing a date and time. It was to be held at Beacon, three days from now, late in the evening. He was still working out the smaller details, like decoration and guests, but Naze couldn't care less about such minor things. As long as the press was there, it was to plan.

A voice behind Naze echoed through his chamber, and he knew that Yang wanted something "Excuse me, Naze? Can we talk about something?" He let the orb fall back to his palm, closing his fingers around it and turning to face the ghost. She had faded slightly since Azrile had provided her power, but still had a considerable amount of energy. He knew where she had been lately. She had been watching her sister, trying to provide her any comfort that she could from the realm of the dead. Unfortunately for her, this was a very limited amount.

Naze nodded and said "Yes, we both have the time." Yang nodded, but the anxious look on her face didn't fade. "Look, I know that you've got some kind of a "grand plan" here, but I really need to get back to Ruby. She's starting to get really bad, and I think if I don't talk to her things are going to get a lot worse."

Naze stayed silent for a moment, letting her anxiously wait for his response. The more time she had to think, the better. After she had sufficiently stewed, he turned to her and said "Yang, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I know that you have your sister at the center of your heart, but my answer is no."

Silence pervaded, and Yang only stared at him. He stared back, waiting for the outburst that would inevitably come. Yang's fists clenched tighter and tighter, and her form became more and more corporeal as her rage grew. Finally, the tension snapped, and Yang cried out "How can you do this? Just sit in the shadows and wait for everything to line up to how you want it? That's not how life works! You have to get out there and deal with it! Are you really just going to sit by and do nothing as my sister goes insane?"

Naze responded with the cold, hard logic that he always used. "I'm sure I need not tell you that I am not, in fact, alive. Thus, this is how it works. I have a virtual eternity ahead of me, and I can wait as long as I wish. I am the one in control of this situation." He could feel Yang preparing to lash out at him, but did nothing to stop it. "If you want to help your sister, you will follow my plan. If you don't want to follow my plan, than I would be happy to let you go."

Yang broke. All the frustration that had built up watching her sister deteriorate over the past few days had simply been too much to bear. She had to let out her frustration. She sped towards him, one fist cocked back, flame spitting off of it angrily. The rage on her face told a clear picture of what she wanted to happen next, and Naze was almost inclined to let it happen. He rose no defense against the attack, only watching her come with cold, unwavering eyes.

She stopped just in front of him and hurled the strongest punch she had ever managed. Her fist screamed towards him, and she poured as much energy into it as she could. The flame that had been steadily streaming from her hand turned more into a geyser, flames licking the edges of Naze's robes.

He waited until the last second before raising a hand, straight up and palm towards her. A spell pulsed out, rushing out both engulfing Yang and passing through her. The fire died, and her energy sapped. Her fist didn't even impact Naze's hand, passing straight through without resistance. She fell to her knees, and suddenly the yawning hole of sleep seemed much bigger.

She was just able to hear Naze say "This is where you would be without my intervention. If you wish, I could release you from my plan, and you could stay like this. Alternatively, you could be returned to the state you were in moments before, and eventually receive more power once you are returned to your body. The choice is yours."

Yang looked up at him, her form barely distinguishable from the ethereal mist that surrounded her. "Please…I'll… I'll do it." Naze nodded, satisfied with this. He made a small gesture towards her, and a stream of necromantic energy rushed towards her. Her shoulders relaxed as relief washed over her, and she stopped having to resist slipping into the void. She stood, not even remembering falling. "I… I, uh…"

Naze interrupted her, saying "Your funeral is in three days. That is when you will be resurrected. In the meantime make whatever preparations you feel necessary. Do not give me any further issues, and we will be fine."

She nodded, knowing that she was probably getting off lucky.

Naze turned back to his orb, making sure that his plan would come together. Yang might be hurt, but she would get over it. He would've liked to be slightly more merciful, but he had a plan, and he was unwilling to take any risks that could upset the careful preparations he had made. After it was all over, he would loosen up. But that was three days away. There were still many things to do.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Thing:

Holy Jesus this is over 10,000 words. I feel pretty good. So stuff happens in this one. Tell what you think, please, I need it. like crack.

If you know some people, why not share it a little? I would appreciate that.

Thanks!

* * *

Ozpin looked out from his office window over the sprawl that was Vale. He felt strange. For a very long time, he had believed that he lived in a great time, when great advances against humanity's age-old enemy, the Grimm, had been made, and when science was making huge leaps and bounds forward. Even the amount of discrimination against nonhuman members of society was going down, something that signaled the dawning of a new age as the Faunus attained the equal rights that they deserved, and started to contribute all they could to the gestalt pool that was humanities worth and achievements.

And now he was forced to confront the possibility that this was not the case. For a very long time, he thought that he trained some of the most powerful warriors that the world had ever seen. For the first time he was faced with the idea that there could not only be more powerful warriors than the ones that he produced, but that they may still exist, and even be able to fight.

He didn't want to face the possibility, but he would be a fool to deny it. If what Naze had said was true, than it was likely that the entirety of what he knew, the civilization of Remnant, was nothing special. He shook his head defiantly to himself. He wouldn't let that discourage him. He would let it drive him. He would strive to make his people remarkable. He would drive his people to be remarkable in the annals of history as best he could, and try and build a legacy. Whoever had come before them had certainly been forgotten, but perhaps they could be remembered, if Naze would allow them to be. He could only hope that whoever came in the future would look back upon him and his people and see a brighter pyre of hope than their ancestors had left for them.

It wouldn't be an easy path, but at least he knew now what he wanted to do. And that was as much as he could for those who would come next. He had the distinct feeling that things were about to make a pitching change, and that he would have a rather large role to play in how things would go. Trying to ensure the futures safety and benefit by building up the present seemed the most logical thing to do.

He took a long drink from the coffee mug in his hand as he looked out over Vale. Things had come far in his lifetime, but there was surely plenty of room for improvement. If Naze was the one to bring it, than he would be happy to take it.

* * *

Weiss and Blake both looked at each other nervously, not sure as to how well Ruby would take to being outside again after so long of being cooped up inside for so long. She was barely recognizable from the Ruby that they had both gotten to know and grown somewhat fond of over time. That Ruby was an optimistic Ruby, one that tried to bring out the good, no matter the scenario. The Ruby that stood between them was not that Ruby. Her hair was oily and messy, having grown bedraggled and uncared for. Her skin was now almost as pale as Weiss's, and with an almost sickly undertone of yellow. Her eyes were bloodshot, and darted around in uneven, random patterns instead of taking in her environment as a whole. Her body shook constantly, and for what reason the two girls didn't know. It was a warm day, she had eaten well in comparison to how she had been, and she had assured the two that she had even been feeling better.

The Ruby Rose that the both of them had known seemed to have been changed completely, and they couldn't say whether or not they had escaped these changes either. Both had felt more tired than they could remember feeling in recent days, and both had found it extremely hard to concentrate. They supposed this was to be expected, though. The least they could do was to try and make things a little better. They had convinced Ruby to come out and look at the place Yang's funeral would be held.

Ruby would likely become a little sadder at this, but they thought that the fresh air would do the poor girl some good. They had both already been, even helping put up some of the decorations, and they would say that the room was nothing short of beautiful. All they could do was hope that it would suit Yang.

Ruby still wore the cloak and hood that she had consistently since coming back from that mission. It was stained with Yang's blood, which had dried quite a bit since being spilt, now making the cloak look like it had disgusting black scabs on it. Nevertheless, they knew better than to try and take it. To Ruby, it was invaluable. Blake and Weiss had disagreed on many things, but what they had to do with Ruby was not one of them. They had to help her in any way they could. They owed it to her.

As they walked, Blake and Weiss made sure to stay close to Ruby's sides, almost touching her. She got more nervous and distressed the further she got from them. People's heads turned as they walked past, some recognizing the trio from the stories that had been passed around by either word of mouth or the news, and some not. All could tell that there was something deeply wrong with the girl in the stained red and black hood.

Weiss and Blake did their best to block the stares, but it was obvious that they were starting to upset Ruby. She was starting to look around her frantically, and her breathing was starting to quicken. Blake an arm over Ruby's shoulder, whispering "It's alright, you're okay. Nothing is going to happen." in as soothing a voice as she could. Weiss wished that she could do something for her friend. She was no good at comforting, though, as she had found out during their time together when Blake was out doing things. It occurred to her that Blake had never told her if she had talked to Naze about the news broadcasts, but she knew better than to bring it up in front of Ruby. They didn't need her to break down in the middle of campus. She pushed the matter to the back of her mind, and breathed a sigh of relief as the building that was being prepared for Yang's funeral came into view.

It was a bittersweet feeling, thinking about what lay inside those doors. Both her and Blake ushered Ruby more quickly to them, and she was happy to retreat from the prying eyes. They walked up the few steps and opened the doors, taking in the interior of the building.

The room was the same that had been used for the dance earlier in the year now looked entirely different. There were numerous rows of pews facing the opposite end of the room, at which there was a raised platform and a solitary casket, with a sleek black body and a glass hinged lid. Ruby found the thing bizarrely alluring. She started to walk towards it with slow, shuffling steps. Weiss and Blake looked at each other again, worried, but followed uncertainly.

They were about halfway down the middle isle when the people in the room took notice of them. Jaune called out from atop a ladder, in the middle of hanging a banner. "Hey, Ruby!" She jumped at the sudden noise, and looked over to see Jaune making his way hurriedly down the ladder towards them. Other footsteps from around the room alerted her to the approach of three others. She quickly looked around to find Ren and Pyrrha running towards her from behind various obstructions that had kept them from initial sight. She tried to muster a smile for her other friends, they hadn't really seen how terribly she was doing.

"Hi Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora. How are you guys?" Even her voice sounded tired. Their expressions changed to more worried ones, and Pyrrha put a hand on Ruby's back saying "Ruby, I… we would love to do anything we can to make you feel better. If there's… if there is anything we can do to make you feel better, we would be happy to do it."

Ruby shook her head, continuing to walk towards the coffin. She wanted to see where her sister would be laid to rest. She knew that she would look like she was asleep, and for some strange reason she wanted to make sure that her sister would be comfortable in her final resting place. She reached it, walking up the stairs and looking in through the glass lid. It looked comfortable. It looked like a place that she wanted to curl up and fall asleep.

The others walked slowly up behind her, not sure what she was doing. She rested a hand flat on the curvature of the glass lid, wondering how Yang would look as she would lay still in there, still as a stone. She hadn't seen her sister since the Bullhead, and she was somewhat afraid of what she would find when she did. What if she didn't even recognize her? She shook her head to herself. She couldn't think like that. She couldn't forget her sister, and there was no amount of damage that would make her not able to recognize her.

A warm hand on her shoulder made her look away from the glass, and she found Jaune giving her a very sympathetic look. There was a hurt look in his eyes that she suspected was something of a reflection of her own pain. Something occurred to her, and she looked around at the others standing around Jaune, starting to see a commonality that made her heart drop even further than it already had. They all shared the same hurt and worried expression, and none of them looked like they should. They all looked worse somehow, like they had been weathered down by her sadness.

An immense feeling of guilt washed over her, mixing with the miasma of depression that had been present over her for what felt like so long. She felt her eyes starting to water, and her body starting to shake again. The others must have seen her starting to break, because Jaune took another step towards her, putting his hands up in a calming fashion and saying "Hey, calm down, it's alright, nothing is going to-" he never got to finish his sentence, because before he could Ruby darted past him, leaving a trail of rose pedals in her wake.

Jaune ducked out of the way to avoid colliding with her, and the rest of her friends did effectively the same thing as she went dashing off towards the doors. Only Weiss made any attempt to stop her, reaching out a hand in hopes of catching her cloak while shouting "Ruby! Come back!"

She didn't give in to her partner's request, instead rushing at the doors with as much speed as she could muster. Her semblance blazed brighter than it had in a very long time, and for a brief moment, she was able to forget all that had happened to her over the last few days. She poured herself into it, running faster than she ever had before. It was strangely calming.

She collided with the doors, flinging them open and bursting out faster than she could process. Her feet carried her so fast that she was a blur, even to herself. She poured even more of herself into running, letting it flood her mind and take hold of her every thought. Maybe if she just kept running, she wouldn't have to think about anything anymore. She could just leave school behind. She could leave the funeral behind her. She could leave everything that she had known before and simply move on. It would be so much easier.

One of the many people on the street took a step in front of her, and she was traveling too fast to stop. She squeaked and brought her arms up, trying to offset some of the damage that would inevitably result from the collision. The two people met, and the poor individual who had strayed onto Ruby path was swept immediately off of their feet. The last thing that Ruby was able to think before the tangle of limbs collided with the hard pavement, and everything went black.

* * *

Yang worked her hands incessantly, clenching and unclenching her fists despite the fact that doing so offered no relief from her anxiety. But how was she expected to contain herself? She had been dead for about a weak, and forbidden to contact her sister to let her know that everything was alright (or, as alright as they could be, considering the circumstances). She had paid a few visits to Ruby, and knew that she needed her help. She had become depressed, and Yang could hardly stand to simply watch idly as her sister destroyed herself. She had even gone so far as to attack Naze. That wasn't a mistake she would be making again.

Things after she had lashed out so violently had felt weird for a little bit, but it became clear quickly after that Naze didn't hold grudges or take offence easily. The way he treated her hadn't changed, and she was glad for it. If she was going to be working for him the rest of her earthly existence, having tension like that between them would make things very strange.

She had spent all the time that she hadn't spent watching her sister learning about the others in Naze's service. What she found surprised her. She had expected a bunch of crotchety old man types, shuffling around slowly and droning on and on about their research. While there were a few like that, most were incredibly down to earth and, dare she say it, amusing. There were a few that really stood out to her; Brazen, the Forge Master, was always good for a laugh. And then there was Skull Taker (Yang had learned that many undead chose new names when they got brought back. It had appealed to her at first, but she decided that she liked Yang that best), a zoologist who had been around for "a couple thousand years" by his own count.

He and Yang had spent a long time talking about different monsters that had existed over the years. It was difficult for her to believe that there had ever been anything more dangerous than the Grimm, but it was a somewhat humbling experience to hear about the great beasts that used to roam the world; of the dragons that used to rain fire down on the world below them, and colossal titans of earth that melded vast stretches of land into mountains and seas. They spent hours talking about one monster or the next, and she told him all about the Grimm that she had fought.

In the end, though, there was one servant of Naze's who really caught and held her attention, a woman by the name of Bella Certamen. She stood around six feet tall, wore a fully covering suit of obsidian black plate armor, and used a naginata that was about seven feet tall from base to tip. The blade of the weapon was two feet long, and bore several runes of flame, allowing her a mild amount of control over the element in battle. Her face was discolored, but not too disfigured that it erased the narrow features of her pointed face, prominent cheekbones, and scowl wrinkles.

She was the ziggurat's head of security, and Yang thought that she was a major badass. She had been in service to Naze for somewhere close to eight hundred years, and had spent seven hundred of those years managing the guards of the ziggurat. She was pretty cool personally, but Yang was really impressed by how stone cold she was when on the job. She had a garrison of soldiers, small in comparison to the number of inhabitants of the ziggurat, only about one hundred and fifty in total, but Yang found out why quickly after asking. She had gotten the response "Because we only need to start a chain, and the necromancers will do the rest."

She didn't give any slack to her guards, expecting only the best from them. Yang had sat in on a few of their drills, and she concluded that she wouldn't want to come up against that force of warriors under any circumstances. It was obvious that each one had had hundreds of years of training, and watching them bout against one another was like watching a whirlwind of weapons trying to outmatch the others.

Of the one hundred and fifty soldiers, there were twenty five who had apparently distinguished themselves above all others. How they did this, Yang didn't know, but she hadn't had the opportunity to speak to them. She had only seen them fight, and from what she saw, they were the best of the best. They were called Death Knights, and they were obviously the scariest of the bunch. Each one had the same kind of armor as Bella, but acted far differently. Each one had an ankle length black cape on their armor, and each one wielded a weapon that would make Ruby drool all over herself. There was no standard weapon, each one had a different type, but all of them bore the same hallmarks. All were made of the same stygian metal, and all seemed to burn with the same otherworldly energy, throwing off a hot orange glow from whatever the part of the weapon was that hurt people, whether it was point, edge, or head.

It had been a while before she had gotten a good look at their faces, or heard their voices, but when she did she wasn't disappointed. They were all just as frightening as she would've hoped. They wore no helmets, allowing their faces to be out in the open. The only reason it took Yang so long to see them was because they seemed to keep their hoods up most of the time. When they finally dropped, Yang had felt the sudden urge to move the opposite direction. Their eye sockets were empty, all except for pinpricks of the same blazing orange that covered their weapons. Their physical condition surprised Yang for how highly regarded they were. Their face was almost completely rotted away, leaving only small patches of what was once likely skin. The bone of their skulls was blackened beyond what looked like could've been from flame. They had a wholly evil look about them, but Yang was quickly learning that appearances meant little.

It was now that she spent the rest of her time as a ghost with Bella. Neither of the girls were doing anything other than waiting, and both were eager to get back out into the world. They had just finished a chat about how dust was being used as weaponry, and Yang wanted to move onto more personal topics. She wanted to know Bella's story. The two were standing by the side of a combat ring, watching idly as a few soldiers cared for their weapons, sharpening, polishing, and cleaning them with the utmost care.

"So, Bella…" she still wasn't entirely sure how to approach this topic. It just seemed very strange to ask someone how they died. "…how is it that you came to find yourself in this… rather unique position?" Bella looked over at her, shoulder-length dirty remnants of hair brushing against her armor. Her helmet was sitting on the floor next to her, having been removed after she had finished dueling with one of her subordinates. She looked over at Yang, thinking for a moment before saying "I did well as a commander. Not much more to it than that."

Yang rolled her eyes and said "No, no, I mean, how did you come into Naze's service? How did you meet him?" Bella waved a hand dismissively and said "Ah, my life story. Not really much to that, either." Yang moved a little closer, indicating her interest, and Bella sighed. "I guess we've got time to kill." she said, adjusting her posture and facing Yang.

"Alright, I was born into a royal family, but my father, the king, already had a son. His name was Edward. I don't think we were even related, but that's not the point. My father was a great general. He was one of the best tacticians that ever lived, and King of one of the last kingdoms to not bend a knee to the Order of the Holy Light. He hated giving his loyalty to anyone, and as a result he spent quite a bit of time ensuring that the Order was never allowed inside of his borders. This wasn't too bad, but he was also a bit of a hothead. The Black Morass was just on the border of his lands, and he hated it with a passion."

"I was about thirty, and serving in the royal guard when he decided that leading an attack on the cursed swamp would be a good idea. He was going to succeed where generations upon generations of Paladins had failed." She rolled her eyes exasperatedly "I told him that this was a bad idea, but he was sure that he could do it. I still remember what he said to me; "Bella, you've my brain for battle and skill with a blade, but you've got your mother's nerves". That's what he said to me. I knew the difference between valor and stupidity, but I wasn't about to tell him that. He made it clear that when I wore the royal armor, I wasn't a princess anymore. If I gave him lip, I would've been discharged from the military altogether, and I couldn't bear that. I was a bit headstrong too, back then." She looked again over the troops cleaning their weapons and said to herself "Heh, I guess I am still now, actually."

She shook her head "Anyways, he gave this big speech to the people about how he would rid the land of the black stain that had infested it for so long, got the people all riled up, and then charged off towards the Black Morass, army right behind him, and royal guard at his sides. It didn't take long to come to the edge of that place." She looked off into the distance as she seemed to remember something. "Understand, kid, it wasn't like what it is now. I hear you walked through it, right?" Yang nodded, and Bella shook her head again. "That'd be a death sentence back in my day. A lot more people wanted Lord Naze gone, so he made it a lot more dangerous. There were more curses, traps, and tricks than you could possibly count. Mist was so thick you could barely see three feet in front of you, and water that would rot your foot off in a couple of hours. We lost lots of good people like that." Her face seemed to drop slightly. "People would fall in the water, and just never come back up. Those who did come back up were… well, I know now what they were, but at the time I had never seen a zombie. Lone zombies weren't very dangerous, but they wrecked hell on moral. I started to see the bigger picture of the thing about then, and tried again to get my father to call off the attack. He was as stubborn as ever, though, and was sure that he could destroy the evil."

Yang was enraptured by the tale. It seemed so strange, Kings and zombies. She hardly believed it, but the serious look on Bella's face told all that she needed to consider it truth. "So we kept going on this death march, onwards towards the center of the swamp. Things just kept getting worse and worse, until eventually we came to the crater. It was a bizarre sight, such a replete and lush place at the center of all of this death. We hurried down, spirits raised. We had finally made it. We could go in, finish off this beast, and go home." She snorted amusedly and said "I'm sure you can imagine how that went. Here we were, this ragged force, tired from weeks stumbling through a giant deathtrap, going up against the forces of Naze the Eternal."

Yang's jaw dropped, and she asked "Well? What happened? How did the battle go?" Bella raised an eyebrow and looked down at herself before looking back to Yang with a mocking look. "How do you think?" she asked sarcastically. Yang put her hands up exasperatedly and said "Come on! You have to finish the story!"

Bella laughed and said "Alright, fine. Well, we charged at the ziggurat, but we never even made it half way. A wall of things that make me sick to think about even now stood between us and the ziggurat, all twisted up like some child with a brain disease had molded them out of clay. I remember seeing Morgana swinging around among the ranks, applying some last minute formulas to her monstrosities to make sure they were ready. At the time there weren't much in the way of soldiers here, so behind them was the mages; necromancers and pyromancers, basically everyone showed up to lob a few spells at the idiots who thought they stood a chance."

"My father shouted for a charge, trying to rally the troops. He yelled for no one to stop until Naze was dead, and to not stall for anything. This was about when I considered bolting. It was ridiculous. Was this really all that my father had planned? I only got one good look at him before his charge started, and what I saw frightened me. My father had bloodshot eyes, and his face was wild. He normally put a lot of effort into how he looked before a battle, but his armor was lopsided and out of order. That was when I was sure that he had gone absolutely insane. Maybe he was like that before he went in to the swamp, maybe he wasn't, but it was clear that he wasn't fit to lead."

"I looked around and saw that the others of the Royal Guard were all hesitating, just like me. They wanted someone to do something, but none wanted to be the ones to take the flak for it. I knew it was up to me to lead this attack, because a straight-up charge would be a real fast way to get everyone killed. I clubbed my father over the head with the blunt of my naginata and turned to the army, expecting to have to fight of some loyalist idiots who were willing to kill themselves like that. All I saw were faces looking back at me with worried, fearful expressions. I looked over my shoulder, and I remember seeing that wall of rot, just waiting for us. Thinking back, I think some of whatever got into my father's head got into mine too, because I thought that continuing the attack was a good idea."

"I formed the soldiers up into teams and got them into formation. Diamond formation, most heavily armored on the outside and anyone with reach directly behind them. That put me right at the tip of the charge, just behind the first shieldbearer. And…well…we charged. I really don't remember much of the fight after that, it was just hacking our way through countless gibbering nightmares, hoping that we would reach the end of the hoard. The whole time people were getting pulled away and dragged off, screaming for help, but there was nothing we could do except keep pushing forward. I don't know how long that went on for, but it felt like weeks. Eventually I noticed that there were a lot fewer people behind me, and I knew that we were doomed. The diamond collapsed from behind, and we didn't stand a chance. That was when the man in front of me got killed. A ghoul just leapt from the side and managed to get its mouth right in a chink in his armor."

"I kicked into overdrive after that. I don't remember anything but my vision going red and my body acting on its own. I diced my way through more rotting bodies than I could count. I started to tire, though. Looking back, I think that Naze probably ordered a lot of his minions to clear a way for me, because there was no way that I was really able to get all the way through that wall. But, I did. That was when I saw him. I was the only one who had even been able to reach the one person we were supposed to kill. An entire army, and I was the only one."

"I charged him without thinking. My body was screaming at me to stop and rest, but I couldn't. All those people hadn't died so that I could rest. I charged him, and I was just about to strike him right in the heart with my steel" She chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "That was when he put his hand up and killed me." She snapped her fingers "Just like that. In the blink of an eye, I was dead. All that effort went to nothing."

Yang was having a hard time processing what she had just heard. "You… you're a badass!" was all she could manage to say in the face of such a story. Bella smiled again and nodded, saying "Yeah, I guess I kind of am, aren't I?" Both she and Yang laughed.

The two sat after that, watching the weapons being cleaned. Sometime after that, a great presence seemed to approach from behind them. Bella jumped to her feet immediately, grabbing her naginata and her helmet, standing at attention. Yang looked to what she was looking at, and found Naze walking into the room. She stood as well, not wanting to miss anything that he said.

Naze walked to them, eyes passing over the soldiers as they cared for their weapons, before looking to Yang and saying "It is nearly time. I want both of you ready to go soon. Morgana and Blaze are also coming, and we'll set out as soon as the funeral starts." Bella put a hand across her chest, thumping loudly against her breastplate. "Yes, Sire! Right away!" She went tromping off, boots heavily thudding against the floor. Naze looked to Yang, an inquisitive look coming across his skull. "Are you ready to start representing what you've come to know?"

She nodded, a cocky smile coming across her face. "You bet! No one will be able to turn you guys down with me as your spokesman!" Naze's face seemed to brighten implacably, and he said "Good. I look forward to seeing you work."

With that, Naze turned to leave. Yang watched him go, wondering how things would go tonight. Would she see her father? She hoped she would. She didn't want him to be as shut down as he had been when her mother had died. She wouldn't be able to enjoy herself returning to the realm of the living if her father was to sink into such a deep depression again.

* * *

Blake looked around the bed room, glad that she could peer through the darkness as easily as the other's did through light. Ruby was sleeping fitfully, tossing and turning beneath her covers, murmuring about the horrors that only she could see. Blake looked to the bed below Ruby, spying Weiss snoring softly beneath the covers. She looked like she slept much more soundly than her partner, but an insomniac would probably sleep more soundly than Ruby.

Blake slid off the side of her bed and dropped silently to the floor. She started walking towards the door, stopping briefly by the set of drawers to pick up the bobby pins that she needed to do what she was going to do. She took hold of the door handle and opened it slowly, careful to make no noise as she did so. It was in this slow, careful manner that she slinked out into the hall, absolutely silent.

Now free from her team mates, she walked across the hall and over one door to Naze's room. She hadn't seen the boy in days, and she was starting to get suspicious. If he did have something to do with the media blitz that had surrounded Yang's death, she wanted to know. She wanted to know, and to make him know how much worse he had made things for everyone. She brought the needles and pins up to the lock and started to work, hoping that she would be able to handle this quickly. If worse came to worst, she wasn't sure that she could overpower him. She had the advantage of night vision, but that would only matter as long as the lights were off.

It was after about a solid half hour before Blake felt that it was hopeless. Something was holding the door shut beyond the lock. If she didn't know better, she would've said that it had been nailed shut. She worked her jaw, frustrated for a few moments, before an alternative worked its way into her mind. Naze might have somehow sealed the door, but she was willing to bet that he hadn't shut his windows.

She was quick to make her way to the bottom of the building and scamper as best she could up the side of the building. There were a few close calls where she almost slipped and tumbled back down to the ground, but she was able to cling to miniscule finger holds to stay safe. She reached the window that peered into Naze's room and eagerly situated herself on the sill, allowing her sore and lightly bleeding fingers to heal with a small flexing of her aura. She looked into the window, and what she found was quite a surprise.

She had expected Naze to be under his covers, sleeping, or perhaps not in his room at all, but she had certainly not expected to see him standing in the middle of his room facing a wall, as stiff as a board. She watched for several seconds, than confirmed to herself that he wasn't even breathing. A feeling of concern came over her, and she felt the urge to help. What if he had some kind of medical condition that he hadn't told them about? How long had he been there?

She tapped on the glass, hoping to elicit some reaction from the statue of a person on the other side of the pane. He didn't so much as flinch, though, and Blake decided that she had to get in there somehow. Again she withdrew the tools that she had hoped to subvert his door lock with and set immediately to opening the window without breaking it. The process took some doing, but after a few minutes the window popped off its latch and swung open. She had to react quickly to avoid being knocked back by the swinging motion, but slipped inside the room gracefully.

The first thing that she was concerned with was Naze, but that didn't mean that he was the only thing that her sight went to. A large circle of chalk, smudged in places by why looked like footprints, was laid out on the floor. It looked far too ornate and detailed to simply be decoration, though what purpose it could possibly serve she didn't know. A similar circle was on the wall, but the pattern on the inside was completely different, with far fewer aggressive angles and points.

She shook her head and turned back to Naze, reminding herself that he could be dead. First she walked in front of him, waving a hand and seeing if his eyes followed. They didn't, and she knew that that was a bad sign. They only stared ahead, glassy and dull, the slightly intrusive spark of intellect gone from them completely. She put a hand out to his neck and feeling for a pulse. When her fingers touched his skin, she withdrew them with a gasp. He was not only as cold as the stone exterior of the building, but he was also about as stiff.

She shook her head. This was crazy. She needed to get help. She started back towards the window when a vice-like grip closed around her wrist. She cried out, the bones in her wrist protesting the sudden pressure, and turned to face whatever it was that had caught a hold of her. Naze stared back at her through the darkness. Blake was only able to look at him for half a second before feeling her body drift away from her. She tried to fight it, knowing that now especially was no time to fall asleep, but it was no use. Her body slumped to the floor, and she started to dream.

When next she awoke, she opened her eyes to find the ceiling of her room close above her. She pushed herself up, rubbing her head and trying to remember her dream. There was…Naze's face… she was outside…

She dismissed it. Strange dreams were no strangers to her. She was used to them, she just usually remembered them more.

* * *

Naze stood waiting by the chalk portal for the time to turn right. The orb of control in his hand blazed slightly, but he didn't use it. The puppet body was already present at the funeral, seated and positioned to look sufficiently emotional. It was before the bulk of those who would be present arrived, and before the corpse had even been brought to the coffin.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake had all also shown up early, as had Ruby's father and the school's officials. The school officials were up on the elevated platform, adjusting a podium that sat beside the coffin. There were numerous flowers and banners set all around the walls. Most of the flowers were yellow, a reference to her favorite color, he was sure. The banners were of pictures of her that had been taken through the years, all of which featured Yang with a large smile in the focus. Many of the pictures included her friends or, most commonly, Ruby.

Ruby was sitting on a bench at the front of the rows, her arms around her father, shuttering and shaking as she cried. Her father was more stoic, stroking her head and whispering to her quietly. In spite of his obviously forced straight face, a steady stream of tears leaked from his face. Weiss and Blake sat next to Ruby, looking at their feet solemnly, thinking about what they would say during the speech that would no doubt be a struggle to get through.

Near the back of the large room, cameras were being set up by various media personnel in order to capture the tragedy. As it turned out, a sympathetic story like Yang's had brought them great ratings, just as Naze expected it to, and in many people's eyes Yang was nothing short of a hero. All the better, a respected diplomat was an effective one. But the body wasn't present, and the cameras weren't rolling yet. But Naze could wait. That was one of the perks of being dead, patience was something that came incredibly easily.

He turned his attention elsewhere in the orb, looking at the Paladin. He had made good time, and would arrive in time to attend the proceedings. The poltergeists Naze had made were not going to be able to stop him, even if they simply started attacking him. He would exercise them without issue, then there would be immediate hostilities on Naze's part between the two. He wanted it to be clear that he didn't want to fight.

Time kept moving in the fashion it always did, and Naze found himself at the right time quite hastily. Hours had passed in what had seemed to him the blink of an eye.

He put out the mental call for Yang, Morgana, Brazen, and Bella to join him in his study, and all four quickly walked in the open archway that led out into the halls, Yang and Bella looking eager, while Brazen and Morgana merely looked prepared. Bella had taken the time to polish her amour and weapon, giving both a glassy sheen. Morgana looked much as she always did, crawling along the floor on all four limbs bent out at strange and unnatural looking positions. Vials and flasks of various sickly-looking fluids and gels clinked and clattered on her chest, and the narrow slit in the burlap bag that afforded her sight seemed slightly larger than it had been last time he saw her. He wondered if she had enlarged her eyes. Brazen, ever the one for simple appearances in everything but his creations, simply carried Yang's replacement mechanical arm in one hand, and a heavy smithing hammer in the other. His head jerked from one position to another occasionally, but was mostly stable. The linens that he had chosen to wear bore obvious heat damage, being charred and frayed on the edges.

Naze noted with some amusement that without Yang, they were essentially a team of Hunters, masters of their respective crafts. He turned to the portal and started to feed energy into it. The rune on the wall voraciously consumed this before the wall on which it was inscribed seemed to shiver and blink before disappearing entirely, being replaced with a circular passage into Naze's dorm room.

He took one final look into the orb of domination, making sure that the event was proceeding to schedule. His puppet body looked up from its position, and found Ozpin standing behind the podium, clearing his throat and looking out at what was now hundreds of faces peering back up at him with baleful expressions. The room had been entirely filled in the lapse of Naze's attention. He was careful to avoid pouring too much focus into the body so that he gave no premature warning to the Paladin, who was seated in the front, near Ruby.

Ozpin spoke, saying "My dearest friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a great person. Yang Xiao Long was one of the most energetic and genuine people to ever have walked through the gates to this school. I believe that-" Naze withdrew from the body and nodded to the rest of his team. Everything was proceeding exactly to the plan.

He stepped through the magical gateway, and immediately a change of what the air normally felt like in the dorm building could be observed. He hardly noticed it, but it was so drastic that missing it was near impossible. The normally slightly stuffy and warm air turned icy and foul, with an inexplicable sense of deeply rooted foreboding and death on the breeze.

His fellows followed him, and it was seconds before the door opened, and Naze stepped out. Something occurred to him that hadn't before, so minor a detail was it, and he took several seconds to weave a simple levitation spell before putting power into it and feeling himself float off the ground about half a foot. His merest touch was fatal to almost all biological life, so it would be a good idea to refrain from unnecessary contact with anything.

He started to float along, driven forward by nothing but the power of his thoughts. His followers plodded along behind him, Bella's boots being the heaviest of steps. He supposed that it was about time to cast the second spell, this one far more important than the levitation. He expanded his raw power out in a sphere around him, using his mind's immense presence to snuff out the consciousness of the smaller minds around him. All throughout the dorm building, people who hadn't gone to the funeral collapsed. They would remain in a comatose state for several hours before their minds would be able to rekindle their awareness.

Yang was the first to speak, saying "Man, it feels different now. Is that something you did, or is it just because I'm dead?" Bella was fast to respond, saying "Likely some combination of the two. Naze is using his magic to suppress the living around us. He doesn't like to be interrupted."

The group made their way out of the building, passing a few softly breathing bodies slumped against the walls and floor. Yang couldn't help but feel a little worried for them, but if Bella said they would be fine, she believed her.

The strange looking group started to walk across the campus of Beacon, every person who was still out at the late hour falling unconscious to the ground as soon as Naze's eyes turned to them. It wasn't long at all before they came to the doors to the building, and Naze made to open it with a wave of his hand. Before he could, Yang shouted "Wait!" in a suddenly worried voice.

Naze stopped, freezing all movement immediately before looking back at her. "I…sorry, I'm just feeling a little anxious. I mean, what if they don't like me? What if they think I'm…" Morgana shook her head from her position on the ground, sitting up on her heels dexterously, saying "It doesn't matter. You said that you would do this, and that's the only way you're going to get your body back." Yang closed her eyes, focused silently for a few moments, than looked back up at the door, nodding. "Alright, I'm good. Sorry about that, I won't let it happen again."

With that, Naze continued his way into the building.

* * *

Solace stood, armor making something of a racket, and walked up to the coffin with the throng of others from his row. Ruby, the girls sister, and her two friends, Blake and Weiss, as well as her father, Taiyang, all stood on the opposite side of the coffin in various states of grief. The father and sister looked the most hurt, Blake after that, and Weiss last. He wished that he could do something to help them, but there was no prayer in the book at his side that could bring the dead back to life. The line slowly passed, and eventually he came to be directly in front of the glass lidded casket.

The girl was beautiful, with long blond hair that would have made any in the Order jealous. From the stories that her family and friends had told, she would have made a fine Paladin. She wanted to help people, was strong of will and spirit, and in the end gave everything for the one she loved most. He could only hope that he was so brave when his time came.

He traced an armored finger over the surface of the glass and said to the father "It's a travesty, truly. My deepest condolences." The words seemed to shallow that they left a bitter taste in his mouth, but they were all that he could give.

Suddenly a cold bone chilling gust blew the doors at the far end of the room, and a gross feeling washed over him. It was one that he hadn't felt in a long time, but one that he knew he would never forget. The pervasive discomfort that unholy magics brought with them was strong, and he instinctually reached for the holy power deep within himself to counter it. His hands went to his hammer, Judgment, and he turned to face whoever the foul fool was who would dare interrupt the grieving of the family. They had lost enough already, they would not lose the girl's soul as well.

What he found as he came to fully face his soon-to-be opponent, a sense of dread penetrated even through his sense of strength. A mage, obviously very powerful, and a necromancer. That wasn't what made him worried, what did that was the fact that this mage was a skeletal corpse, dried skin clinging just barely to the tall frame. It was a lich, one of the most powerful kinds of necromancers that had ever existed. Behind him were his undead minions.

One was clad in armor blacker than the night, with a long pole arm weapon, dark blade at the end of a long runed pole. The weapon seemed to give off a glow of its own, and the armor that clad the warrior's body seemed to suck the very light out of the space around it. He could hardly see any details through the armor, but he was sure that whoever it was rotted beneath that armor. The next among them was a twisted little thing that looked like it might have been human at some point, hunched low to the ground and crawling like a spider. Behind that was a charred corpse, what looked like a metal hand and a heavy hammer in his hands.

And at their head was the lich. Fine gray robes flowed over his body, and he had a long wooden staff engraved with countless runes, none of which Solace could identify. At the staff's end was a long, shiny spike. The eye sockets of the thing burned with a cold, perverse mockery of what a soul's power should've looked like. A massive leather-bound tome hung off its side, attached by a strong looking chain.

The reaction from those closest to the newcomers was immediate. They turned, looks of horror on their faces ever before they knew what it was. Those youngest and weakest among them fell to what Solace knew from the legends of his Order was one of the major dangers of fighting a lich. Whether they meant to or not, they exuded a fear strong enough to turn even the bravest warrior to a quivering child. Those who were able to resist the effect sat in their seats, not daring to brave the wrath of whatever this thing was. Those who weren't able to steel themselves against this were too paralyzed by fear to do anything but watch as the ancient horror strolled past.

At the back of the room, a few media men had set up cameras to broadcast the event, and most were doing so live, meaning that eyes all around the world were locked to the lich. Solace narrowed his eyes as he tried to think. What was this foul thing planning? What did it stand to gain from this?

As he walked down the aisles, more and more succumbed to the fear that surrounded him. Solace knew that it was unlikely that any would be able to help him in the battle that was surely coming. He glanced behind him, making sure that the girl's body was still safe and unmoving. He had to safeguard it, no matter what. Yang didn't deserve this fate.

The repugnant group of newcomers came within a close distance to him, having reached the end of the rows, and the armored warrior stepped forth, raising her voice and shouting "Step aside, Paladin! We have business that does not concern you!" Her voice seemed to be amplified by something, causing Solace's teeth to chatter and the window panes to shake in their sills. Solace raised Judgment up into a ready position, saying as loudly and authoritatively "All innocent souls are my concern! Leave this place now, and I will not have to destroy you!"

A tension hung in the air so thick that not ever a razor could pass through. Solace watched his enemies carefully for any sign of a response. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, and he suddenly wished that he had had time to put his helmet on.

The lich took a single step forward, and Solace felt the dread presence of the lich in full for the first time. He was glad that the Holy power inside of him shielded him from the effect that would surely be corrosive to his reason. The lich opened its mouth, and a voice that was as still as a whisper, but as clear as a gunshot emanated from its mouth. "Perhaps there is an amicable solution to this problem. Why don't we-" the voice sent chills up the back of his neck, and made his hair stand on end. He spoke out, cutting off the fiend's voice, saying "No! There will be negotiations! You will leave, and never return!"

The lich seemed to give him an exasperated look before looking past him at Ruby and Taiyang. "Perhaps we should consult the family members. It seems rude for us to discuss the matter as if they are not here." He spoke to the remains of the Rose family, saying "I wish to bring Yang into my employ, and this would be made easy if I were to have access to her corpse. Her spirit will be returned to her body, and she would work for myself. I have worked the details out with her myself, and she has found the terms to this contract agreeable."

Ruby looked to her father, a slightly hopeful and mostly confused look on her face. "Bring her back? Can that happen?" Her father put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed tightly, saying "I don't know. I don't know." Solace could see that they were desperate, and likely to accept the deal. He had to make it clear what would happen. He had to warn them of what horrible things would happen to their friend.

"No, don't listen to him! He lies! He will take Yang's soul and twist it, just like he did to his own! It won't be your sister anymore, it will be a monster, a pawn in his game!" Another few seconds of silence followed this before the lich spoke again "I could let you speak to her, if you-"

It was clear that he wouldn't be able to convince them about the evils that the lich practiced, so he took matters into his own hands. He raised Judgment over his head and leapt off of the elevated platform, bringing it down at the lich as hard as he could. The corpse moved faster than he expected, making a single measured step back to avoid the strike. The floor cracked under the might of Solace's attack, and without pause he started to shout one of the most powerful holy chants that he knew. It was said to have been devised by the first Paladin, and could only be spoken in a language that not even he knew. All he had done was memorize the specific words.

The effect was immediate, as a bright light started to emanate from every fiber of his being. The lich, who was the closest of the undead, brought an empty hand up to partially shield himself from the blast, but knew that the safety given by this would only do so much. A bright flash filled every corner of the room as the light exploded out of Solace, striking directly at the unholy abominations around him. The charred zombie and the crouched monster that had a noose around its neck were thrown back as if hit by a physical object, spinning through the air for several seconds before coming back down towards the earth. The one with the smithing hammer simply impacted the ground flat, bearing the brunt of the impact. The spidery one flew much further than him, though, and hit the far wall. Instead of falling, however, it skittered quickly across its length back towards him.

The armored one's armor absorbed all the light that would've struck them, and as such was easily able to counter this attack. It lunged forward, and Solace felt the cold metal glide across his skin as it penetrated a chink that he didn't even know he had on his back. He knew better than to expect some respite though, and leapt back towards the coffin as best as he could.

The lich spoke again, his voice a monotone that was nothing but unnerving considering what had just happened. "Perhaps if we were remove this interloper, we could discuss the issue further. Might I have your permission to do so?"

Solace shook his head and said "Don't do it! No matter how much you want to see her again, the dead must stay dead!" Behind him he heard the rustle of weapons being drawn, but didn't dare look away from his opponents. He was about to speak when the lich beat him to it. "Blake, Weiss, put those away. This is an outdated feud that doesn't concern you." These words caught Solace off guard, but still he stood between the lich and his goal diligently. Why hadn't he tried to turn them against him?

Ruby's voice, weak and tired, but nonetheless awestruck sounding, said "Can… can you really bring her back?" The lich nodded and said "Yes, child, were this rather rude man removed from the premises. I very much doubt I can do it with his constant interruptions." She fell silent again, lost in deep thought.

Judgment glowed with a bright gold light, and he brought it swinging towards the lich again. He only glared back at Solace, unmoving. Just as the mighty blow was about to impact him, something collided with his back, throwing his aim off, and the swing went wide. The scrabbling sound on the back of his armor told him that it was the spider-thing. He cursed himself for letting it out of his vision and started attempting to pull it off.

Ruby looked back at her father for guidance. What should she do? If what the Paladin said was true, she would never forgive herself for letting something like that happen to her sister. But, by the same token, could she live without her sister? It seemed that she couldn't. Her father had his eyes tightly shut, unwilling or unable to make a decision. She looked to her friends, hoping that they might have some useful input. Instead, they were only watching the battle with slack jawed expressions on their faces. It seemed that she was the only one that was going to be able to give the leader of the zombie things an answer.

Something caught her gaze just behind the leader, and she tried to focus on it. It was difficult at first, but as her eyes focused on it, she was sure that she could make out the faintest outline of Yang behind him, a confident smile on her face. She blinked a few times, and the image didn't fade. She could have imagined the thing, but she could've sworn that she felt Yang close by, and not just in the box inches from her.

She spoke up, sure of her answer entirely. "Yes! Please, bring Yang back!"

Morgana leapt off of the Paladin's backbreaking her fall with a quick roll before bouncing back behind Naze. The lich, for his part, was as close to smiling as he had been in a very long time. He bowed his head respectfully and said "As you wish, Ms. Rose."

Solace shouted again, not any catechism or prayer, but a raw, throaty battle cry. He poured as much of himself into his holy power as he could, a bright shield enveloping him, and lowered his head in a charge at the lich, hammer out, ready to die to protect the world from whatever the lich had planned.

Naze brought his staff to bear of the charging tank of a man, building death energy in it as he waited for him to come within range of the attack he had planned. Again, Solace brought his hammer forward, striking out. Just before Judgment hit, a blast of raw death energy, a fetid mix of black, purple, and green, slammed into the Paladin like a blow from a titan. It forced him back, completely halting his charge and even making him stumble back.

The blast was redoubled, unfocused necrotic power emitting from the end of the staff like a shotgun blast hot on the heels of the first one, and Solace was completely overpowered. His golden aegis of holy light shattering, and his body being flung so fast away from the lich that he hardly knew what was happening when the hit the doors, knocking one completely off its hinges as he flew like a missile away. He tried to move, but when his shield had been broken, it took almost all of his energy along with it. He impacted the ground, armor carving long grooves in the ground where it met the tile and pavement. HE slowed to a stop and tried to push himself up. His muscles were too weak, though, and he could only lay face down on the ground, wondering why he was not dead. Why had the lich not killed him?

* * *

Naze turned back to the coffin, ignoring the shocked faces that were the only response to his dismissal of the Paladin and instead beckoning Yang's spirit back to her body. She obliged, and he immediately started weaving her soul back into the flesh. The process took several minutes, but after it was done, he put his arms down and stepped back.

Ruby looked at him with a puzzled expression for a moment before looking back down at her sister inside of the glass. She was about to ask what had gone wrong when Yang's eyes flicked open, and a cocky grin came across the soft face that had appeared asleep for so long. Her remaining hand clenched into a fist, and she shot it through the glass without hesitation.

Flying shards of the transparent material scattered everywhere, thankfully not doing any harm to anyone along the way. Yang slowly slid her legs over the side of the coffin and pushed herself off, taking her time to acclimate to having a body again. After a few seconds, she looked out over the crowd of onlookers, raised her arms over her head, and proclaimed loudly "I'm back, bitches!"


	17. Chapter 17

Author's note:

The next chapter. So I don't know if a lot of you saw, but I did a Neo thing. You should go look at that, if you can handle some sort of implied sexual stuff.

As always, leave a review and tell me what you thought. Your feedback means a lot to me.

* * *

Ruby watched in shock as the skeletal corpse that had spoken so politely to her moments before blasting a man out of the doors to the building stepped back from her sister's corpse, and something that she could hardly process happened. Her sister's eyes opened, and her token smile came across her face, disrupting her peaceful sleep-like expression. Her remaining hand clutched into a fist, and flew through the glass, sending shards and splinters of the clear material everywhere. Luckily enough, none of them were propelled hard enough in any direction to cause any damage.

Her sister slid off the side of the coffin and turned to face the multitude of people who were watching the event, raised her one full arm and one half arm over her head, and shouted "I'm back, bitches!" as loud as she could, the amusement and joy clear in her voice. Ruby's jaw dropped, and could barely believe what she was seeing. Had her sister really just risen from the dead? The warning that the huge armored man had given about the man twisting her soul to fit his own ends echoed fresh in her mind. It certainly looked like her sister, and no doubt acted like her, but could she be sure it really was? Perhaps she had acted rashly when she had told the leader of these dead people to bring her back. Maybe she had been wrong.

Her heart nearly stopped as Yang turned and looked at her, a broad smile still on her face. She looked paler than she had in life, but that came as no surprise. The thing that really popped out to ruby was that her eyes had a misty quality to them that she had never seen before. It was disconcerting to see her sister without the bright gleam in her eyes.

Without a second of hesitation, Yang bent over the top of the coffin that she had been laying in and wrapped her good arm around her sister, saying "Oh man, I missed you so much!" Ruby didn't know how to respond, so she put her arms around her sister in return, looking to her side for help. Weiss was on the side that she looked to, and she looked as baffled, worried, and happy as Ruby did, resulting in a very strange mixture of facial expressions. Ruby returned the hug and said in an unsteady voice "I really missed you, Yang. Do you think that maybe you could… do a little explaining?"

Yang broke the hug, holding Ruby out at arm's length and leaning back over the coffin and giving a more sincere smile. "I will, but later. I kind of have to do something before I get time off, alright?" Ruby nodded, not seeing any other option but to accept. Yang smiled, giving Ruby a small slap on the back before saying "Thanks Rubes." In a sore sincere tone before looking to her father behind Ruby and saying "Dad, I know this is bizarre, but I promise I'll explain everything later."

With that, she turned back to the many people watching and said "Alright, so I know this is a pretty weird circumstance, but I'd like to answer any questions that you have as best I can! So, I guess if we just do this kind of like a press conference, that would probably be the best way to do this."

She waited or a few seconds, hoping for a few hands to come up, but found that none came. All that looked back up at her were faces, terrified and confused. Naze addressed Yang in the rasping whisper of a voice that he had that seemed to contain nothing but wrongness about it "They won't do it, not while I'm here. Fear is, unfortunately, a powerful thing, and none have the reason or the might to fight it enough to ask any questions. I can't say I blame them. I will allow Brazen and Morgana to make the necessary modifications to your body, than I will leave."

Yang raised an eyebrow and asked "Necessary modifications? What do you…?" Her voice trailed off as she brought her left arm up to look at, remembering that she only had half her forearm, and made a small clicking noise in the corner of her mouth, saying "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Naze motioned for Brazen to come forth, and he did, holding the artificial arm up as he did so. Morgana also approached Yang, bottles and vials clinking against one another as she crawled. Yang held her stump out to Brazen, who stuck it deftly onto the proffered limb and made a few small adjustments with the tips of his fingers. Numerous small spikes shot out of the surface connecting them, embedding themselves deep in her flesh and affixing the new manipulator to her arm tightly. She immediately became aware that she was able to move it, and started to click her new metal fingers together. She admired how exactly it mimicked her old hand. Brazen had certainly done an excellent job.

Morgana approached next, pulling several of the bottles from her chest and going to work on the unnatural limb, pouring chemicals and mixtures on them with measured exactness. Yang could feel the changes immediately as her cold, dead flesh started to shift and meld under the influence of the substances, growing and adapting to make the metal part of itself. After several seconds of this, Morgana took hold of the limb and leaned back, giving a hearty pull. Yang stumbled forward slightly, but the arm remained firmly in place.

Morgana moved back, as did Brazen, and both nodded to Naze, indicating that they were done. He turned back to the many people and said "We will take our leave now, and afford you your full mental faculties back. It is regrettable that we cannot carry out introductions face to face, but as I'm sure you can tell, that would be quite impossible." The terrified and dumbfounded faces stared back, responding, and he started to walk to the door, Morgana, Bella, and Brazen following him. As he approached the last step to the elevated platform the coffin sat on, Yang spoke out.

She said "Uh…" she hesitated or a moment, not sure whether she should use Naze's name or not. She continued with "…Sir? Can you do something for me before you go?" He nodded, walking back and saying "Yes?" in an inquisitive voice. Yang stepped around the coffin and took a hold of Ruby's cloak, covered in the dried black blood and accumulated grime of the week that it hadn't been so much as removed from her person, and said "Can you…do something about this? She won't let anyone take it, I know that, but can you clean it up or something? It really doesn't fit her."

Naze looked from Yang to Ruby, considering the request. It was a minor thing, of such little consequence that he had thought nothing of it, but Yang was one of his now, and her requests carried much more weight as a consequence.

He walked back to the girl, leaning in close and peering at her face. She averted her eyes, and her chest started to heave quickly, indicating that her mind was starting to give into the fear that he gave off. He reached an old hand out towards the fabric in Yang's hand, twisting a small degree of magic around into a spell as he did so. The ancient bone touched the surface of one of the larger bloodstains, and instantly the magic started to do its work.

Black scabs rippled across the surface of the threads, spreading like ink through a pool. Particles of grime, dirt, and filth all fell off it to the ground. The dry and crusty viscera seemed to sink into the cloak itself, becoming just as much a part of it as every individual strand of woven fabric. After several rippling changes moved their way through the entirety of the thing, it took on a much different appearance. The colors of rose-red and coppery black combined, making a new shade of deep red. The fabric moved slightly in Yang's hand, and it appeared to ripple again, as if the blood was once again fluid, contained within the threads.

Both Blake and Weiss gasped when they saw this, and Yang smiled wide, saying "That's awesome. Thanks!" Ruby didn't react, still keeping her eyes determinately shifted down at the floor and her chest still rising and falling with increasingly alarming speed. Naze nodded to Yang before turning and resuming his exit from the room, casting his levitation spell again. His feet lifted off of the ground and he stared to float towards the doors again, Brazen, Bella, and Morgana both following again.

This time Yang let them go, peering at her sister instead. As they got closer and closer to the door, her breathing slowed, and some small amount of color seemed to return to her skin. The door that was still attached to its hinges swung open, and Naze and his people exited without another word.

The mood in the room lightened again as the haze of fear and darkness seemed to lift. Those furthest away from the door seemed to be affected the most. Ruby's eyes started to well with tears, and she leapt towards Yang, outright sobbing before she even touched her sister. Yang put her arms around her sister as comfortingly as she could, whispering "Hey, it's alright, I'm here. Everything is going to be fine, I'm back, and you don't need to be sad anymore."

Blake was the next to recover from the shock of the lich's presence, stepping over and putting a hand on Yang's back, the effort to hold her tears in obvious. "Are you really… really you?" Yang looked to her and smiled, saying quietly enough that no one but those by the coffin could hear "Do you still have those ridiculously adorable car ears under that bow?"

Blake's cheeks turned red and she closed her eyes, trying to organize the rush of emotion that was threatening to overtake her. Those efforts proved to be fruitless however, as she felt them wash over her regardless. She jolted forward, arms reaching out to wrap around Yang just as Ruby's did. Tears started to flow from her eyes as well, and she said through the shuddering and shaking "I-I'm g-g-glad that you're a-alright."

Yang felt touched that they cared so much about her. She also felt the arms of Weiss wrap around her waist, although she did so quietly. Yang knew that she had issues making her emotions understood, and accepted that she thought it would be best if she didn't say anything. All three of her teammates draped around her, she let her eyes wander to her father, still standing in the same position he had been when she got up, on the other side of the coffin, looking at her with an expression that was totally implacable. She tried to move towards the man without disturbing her friends, but this proved to be impossible, as Blake and Weiss let their arms fall away from their friend and stepped back, allowing her to move freely. Ruby made no such movement, instead staying latched firmly around Yang's waist. Yang made no attempts to remove her sister, instead herding her over with her as she approached her father.

The man continued to gaze at her with a strange edge in his eyes. Yang returned his gaze as best she could, trying to think of any other time that she had seen that look. She failed to come up with any. There was none of the softness that she was used to in her father's gaze, instead there seemed to be something that was critical, almost like he was measuring her.

Yang put her hand up and waved awkwardly to him, saying "Hey dad. Heh, fun times all around, right?" Something inside of his eyes changed as she said this, and his body loosened. He took a few steps towards her, then wrapped his arms around his daughter, whispering in her ear "I thought I had lost you." And burying his face in her shoulder. Yang returned the hug, feeling an immense feeling of guilt come over her. "I'm… I'm sorry. I should have done something, let you know somehow, but…" Her voice tapered off as she lost the ability to think of anything else to say. Her father squeezed her tighter, and she knew that she didn't have to speak. Ruby hugged her tighter too, and they stood there, silently embraced.

The heavy feel of fear and depression started to lift over the rest of the room, and people were starting to shift and move again. The first one to lift from their seat was Professor Ozpin, who walked with swift strides and a concerned gaze towards Yang, looking her over carefully in an attempt to compare what he could of her mannerisms to those that he had seen before she died. Failing that, he looked to her father with a raised eyebrow, looking for confirmation that it was, in fact, his daughter. Taiyang nodded, and Ozpin gave him an appreciative gesture before stepping to him and patting him on the back, pushing him lightly towards the benches and saying "Perhaps you should go take a break from all this." in a hushed voice. The men looked at each other for a moment, their eyes seeming to communicate more than words ever could have. Taiyang nodded, and allowed himself to be guided away. Ozpin also gestured for Weiss and Blake to come with him as well. They looked hesitantly to Yang, who nodded and gestured for them to go. "Go on, we can catch up afterwards."

The pair complied, slowly joining Ozpin on his walk back to the seats. He stopped for a moment and looked back at Ruby, but turned and continued walking without saying anything. Yang knew that he wanted her to join him at the seats, probably to get her out of the way, but she wanted her sister by her side. She was still latched resolutely around her, sniffling and shaking, trying to look up at Yang's face. She put her hand on the top of Ruby's head, patting it gently.

Again, she looked out to the people watching the proceedings, and most now bore expressions of confusion or sadness. She knew that this was what Naze had brought her back for, and that she couldn't shirk her responsibility now. With Ruby still clinging to her side like a small child, she took a few steps to the edge of the raised platform and said loudly "Alright, so like I said before, if you've got any questions just feel free to ask!"

A hand near the back of the room shot up, and Yang pointed to him, saying "Yeah?" The voice was high pitched, but also masculine-sounding. "I thought you were dead!"

Yang shrugged and said "Not a question, but it'll work. Yes, I am dead. I died on the mission that everyone has been saying I died on, and I'm still dead. That guy that you saw come in here, the scary one with the staff, he's something called a necromancer. A necromancer is someone who can interact with the dead in ways that nobody else can. He brought me back so that I can improve relations between his people and us, or you, I guess it would be now."

There was another small moment of silence, in which Yang asked "Anyone else?" while looking out for more people. Someone else stood up in a row near the front, with blond hair and small frame, and Yang said cheerily "Oh, hey Jaune! What's up?" Jaune merely looked up at her for a minute, mouth hanging open as he tried to put the gears turning in his head to words. After a few seconds, he was able to say "What… how… who was that guy, and how are you alive? Shouldn't all of this be impossible?"

Yang gave a small sigh and answered "I don't think you guys are really getting it. I'm not alive, I'm dead. Being conscious and being alive are two different things. As for that guy, he was pretty much the head honcho of the whole thing. You've seen three of us-" she caught herself and gestured to her own body "-or four, rather, but there are more. Like, a lot more. I don't know an exact number, but it's somewhere in the tens of thousands range. He is basically the most powerful out of everyone. He's been around for a really long time, so he's had a lot of time to study all kinds of magic." Again, she stopped herself and said "Oh yeah, did I mention that magic is a thing? Because it's totally a thing."

Jaune sat back down, looking no less confused. Without the pause between questions that had been present so far, another hand popped up from about the middle of the room, and Yang recognized the reporter Lisa Lavender from the Vale News Network. "Excuse me, Ms. Xiao Long? Would you mind telling us the answer to the age-old question, what is it like to die? What lies on the other side?"

Yang opened her mouth, about to answer, when Naze's voice echoed through her head. "Don't spoil the surprise" was all he said. Yang couldn't help but smile at this, even though she had been hoping to share the experience. She resumed answering, saying "You know, I would really like to tell you, but I don't think I can. All I can say on that matter is that it's nothing to be worried about."

The woman gave her a disappointed look, than asked "What of this magic you talked about? What is it, and why have we never seen anything like it before?" This was one that Yang had been prepared for. She said "Because something happened a long time ago that wiped it out of everyone's minds. I mean, think about it; there are people, humans, who are thousands of years old. We don't have records going back that far. Something happened that destroyed all of their records, and we had to start over without all the things that those people learned. Now we can get all of that information back, all we have to do is trust them. All you have to do is trust me."

The woman sat back down. Another hand went up, and Yang was mildly surprised to find that it was Ozpin who was asking the question. He asked "Now that you are back among us, what is it that you plan to do? Will you be continuing to attend my school, or will you seek purpose elsewhere?"

Yang tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment before saying "You know, I haven't really given it much thought. I guess…. Am I going to be allowed to keep to Beacon?" The headmaster nodded before saying "Should you choose to do so, certainly." She smiled in response and said "Yeah, I think I'll keep training to become a Huntress. First dead huntress, I'll be bound to go in the books for something."

The headmaster smiled at her and nodded. Yet another hand rose from in the crowd, and Yang immediately recognized the pink fabric of Nora's gloves. She smiled and pointed, saying "Nora, what's up?" The boisterous redhead stood up, her face not in her usual absent smile, instead having a confused look like she was trying to order a series of confused thoughts. She said in a voice that was about as confused sounding as she looked, like she was trying to listen to someone and talk at the same time "What's this guy's name? If he has one, I guess." Yang hesitated for a moment, not sure whether or not Naze wanted her to say that. Nothing came the same way that it had before, no voice echoed though her head the way it had before.

She took this as a sign that he didn't care, and said "Uh… He's been called a lot of things throughout history, but the one that he's stuck with him the longest has been "Naze the Eternal", obviously based off of the incredible about of time that he's been around." Nora's eyes widened, and she sat back down, her eyes drifting off as if she was listening to something that only she could hear. Yang passed this off as just another one of Nora's strange quirks and continued looking for questions.

Ruby started to calm down, her crying and shaking stopped and her grip on her sister started to loosen. She looked down at her sister, past her unkempt, greasy hair and past the tearstained, dirty mask that covered her face. She looked through all that had settled over her sister and at her sister herself. She looked different when she wasn't crying.

Ruby looked up at her sister's face like she had just woken up from a stupor. "Y-Yang? Can w-we g-g-go home now?" her voice sounded like a pleading child, and it broke Yang's heart to hear. She looked out again to the large crowd watching, and suddenly felt very nervous. If she stopped now, what would Naze think? Several hands went up among the people, and she saw clearly that she had to make a choice.

She was about to forgo the rest of the questions when one in particular went up that her eyes were drawn to instantly. Naze's puppet's hand went up, and the look on its face told her that he didn't want her to skip him. She pretended to look over the many raised hands for a moment before pointing to him and saying "Yeah, you."

Naze stood up and asked in a voice that was semi-worried "What is it that these people intend? Surely they must have a reason for existing, right? What do they do?"

Yang considered why he was asking this question. No one else had, that was true, but it was an important detail. She supposed that if he wanted everyone to know it, this was a very good way to do it. "Well that's kind of an interesting one, and…" she looked down at her sister again, feeling her tug slightly at her clothes "…I think I'll keep this one brief, for the sis." He nodded knowingly, and Yang started to speak. "They really only have one goal with existing as long as they have, and it's one that I really think should be supported. They only want to research the world, and have been doing that for…millennia. So, as you might expect, they are pretty smart. But, the crazy thing is that they aren't done. They still have plenty to look at, and they would like our cooperation to do it. They are willing to share some of their information in exchange."

Ruby gave a small, animal-like whimper, and Yang looked down at her again. She looked like she was about to faint. She quickly looked back up to the crowd and said "I think that's about all we have time for today. I'll, uh… I'll set up another one of these when I can. Until then, I'm going to take Rubes here back to our room." She put an arm around her sister's shoulders and started to usher her forward, down the steps and towards the door. She followed her sister's influence without question.

Yang turned briefly and gestured for Blake and Weiss to come as well, and they did without hesitation. Muttering started to break out among the crowd, but Yang was in a hurry to leave. Her sister didn't look well at all. A few people tried to speak out to her as she walked by, but she ignored them. She was more worried about her sister than anything else. She looked to her sister again, and felt the pit of worry deepen a little bit. How had she gotten this bad?

The walk to their dorm was fast, and she was driven by the strong urge to get her sister back into fighting shape. If she couldn't do that, than what good was she doing being back? Blake and Weiss were hot on her heels, whispering to each other to quietly to hear. They passed the spot where the Paladin had come to a stop, but he was nowhere to be found. Yang wondered if he had slunk off himself or if Naze had done something. She guessed the former.

When they came to the dorms, the others were startled to find several unconscious people slumped over in the hallways. Yang said over her shoulder casually that they were fine, but none of her teammates seemed particularly convinced. She hurried up the stairs and went to grab her scroll from her pocket before she realized that it had been taken off of her body when her corpse had been dressed. She looked to Ruby and asked "Hey buddy, you got your scroll?" in a soft voice, trying not to disturb her by speaking too loudly.

Ruby only shook her head lethargically and mumbled "No" in a barely audible voice. Yang hesitated, not sure how to respond, when Blake came from behind her, holding her scroll out to the door. "Here" she said "Ruby hasn't carried it since… well… since we got back."

Yang looked at the device as it flashed green and the lock clicked open. It felt strange to hear Blake talk with such aversion about something that she regarded as a simple event. It was to be expected though, she supposed. They had never died before, so they didn't know what to expect or what death was really like. She felt almost uncomfortable that she knew so much more about something so important. Normally she would share a secret like that as soon as possible, but she wasn't sure if Naze would want her to tell those closest to her.

She opened the door and flicked the lights on as she gently herded Ruby inside, taking note of the rather distressed impression she got from the room. Ruby's bed was in complete disarray, with sheets tangled up in heaps and the distinct imprint of what looked a little too much like Ruby's body in the fetal position right in the middle. Blake's bed didn't have any obvious changes, only looking like it hadn't been made for some time. Weiss's bed, which was normally pristine and carefully ordered in every way, was also unmade, with sheets hanging off the side and blankets unflattened across the top. She was somewhat flattered by the fact that she had meant enough to Weiss that she had stopped being quite as uptight as she had been. Maybe if she managed to get killed a few more times she would stop being a snob entirely.

Her eyes fell to her bed, and she was surprised to find that it had been totally untouched in her absence. She thought that Weiss would've insisted that it be cleaned, like she had done so many times to Yang in the past, but evidently not.

She continued walking Ruby through the room, sitting her down on the yellow sheets with the posters of bands, games, and various other paraphernalia that she had seen fit to hang on the wall. She sat next to her sister, putting her still flesh hand on her leg and looking her deep in the eyes. The hurt that she was there, the pain that gazed back at her from behind the dark pupils, was almost too much for her to bear seeing.

Without another word, she pulled her sister into a tight hug, feeling her face bury in her shoulder and returning the motion. She expected tears to start leaking from her eyes, but none were forthcoming. As quite the contrast, tears started to flow freely from Ruby's eyes again, and she put her arms around her sister in what would normally be a suffocating embrace. "I-I thought t-that you wou-would be g-gone f-f-forever!" she choked out, hardly managing to force the words from her spasming diaphragm. Yang moved one hand to stroke the back of her head, saying "But I'm back now, and I won't be leaving again."

She held the hand up, and found it coated in a thin veneer of oil and grime. She looked at Ruby's hair again, and said "Hey Ruby, how long has it been since you bathed?" Her sister replied without drawing her head out of her shoulder, but her crying became much less severe. "I-it's been about… a week, maybe?"

She furrowed her brow and looked over at Blake and Weiss, trying to ask them why they had allowed that to happen. Both held up their hands innocently, and Yang looked back to her sister, supposing that they couldn't exactly force Ruby to clean herself. She thought back to her childhood, when her father had shut down. Weiss and Blake couldn't do it, but Yang had certainly done it before.

She took a hand from Ruby's back and slid it under her legs. Her sister squirmed for a moment, saying "Yang, what are you-" before being lifted off the bed by her sister, cradled like a child. "Come on Ruby, lets clean you up." Her voice was chipper, and she had a smile on her face. Ruby was about to argue when the memories of when she was a child came back, and allowed her to slip into a more passive state. Her only response was to nod weakly, and to stay still in her sister's arms.

While walking to the bathroom, Yang winked at both Weiss and Blake, mouthing the words "sibling power" before entering the tiled room and closing the door behind her. Weiss and Blake were left looking at each other, confused expressions on their faces.

The water started to flow as Yang turned the knob. Hot water poured out of the showerhead, and Yang lamented the fact that they didn't have baths. It would have been much easier if they did. She put Ruby down on the floor just outside of the shower and waited. After a few seconds, steam started to rise from both the stream and where the water hit the tile. She passed a hand under it to test the temperature, and took the lack of burning sensation to mean that it was fine. She turned to Ruby, about to lift her into it, when she saw something that made her feel worried.

A small drop of water, barely big enough to be visible, bounced up from the tile and hit her in the cheek. She moved her head back quickly, and wiped the water away quickly, a wince of pain jolting across her face. Yang's eyes narrowed, and she looked back at the shower, than at her hand. She would have realized that the water was that hot before she put Ruby in, right?

She looked over at her sister and said "I guess this is a little too hot, right?" using a joking expression to mask the worry that she felt about the water. Ruby sniffled and looked over to her, an insincere grin on her face. "Maybe a l-little." was her only reply.

Yang lowered the temperature of the water and went to pick up Ruby. She offered no resistance, and allowed herself to be lifted into the stream of warm water. Yang noted to herself that the water beaded up and glided off her new hood without even soaking in slightly. She wondered what other new effects the cloak might have. As she set Ruby down, she looked up as her and said "These clothes are going to take days to dry." quietly.

Yang raised an eyebrow at her sister and said "Well, it's either this, you take them off, or I take them off. Can you take care of this yourself?" Ruby nodded, struggling for a moment to push herself off the tile floor while saying "Yes, I'm not a little kid anymore. I can dress myself now."

Yang stepped back, a smile coming across her face. "Of course you aren't, but you're still my little sister." Ruby smiled back at her of a brief moment, and Yang felt much of the worry balled up inside of her melt away. If Ruby was still able to smile, than she wasn't too far gone. Yang knew that she could lift her sister out of this rut. She would get better, she just needed time, and maybe a little bit of work.

She turned to exit the room, giving her sister some privacy. She opened the door, stepped out, and closed the door behind her. Blake and Weiss were looking at her with concerned expressions. She looked back at them and gave a thumbs-up, saying "It's going to be alright. She's cleaning herself up." She held her hands up and continued "So, what have guys you been up to? Things as exciting around here as they have been for me?"

Weiss gave an exasperated noise and said "What? Really? You up and die, and then you ask something like that? Yang, we've been grieving for a week! How do you think we are doing? And now you're back? Do you realize how… how confused we feel?" Blake stepped forward, putting a hand on Weiss's shoulder, signaling for her to calm down. "Weiss, maybe you should cut her a break. I really don't imagine that… that what she went through was very pleasant either."

Yang waved a hand dismissively at Blake and said "Just call it what it is; I died. No need to beat around the bush." She looked back to Weiss, feeling more guilt come over her, and said "Look, I'm sorry, but I did the best I could. I told Ruby not to beat herself up, and obviously that didn't work. Do you really think that I could have planned for this? I know that it's been hard for you, but it hasn't been any walk in the park for me either! Do you think that it's easy to just sit and watch your friends waste away just because you died?" Weiss looked taken aback, and Yang realized that her fists were balled and her jaw clenched. She let her anger seep away slowly, careful to keep from blowing up again.

Weiss asked in a careful voice "You could see us?" trying to avoid setting the blond off again. Yang nodded and turned away, not wanting to look like she was still upset. "Yeah, not all of the time, but yeah. It was rough, just watching from the other side of the glass. You guys were just so down, and so much was happening…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned, surprised to find that it was Weiss trying to comfort her. "I… I'm sorry." The words didn't sound confident coming from the normally somewhat stoic girl, but that only made them more genuine. "You didn't deserve that, and I think I was just-" her voice was cut off as Yang pulled her into a hug. She gave a few desperate rasps for air before Yang realized just how hard she was squeezing and loosened up a little. After she felt that her feelings had been properly expressed, Yang let her go and sat back on the edge of her bed, stretching her metallic hand in front of her face, feeling the steely cords and plates glide against one another almost more impressively than her real hand did.

Blake took a seat next to her and after a short pause said "Ruby is going to love that thing." Yang smiled and said "Yeah, I know. I wonder what she'll be able to tell us about it, if anything." Ruby always had a knack for figuring out weapons. Maybe a prosthesis like this wouldn't be too different. She didn't know much about it, she hadn't asked Brazen about it. Maybe it would be a good exercise for Ruby.

She opened and closed the limb a few times before there was a knock at the door. All three girls looked over at the door, not sure of who would be visiting them. Weiss was the only one still standing, and thus offered to answer it. Blake and Yang both nodded their appreciation before continuing to look at her hand. They heard the door open, then Weiss's voice say "Oh, Naze. Hello, what can I do for you?" Yang's eyes widened when she heard the name of who was now her master. Blake noticed the slight change and gave her a concerned look, standing and saying "Do you want us to get rid of him?"

Weiss's voice came again, saying "I don't know if she really wants to see anyone right now. We're kind of going through a-" Yang cut her off, saying "Go on and let him in!"

A few seconds later, Naze rounded the corner, looking them over with a critical eye as a dim glow seemed to emanate from the crystal set in his sword's hilt. When his eyes fell on Yang, he seemed to let his expression soften slightly. "How are things with everyone? I imagine that we're all a bit confused after that… climactic evening." Blake and Weiss bristled immediately at his manner. How could he be so casual at a time like this? Everything that they had even known had just been challenged!

Yang seemed absolutely unperturbed by the boy, though, and stepped forward, smiling. "Yeah, things got a bit heated around here for a while, but I think things are simmering down now." Naze nodded, saying "Good, good. How's Ruby reacting to the whole thing?" Yang shrugged her shoulders and said "Well… she's doing about as well as I could hope."

Weiss stepped forward, placing herself between Yang and Naze, saying "Hold on, you can't just disappear for a week and come back as if nothing happened. Where were you? What were you doing? And for Remnant's sake, why do you have the same name as the leader of those… those… things?" A small silence hung in the air after she stopped speaking. Naze simply looked back at her, a neutral, unmoving expression on his face. After what seemed like a long stretch of time, he responded with a small smile and the words "I've been cooped up in my room, doing nothing much more than working. I must apologize for my sudden distance, but my work was rather urgent. As for the last one, my father told me it was a family name. Its origin is as much of a mystery to you as it is to me."

Yang was watching the two carefully when the voice of Naze echoed through her head, separate completely from the situation in front of her. "If you wish to tell them, feel free. Simply ensure they can be trusted." She would have responded, but she was sure that he already knew what she would've said.

Yang looked from Naze to Weiss, trying to think of the best way to do it. The look on Weiss's face made it obvious that she didn't believe Naze, and she couldn't blame her. In her position, she would definitely be doubting Naze. She started to think about all the ramifications that telling her friends would have, and the many consequences of the limitless ways that she could tell them.

Her eyes widened as she realized just how careful she would have to be to avoid destroying her friend's trust in her new leader. If Naze had meant to teach her a lesson by giving her the responsibility, it worked. She started to realize just how measured his actions had been while she had been gone. What she had initially taken for laziness or hesitation was actually the opposite. She shook her head, trying to alleviate it of the distracting thoughts. She didn't have to tell them now. There was plenty of time in the future.

She stepped past Weiss, saying "Hey, guys, no need to fight, alright? Everything is fine." Naze looked unphased, and Weiss looked like she regretted what she said, at least to some degree. She knew that there wasn't much else that she could hope to get out of Weiss, and addressed Naze again. "So, what brings you over here after so long?"

He gave a small snort before saying "The fact that a friend got brought back from the dead, for one." He folded his arms across his chest "I thought you might like to know what happened after you left the ceremony. Ozpin stepped up and said a few words to quell the now ravenous press, than left with your father. My guess would be that he's taking him to a place he can stay the night. Other than that-" he shrugged nonchalantly "-nothing much else. Everyone is a bit stunned, but that's hardly unexpected."

Blake was the next to speak, her eyes narrowing as she said "You seem to be handling this well. Why aren't you as startled as everyone else?" Naze's eyes flicked from Blake to Weiss to Yang, and then back again. He took a small step towards the door and said "Maybe I should just go. Emotions are obviously running high, and I'd rather-" Weiss stepped forward threateningly, her fingers inching towards the sword at her side. "I think it would be best if you stayed here." she said in a deathly even tone, face not betraying an ounce of what she intended.

In spite of her control, Naze saw what she was doing. Instead of reaching for his own weapon, as she feared he would, he stepped forward, spreading his arms away from his body and saying "Weiss, if you're going to stab me, you're welcome to. Before you do however, I would ask about the wisdom of such a decision."

The icy-blue eyes seemed to drill angry holes in the front of Naze's face before her hand dropped away from the hilt of the blade and she said "I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Perhaps it would be best if you did go."

Naze bowed his head respectfully ant turned to leave the room, closing the door behind him as he went. The door clicked as the lock shut, and Yang cried out loudly "What the hell was that, Weiss?" Weiss rounded on them and said "Did you really not see it? Either of you?" Yang shook her head, and Blake said "Maybe you should just tell us what's up."

Weiss stamped her foot in frustration and said "The blade! His blade on his back! It's made of the same metal Yang's hand is!" Weiss's eyes narrowed, and her hands came up like she was planning something "He's a spy, or a double agent, or something! We can't just let this go on right under everyone's nose! We have to do something!" Yang was about to protest this when a small crash was heard through the bathroom door, and Ruby cried out in pain.

Yang moved almost as fast as Ruby did when she used her semblance, throwing the door open and rushing inside. What she found was not quite what she had been expecting, but something that nonetheless filled her with the need for action. Ruby was picking herself up off the ground, rubbing her knee, a towel wrapped around her torso, only just starting to react to Yang's dramatic entrance. Yang quickly stepped over and helped her to her feet, but didn't say anything. She was too stunned by her sister's physical condition to speak.

Ruby's clothes weren't heavy, but they did do the same thing that all clothing did; cover one's figure. It had been obvious that Ruby had deteriorated, but without clothes, the extent of the damage was terrifyingly obvious.

Ruby's arms looked like toothpicks, and she looked small. She had never been extremely muscular, but now she looked like she had dystrophy. The grime that had been cleansed from her face, but that didn't make her look any better, as she thought it would. Now the discolored bags under her eyes, long uncared for hair, and yellowed teeth were even more evident. Her fingernails also bore the dull yellow of neglect. Her fingers appeared thin and weak, almost ropey. Her entire visage was almost skeletal, a look that she had become very familiar with recently.

She quickly rushed her sister out of the bathroom, carrying her to her bed and sitting her down on it. "Ruby… I don't…" she gestured helplessly at Ruby's form "…you need to get it together."

Her sister nodded in agreement. The rest of the night passed quickly after that. No more interruptions came to their room, and the day's excitement had certainly proven to be exhausting. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all retired to sleep, and Yang did with them in spite of not feeling tired. She expected to eventually feel her eyelids droop, or her mind darken to sleep, or at least to dream about something. Instead, she simply laid in bed, staring up at the bottom of Blake's bunk and feeling brutally bored. No dulling of her senses or freedom of dreams intruded on her mind. After hours of doing literally nothing, not even breathing, she looked over to her side. The clock read "3:45" in large blazing red letters.

She sighed and slid herself out of her bed, going to the room quietly in search of something to do. After looking around for anything that might occupy her time, she found herself rooting through Blake's book pile for something that might interest her.

A knock at the door made her look back, and she answered it quickly. Naze's puppet body stood in the doorway, a small smile on its face and a large black leather-bound book in its hands. The book seemed to vibrate with an unearthly quality, and the leather didn't look like it was from any animal that she had ever seen. He held it out to her while simultaneously saying "Can't sleep?" in a mock-concerned voice. Yang took the book while responding in a whisper so she wouldn't wake her friends "Ha, yeah, it's really killing me."

Naze either didn't find the comment funny or didn't show it, either way Yang didn't care. She took the book and lifted the cover open, observing the lettering on the yellowed and stained pages. The lines of ink seemed to skitter and shift across the pages before settling into comprehensible and distinct words. "Sleep is a strictly biological function, and one that you no longer need. As such, you'll need something else to fill your time. That book should do you nicely. Even if you have no intent of becoming a necromancer yourself, the skills in there are invaluable."

Yang flipped a few of the pages before shaking her head and saying "I don't think I ever realized how long people sleep. It's weird, now that I think about it." Naze's only response was a terse "Quite." before turning and walking back towards his own room. Before he reached it, Yang called out to him, saying "Hey, Naze, I have a question!" He stopped and turned back to her, an eyebrow raised.

Speaking as quietly as she could while still being heard, Yang inquired "How did you die?" She hoped the question wouldn't somehow offend him.

Instead, his expression remained totally neutral, and he said "A poison, far more painful than the one you got. But such is the way of becoming a lich." Yang didn't know what that meant, but nodded and turned back to her room. She was eager to start reading, and hopefully pass the time quicker than the glacial pace it had been moving at all night.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's note:

One day early, and pretty early in that day too! The reason for this is that finals week is upon us, and things are going to get crazy pretty soon. After that comes winter break, and I haven't got a clue how things are going to go during that.

So you know, read, review, follow if you like. I'd really like to see some growth in numbers of people following (greed, insecurity, need for validation, whatever). Even you anons, who I know read, should lave reviews. So do that.

Otherwise, enjoy!

* * *

When Ruby awoke, she found herself barely able to move. She pushed her blankets off of her after some struggle, and pulled her eyes open to observe the room. Blake was looking sideways at her, Weiss was nowhere to be seen, and Yang was pacing from one side of the room to another. When she turned back to face her, Yang's face lit up, and she said "Ruby! You're awake!"

She nodded tiredly, wiping the blur from her eyes and sliding to the side of her bed. Yang quickly walked over to her sister's side, holding her arms out to catch her from her top bunk. Ruby hesitated for a moment before pushing herself off into her sister's arms. Yang caught her, and Ruby instantly gasped when she touched her sister's skin. It was cold as stone, and felt similarly as rigid. The metal one wasn't any better. She did her best to hide her discomfort, but she knew that Yang's faded lavender eyes saw her flinch.

Quickly, she set Ruby back down, not wanting to cause her sister any undue discomfort. Ruby wanted to say something, but Yang moved on too fast to stop. "Good morning Rubes! Are you ready to start getting back into shape?" Ruby looked first at Yang, than at Blake, a confused expression on her face. Blake looked over at her and said "Apparently she talked to Ozpin sometime in the morning. We have Professor Goodwitch's room all to ourselves for a few days."

"Oh" Ruby replied before looking over, crestfallen, at the corner in which Crescent Rose sat, folded up in its compacted form. She hadn't gotten a new blade for it yet. She had yet to even up in the order for one, and it could take weeks to get one custom made. Besides, she didn't have the money, and she wasn't entirely sure that she could even lift her beloved weapon anymore. As usual, Yang saw the trouble in her eye, and said "Hey, we don't have to start out big. Just a few simple exercises, alright? That sound good?" Ruby nodded, and Yang motioned to Blake, saying "Come on Blake! Message Weiss that we're going to be training." Blake nodded and pulled out her scroll as the three started to walk towards the door.

As they closed the door behind them and started walking, another door in the hall opened, and Naze stepped out, looking precisely as he did every other day; same clothes, same expression, same everything. Ruby wondered if he even changed clothes to sleep.

He looked towards them and raised a hand, greeting them before saying "Are you going to class? It's already pretty late. I don't imagine that you have time for breakfast if you are." At the mention of food, Ruby's stomach growled angrily as she became intensely aware of the fact that she felt like her stomach was devouring itself. She looked to her sister and said "Yang, I need breakfast." Yang didn't want to delay the training more than she had to, but Ruby getting food wasn't exactly optional. She nodded and said "Alright, let's go."

Naze started to follow them, not saying anything else. None of the three said anything to him, Yang not knowing what to say, Ruby not feeling the need to say anything, and Blake hesitant to say anything, given the revelation that Weiss had made last night. She wondered if Naze knew about that, or whether he was still under the impression that he was totally undercover. She looked from his blade to Yang's hand, silently confirming what Weiss had said. There could be no doubt about it, they were the same metal. She resolved to herself that she would try and find out whether or not he was alive. Somehow, she would find a way. As she thought about it, more and more proof seemed to surface. He never ate, he acted strangely all the time, and he even seemed to not breathe at times. The more she thought about it, the more obvious it seemed that something was not quite as it seemed.

And then there was the matter of his strange runes and powers. She had never seen powers like that, but Yang had talked about long forgotten knowledge. It seemed reasonable to assume that those runes were some kind of ancient power. Maybe he was more than he seemed. The longer that she stared at him, the deader he seemed. His skin was pale, without any of the flush of life, his movements were stone solid, without hesitation. Yang seemed to be the same way, at least a little bit. Her movements had always been sure, but now it seemed like some kind of weight had been lifted off of her.

Blake shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts. This suspicion and fear was the same thing that she faced as a Faunus, and she knew how hypocritical it would be of her to do that. She wouldn't do what she had spent her whole life struggling against.

The rest of the walk passed without any further conversation. Ruby walked at Yang's side, Yang's flesh hand around her shoulders while the metal one dangled at her side. Naze walked behind them, not looking at anything in particular, eyes unfocused and unmoving, and Blake bringing up the rear of the group, keeping a close watch on both the group itself and the reactions of those around them.

When they walked past, jaws dropped and people stared. She knew that they were looking at Yang, but some part of her mind couldn't help but scream at her to ensure that the bow atop her head was on correctly, covering her second ears sufficiently. No one approached them, though. None were particularly eager to talk to Yang. Ozpin himself had confirmed that he had no issue with a dead person attending his school, so none of the bullies were willing to be immediately aggressive (not they would've touched Yang anyways), and none felt confident enough to ask her about what her experience was like. In spite of the warm and friendly nature that she had projected throughout her entire life, people were still afraid of her.

Blake looked around for Weiss. She didn't know when she would be back, and she had not yet responded to her massage. She was having some kind of communication with her father, but what kind she didn't know. Blake tried her best not to think of the Schnee family. Doing so tended to make Weiss seem much less understanding that Blake knew her to be.

The meeting likely had something to do with the even that was rather well-known by now across the world, even by villages with no access to media. The dead were coming back, and there was nothing that would stop them. An opinion that ignored a fairly large piece of what Yang had said, but one that seemed to be growing in popularity none the less. It upset her that people were so blatantly picking and choosing what to hear, but it was the same source of stress that had dogged her for years already. People would be people, and people would find threats in anything. Though, as if it were any consolation, the Faunus seemed to be just as fearful as the humans. New programs were split down the middle, at least from the fifteen or so minutes that she had spent flicking through channels, one side welcoming the aid of these eldritch scholars and the other side fearing some kind of trick.

No further communication had come from the leader of the dead, and Yang appeared to have the wellbeing of her sister in her foremost concerns. Blake couldn't help but wonder just how often she communicated with him, and how they did so. Two days ago she would've said that telepathy was impossible, but if he had been able to bring someone back from the dead…

Her thoughts were interrupted when an object passed inches in front of her face, causing her to jerk back and make a strangled-sounding noise of surprise. Yang's voice seemed almost to fade in, as if she had been unable to hear it before, saying "…Earth to Blake, come in please."

Yes, at least her mildly annoying sense of humor had been left intact. Blake shook her head and said "I… sorry. I was thinking." She was in the cafeteria, when exactly she had entered it she wasn't sure. Yang gave a small grunt and gestured towards the food laid out on a table nearby. The group took seats, Yang next to Ruby and on the other side Blake next to Naze. She scooted away from him incrementally, hoping that he wouldn't notice.

"About what?" Yang asked, sliding a few items of food towards Ruby. Blake gave her an incredulous look and said "About what? Really? I should thing you would know!" Yang gave her a small smile, and she felt her cheeks redden slightly, knowing that Yang successfully provoked her. She didn't let that dim the intensity of her accusing gaze, though. Yang rolled her eyes and said "Alright, fine. Yeah, I guess I did make a little bit of a splash yesterday." Blake's response was automatic. She started to say "A little sp-" but cut herself off, not wanting Yang to get the same satisfaction she had gotten before. Instead she looked back down at her food and continued eating. Yang said "Aww, come on Blake! I was just joking around!" Blake knew that, but that didn't make it any less annoying.

She looked up again not at Yang, but at Ruby. She knew that it would be very bad if through coming back from the dead Yang were to completely overshadow her sister. She was guzzling food down faster than Blake had seen her do in a long time. It was forkful after forkful, almost no pause in-between. She wanted to say something about Ruby getting sick during her training, but figured that it would be a lesson better learned via experience.

She let her eyes wander over to the boy seated next to her, and again Weiss's words came to her head. "He's a spy, or a double agent, or something! We can't just let this go on right under everyone's nose! We have to do something!"

The call to action wasn't just being used by her friend, many news personalities had said similar things. Blake tried desperately, but she couldn't escape the fear that the general public seemed to have. What if they were lying? And on another note, who was that man who had tried to attack that man? Could it be possible that upon leaving, the leader of the dead had killed him, or perhaps otherwise disposed of him? No trace of him had been seen since he was blasted through the doors. Many were looking, but none had any luck.

But what was Naze? As she peered at him, she could clearly see that he was not breathing. He didn't seem to look at the food with any feeling of want or need, instead showing absolutely no interest. When she looked over at Yang, she saw the same thing. And the names; it seemed far too big a coincidence that the two could possibly share a name by accident. On the other hand, adopting a pseudonym would have been the easiest thing in the world to do. Was there some reason that they didn't? If so, what was it? She could already tell that today was going to be a migraine-filled day. If Yang didn't do it with her sarcasm and puns, than she would do it to herself by trying to puzzle out the mysteries that only time would be able to unravel.

One thing was undeniable, at least to her. Yang, Naze, and Naze the Eternal all were connected. It was all simply too close to be denied. But she resolved to be as open-minded as she could regarding the matter. She owed Yang at least that much.

She went back to her food, figuring that if there was any threat to her or her teammates, she would be warned. She couldn't believe that Yang would ever let anything bad happen to them. Yang might be acting slightly strange, but that man who had insisted that she would no longer be Yang had been dead wrong. She was very much Yang, without the shadow of a doubt.

Once again, she shook her head, trying to get rid of the suspicion and fear that plagued her mind. It would do no one any good. Instead, she tried to think of what Weiss was doing right now. She found the subject much less painful to her brain than matters concerning the dead.

* * *

Weiss sat in front of one of the video screens of the CCT, waiting for the system to connect to the network of her home. Her father had summoned her to speak, and that never bode well. She recalled many instances from her past when her father had done so, fuming mad, and had delivered many speeches regarding the impossible to work with and totally irrational. Weiss felt ashamed that over the years she had even come to believe these rants. Blake was the embodiment of the exact opposite of what her father had always spoke of. She had made a few attempts to talk her father out of his bias, but her attempts had been fruitless.

Adopting an air of reticence, she connected to her family's mansion. The screen was dark for several seconds before the face of the family secretary appeared on the screen. She looked at Weiss for a second before saying "Ah, Ms. Schnee. Your father and sister are waiting on another line. Please hold, I'll connect you." Weiss nodded, smiling and saying "Thank you!" before the screen went black and her call transferred lines.

She took the small moment to collect her thoughts. What would she say? She supposed that that depended on what he wanted to hear. He never was very willing to hear anything else. And then there was her sister to think about. Winter, oh yes, Winter. A few years younger than Weiss, the two weren't very close. She had always had better things to do than spend time with her baby sister. She was always practicing her singing, or her fighting, and Winter had always been much more interested in the business side of the family. That was why Winter had chosen to stay with her father after completing her basic education. She learned everything she needed to about business from her father. That was not to say that Weiss had somehow avoided that same training, her father had practically forced her into it. As the oldest child, and therefore the heiress, it was imperative that she be just as able to handle the business as her father. She had gotten the lessons, whether she had wanted them or not.

The screen burst to life again, and both her father's and her sister's faces appeared on the screen, split down the middle, indicating that they were at different locations in the manor. Both looked back at the screen, Winter's face lighting up and her father's face darkening. In one instant, her father and her sister started speaking at once. She was only able to catch fragments of eithers greeting. "Weiss! How have you-" "-need to talk."

Her sister always had at least tried to stay in touch with her, even if she hadn't been very successful since Weiss came to Beacon. Her father, on the other hand, was straight to the point, as usual. There was a certain value in his terse method that Weiss appreciated, but it still made the man seem cold and distant. Winter was at least trying to make her feel somewhat welcome.

She nodded and said "Yes, I think we do need to talk. First of all, I'm fine. Nothing happened to me after the news broadcasts or anything." Both family members nodded, and she continued. "I'm worried about something else, though. That…Naze… thing that was their leader said that Yang was supposed to act as the liaison between his people and us, right? Well there is another kid in my grade who showed up about a month ago with the same name. He said it was a family name, but I don't believe him. On top of that, he had a weapon made out of the same kind of metal that Yang's new hand is made of. I've never seen metal like that before, and so far it's only appeared in connection to Naze."

Her father leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk and knitting his hands together. She knew that face, it was the same face that he got when he started to plan how to cut a new dust manufacturer out of the market. "Interesting" he said in an even tone. "What about this boy? Does he act strangely? Can you prove that he is with these dead?"

Weiss bit her lip before shaking her head, defeated. "No, I don't think I could prove it. At least not now. Maybe I could do something to get proof…" Her father spoke up, saying "Do I need to intervene? I'm sure that Ozpin would listen to me if I said that he needs to be examined, and if he doesn't, there are other ways of finding answers. I'll come down and talk to him myself if I have to."

Weiss didn't know if he had purposely done it, but his comment seemed to implicate kidnaping. She knew that her father wasn't that kind of a businessman, the cutthroat kind, willing to pay for brutal illegal things to happen to allow him to gain an edge in the industry. There was the matter of the underpaid Faunus labor, but that was unrelated. It wasn't illegal per se, just immoral. She couldn't say that it was terribly out of character for her father, he didn't respect Faunus the same way he did humans. She wondered if he would show the same bias towards the dead. For his own sake, she hoped not. She got the distinct impression that standing against them was not the brightest of ideas.

Her sister spoke up again, breaking her focus, saying "Is Yang planning any more conferences? She mentioned it last night, do you know when the next one is?" Weiss shook her head, wishing that she would have asked the blond about her plans. She was a bit too preoccupied with thoughts about Naze, though, and about what he could be doing at a school for Hunters. Certainly there were more important organizations to infiltrate?

Her father spoke, saying "Actually, I received a press message about another planned event later this afternoon. I was under the impression you two knew about it." They both shook their heads, and he waved a hand dismissively. "No matter. Weiss, I want you to be present at the event. You will represent the Schnee Dust Company. I want you to pose questions regarding the effects on manufacturing dust. Is this understood?"

She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Her father was just as dedicated to his business as ever. She didn't know why she expected anything different. She nodded again, and said "Yes, I understand."

Her father nodded and said "Good. I'll be watching the feeds, as well as looking into this Naze fellow." Almost as an afterthought, he said "It's good to see that you're alright." before disconnecting. His half of the screen was replaced by the feed of her sister, now taking up the whole of the screen. Both of them looked at each other briefly before Winter said "I'm sorry about him. He's..." she sighed "He's been under a lot of stress lately. White Fang and whatnot. You know how it goes."

Weiss nodded. "Thanks Winter." She said. Her sister gave a small smile and an awkward wave before her signal cut out as well. Weiss was left alone again, the dull buzz of conversations from other stations around her providing a constant background noise. She sighed to herself and sat, simply staring at the blank screen for several moments. She had her job, and she intended to do it, but there were so many other people who could do it better. With sluggish movements, she picked herself up from the seat and started to make her way back to the elevator. As she walked, she pulled her scroll out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. A single message from Blake, reading "When you're done go to Mrs. Goodwitch's room"

She sighed, figuring that Ruby was knee deep in therapy by now, courtesy of Yang. She wasn't envious at all of the girl. Yang would probably push her too hard. It was what she always did. She pushed people to the edge of what they could take, and then gave them a hearty shove. She supposed that she should hurry over to make sure that Ruby didn't die. The elevator started descending, and she sighed again. Why was so much happening all of the sudden? Why couldn't it just be like the earlier days of the year, when all they had to worry about were classes?

* * *

Ruby panted, desperate for breath as Blake faced off across from her. The bow she always wore was slightly off center, still resolutely tied in place. She had tried her best to get it off, but the Faunus had proved far too quick to catch. Ruby might've been able to do it if she were in better shape, but as it stood her reflexes were far too slow, and she got tired too fast. She hadn't really considered exactly how much damage she had been doing to herself by not eating or moving. It was freighting, now that she did.

Blake looked worried, but Yang shouted from the seats lining the upper level of the room "Come on Blake, don't just let her get it! Make her work for it!"

Ruby was too tired to respond, so Blake did it for her. "Aren't you supposed to be on her side?" She asked sarcastically. Maybe some of her humor had rubbed off on her after the many hours that they spent together. She liked to think otherwise. Ruby straightened back up, holding her hands against her back, rubbing the sore muscles gently. Blake didn't want to tell her to come at her again, but there was no other way to make her better.

She beckoned, saying "Come on Ruby, it's still on." Pointing to the bow on her head. Ruby opened her eyes again, and fixed Blake with a focused look. She was about to ask Ruby if she was alright when she took a few staggering steps towards her before breaking into a tired run. Seeing the hard, slow steps of the normally boisterous girl didn't make Blake feel any better about having to deprave her of her goal.

Ruby made a lunge at the girl, but Blake moved nimbly out of the way. It turned out that Ruby's grab would've been nowhere close to her anyways, but she still felt the need to do it. An angered look came across Ruby's face, and there was an obvious change in her visage. Her movements became heavier, her fists balled, and though the pain was obvious on her face, she pushed through it.

Ruby's semblance blazed, and faster that the eye could see, she rocketed towards Blake. Her fingers wrapped around the little black bow with alarming speed, and she continued to rocket past. Blake didn't have time to tell Ruby that she had also snagged one of her ears, but she wasn't entirely sure that Ruby would have stopped anyways. The bow came loose, and the skin stretched and tore. She cried out in pain as Ruby flew past, the bow trailing behind her.

Blake's vision blurred with tears, and her hands went to the top of her head. She crouched down, trying to keep from reacting too much to the incredibly focused pain. She heard Yang cry out from somewhere off to the side, and a heavy thud as something seemed to hit the ground. She also could've sworn that she heard something crack rather loudly, but it could've easily been her imagination, or an effect of the injury to her ear. She cracked one eye open and looked in the direction of the noise, and saw Yang running towards her. She could've sworn that she saw one of Yang legs bowed out at an odd angle, but another sharp jolt of pain refocused her attention forcefully on herself.

She pulled a hand away from her head, and examined it with a bleary gaze. There was blood, but there wasn't enough to startle her. It seemed like there wasn't enough, at least in comparison to how much it hurt. The hand still pressed up against the ear slowly lifted, and her fingers slowly probed the injury. It isn't seem that her ear was totally gone, but there did seem to be significantly less of it than she was used to.

It was about this time that Yang reached her, and she found herself being smothered beneath Yang's attention. She was having hair pushed aside, and felt Yang roughly inspecting the wound. She wanted to speak out, to tell Yang to watch how hard she was pushing her head, but she supposed that she couldn't help it. The flesh of Yang's hand felt cold and hard, but nowhere near as such as her metal one. It was slightly comforting, though. There was serious concern in Yang's movements. It was good to know that her teammate still had those feelings.

Yang cried out to Ruby, who cried back in a worried tone. She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but it was clear that they were worried. Her eyes drifted around the room, and she spied a door that had been closed before. It opened out into a hallway, and in the door, Weiss was standing. She stood still only a moment before dashing inside the room and running towards the stairs to one side of the seats. She practically flew down the stairs, and ran towards them as fast as she could.

Her audio senses started to return to what she could process as the pain subsided, and she quickly tried to calm the situation down. "Guys, please, calm down. It doesn't hurt as much anymore. I'm alright." It was trued, too. The pain had faded quickly, and now she only felt a sharp sting of the air against her wound. The three looked down at her, and Ruby practically threw herself to the floor in front of her, wailing "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear!"

Blake noted the bow still clutched in her hand, and what looked to be a small piece of furry material. Blake recognized it immediately, and knew that Ruby realizing she was holding it would do no good for anyone. With an odd kind of rushed gentleness, she reached out to the bow and took hold of it, gently pulling it out of Ruby's fingers so that she couldn't see it. Her eyes were locked on Blake's face anyways, so this was probably not necessary. She looked like she was on the verge of another breakdown.

She gave Yang a worried and desperate look. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what would calm Ruby down. Yang's only advice was to gesture towards Ruby as if to suggest that she engage her somehow. Blake would've looked to Weiss as well, but she knew that the girl wouldn't have any useful help.

Somewhat hesitantly, Blake reached her arms out, intending to put them around Ruby slowly and gently. What ended up happening was that Ruby practically tackled her from her kneeling position, wrapping her arms around her and throwing almost her entire weight into Blake. She struggled briefly to keep her balance, then returned the hug, feeling Ruby dig her face into her shoulder. She could just barely make out distinct words in the beginnings of the blubbering that was coming.

"B-Blake, I'm s-so s-sorry! Please, d-don't…" Her voice faded as Blake returned her hug as best she could. Blake felt her hands brush against Ruby's cloak as she did so, and she noticed something that she hadn't before. It seemed to almost give off its own heat. It didn't feel artificial, like it was being blown. Instead, it felt like it was simply being radiated, as if the cloak held some semblance of life. The black and red flow of what seemed like fluid pulsing through the fiber seemed somewhat creepy to Blake, but she also felt a strange comforting sensation from it. She wondered what Naze the Eternal had really done to it, and if there might be side effects. If she had to make an immediate guess as to what it did, she would've said that it was meant to comfort the now very unstable and distressed Ruby. Maybe Naze the Eternal had more compassion than it had firs seemed.

Ruby loosened her grip around Blake, and she carefully extracted herself from the girl's arms. "Ruby, I don't want you worrying about this. You've had more than enough to deal with recently. It was an accident, I understand. I don't blame you. I promise, I don't blame you, and I don't want you to blame yourself either."

Tears hadn't started to spill from Ruby's eyes like they had done frequently thus far throughout the days, but they were leaking out, slowly. Her eyes were full of a hurt that was becoming concerning common recently. She looked back at Blake, her lip quivering, as she slowly tried to look for the words. Blake took her bow again, and tied it on top of her head, giving Ruby a small smile. "See? No harm done."

Ruby didn't look too assured. She looked about as hurt as she had before. Blake tried to think of something else to say, but couldn't. Weiss put a hand on her shoulder and started to help her up off the ground. Yang pulled her sister to her feet, looking her in the face and saying "Ruby, this wasn't your fault. Do you understand that? It was an accident."

Weiss pulled on Blake's arm and said "Come on, we need to get you to the nurse." The Faunus was about to voice some objection, but she felt another small trail of blood start to roll its way through the forest of hair that sat atop her head and thought better of letting it continue. She nodded, and allowed herself to be led away by the heiress. Ruby wanted to follow, but her sister held her tight, not letting her move. "Ruby, we need to keep working at this. She's fine, Weiss can take her, but you really need to keep working at this."

Ruby stuttered for a second, trying to think of something to say, but couldn't. There was so much that had gone badly, so much that she never could've dreamed of happening, how could she be expected to simply move on from that? She looked to the doors to the room, and saw Blake and Weiss making their ways up the stairs towards them. Blake was walking mostly under her own power, but Weiss did have a precautionary hand on her back. It didn't seem like she was in danger of falling, but Ruby knew that it was better to be safe than sorry. Her eyes started to tear up again as she thought of the pain that had shot across Blake's face as she had ripped part of her ear off. She shook her head in disbelief. How could she have done that? She should have realized, and stopped somehow. She should've seen her mistake. The duo bound for the nurse exited Goodwitch's classroom, leaving her and her sister alone again. She opened her mouth, about to say something, when her sister's head jerked to the side sharply as if her name had been called.

She looked in the direction, and found Naze now standing in the doorway. His hands were behind his back casually, and he looked at her like he was judging her. He only held this pose for a moment though, before stepping into the room and calling out "What's going on in here?" as he walked down the stairs that the twos' other teammates had rushed up moments before.

Yang seemed to change slightly as he drew closer, she let her arms fall slowly away from Ruby, and her focus seemed to shift away from her. This made Ruby feel more puzzled than anything. Why was Naze so important?

Yang looked from Ruby to Naze, and Ruby thought that she recognized the expression on her face. It was the face that she got when thinking of a way to say something very important. It wasn't often that she ever hesitated to say anything, so Ruby felt her interest peak in anticipation. "Yang, is something going on?" she asked, trying to encourage her sister to say what was on her mind. It was strange, almost like they had switched roles.

Yang didn't respond at first, so Ruby looked to Naze, hoping for some explanation. Naze's only response was to raise an eyebrow and ask "Yes Yang, is something going on?"

The expression of stress that came across Yang's face put Ruby into a state of worry instantly. She put an arm out and onto Yang's arm, saying "Yang, you can tell me anything. You know that." Her sister looked at her for a moment, thinking hard, before smiling and saying "Yeah, I guess I do." She put an arm around Ruby's shoulders and started guiding her away from Naze, saying "Alright, there's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

Naze watched the two walk off, considering if it was an entirely good idea to let Yang tell her sister about him. It would gain loyalty from the older of the two, but Ruby was already in an unstable state. The chances of some kind of unforeseen consequence only went up because of that. It wasn't too late to stop her. But Ruby seemed like she deserved it. She had been on the unfortunate end of much recently, so perhaps it was fair that she receive the more sensitive information.

Naze thought he felt some twinkle of feeling in his chest, and quickly smothered it beneath his immense logic. He had no room for feelings in his plans, at least not from himself. His goal was as it had always been; the growth of knowledge and understanding. He would allow nothing to obstruct his path, not even himself. This did bring up the question of why he was feeling any emotion at all, however. It had been thousands of years since the last time.

He realized what was happening, and let out a hiss of annoyance from both his puppet body and his real form. It seemed that it was that time again. The time when his ripped and twisted soul aligned into the most similar to what it had been in his life, and he would succumb to some of the same deficiencies he had then. He had learned way to combat this change, of course, but there was no way of stopping it completely.

It came at possibly the worst time as well. Just as he tried to establish relations between his own and the living, he would also slip into the same age-old paranoia that had so crippled him when blood had pumped through his body, and air filled his chest. Preparations would have to be made, as they always had to be, and he would have to ensure that his mind did not waver in the slightest in the time to come. How long it would last, he did not know. It could be weeks, months, years, as much as he had studied the phenomena, he could not find any rhyme or reason for what started it. All he could do was whether it, and try to keep his mental faculties at full-function.

But this time was not upon him yet, and there was still time to secure the situation with the living. There was still plenty to do, and he wanted to be in as right of a mind as possible. He turned his attention away from the issue, resuming his focus on the two girls.

It seemed that he did so just as Ruby received the information about his true identity. She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide, than looked back at her sister, whispering in a very hushed voice. What she was saying Naze couldn't quite make out, but whatever it was made her sister smile. She put a arm around her shoulders again and started to walk her over to Naze, Ruby struggling lightly against her sister's arm the whole way. When she came to be standing in front of Naze again, her struggles stopped, and she just pressed against her sister like a cornered animal. Yang held her in place, giving Naze a worried look, as if to say "Please tell her you aren't a monster".

He looked to Ruby, seeing the fear in her eyes, and smiled. "So, Yang told you, right?" Ruby nodded, and squeaked out "Please don't hurt me." In a voice that reminded him of a mouse squeaking as it fled from a predator. He spread his arm wide and said "Have I hurt you before? I assure you Ruby, I've no intention to harm anyone. Your sister was brought back for expressly the opposite."

Ruby narrowed her eyes and said "Is… is it really you?" Naze nodded, saying "Well, now that the secret is out, I may as well tell you. Yes, I am the leader of the undead. Now, as might be expected of information like this, I need you to not tell anyone. Can you do that for me?" She nodded, looking more shell-shocked than anything. Naze looked back to Yang with a raised eyebrow, saying "Perhaps she needs time to fully come to grips."

Yang shrugged, and Naze turned to leave. He had no other business to attend to concerning the girls. Just as he started to walk away, he felt a tug on his hood. He turned again to find Ruby giving him a very hard to place look. Her hand fell away from his hood and went to her cloak, tugging at it nervously. "I-I don't think I ever really thanked you for this…" Her voice trailed off and she pulled the cloak around herself protectively. "…or… or for…"

With sudden speed, she embraced him, wrapping her arms around his waist and blurting out "Or for my sister!" She broke down again, in what seemed to Naze to be a growingly common occurrence, simply stating over and over "Thank you…thank you…" Naze gave Yang a puzzled look before looking back down to the girl. "Indeed…" he started to pry Ruby's arms off of him "Well, I'm afraid that I have other matters that require my attention. If you wish to know anything about us, I'm sure that your sister would be happy to tell you."

He removed himself from her grip and again started to walk away. He heard Yang start speaking to Ruby again, but didn't pay enough attention to their conversation to know what they were saying. His mind was occupied with other things. He had to speak with Ozpin concerning the demon that seemed intent on taking up permanent refuge in Nora's soul. After that, he didn't have much to do. He would study, and plan, and prepare for the coming emotions that would devastate his reason otherwise.

As he neared the door, several pairs of footsteps outside made themselves known. He stepped out of the door, and found himself facing team JNPR, who were walking the opposite direction as he was going. Jaune was the first to recognize him, putting a hand up and saying "Hey, Naze! Have you seen any of RWBY today? They weren't at class, which isn't all that surprising I guess, but we were staring to get worried."

Naze indicated the door that he had just left and said "Ruby and Yang are in there. Apparently there was an accident, so Weiss and Blake have gone to the nurse. I don't believe that Weiss is injured, and I don't think that the damage to Blake is serious." Concerned looks fell over all the faces, except for Nora's. She was staring at Naze with an expression that seemed to be slowly turning to anger. He knew that this was the work of the demon within her, but he found it difficult to care about the matters of such a weak parasite. Jaune's eyes widened, and he stepped forward, saying "Oh man! We should probably get in there, huh?" Naze shrugged his shoulders and said "It couldn't hurt. Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to. It does seem that Ruby needs a little comforting, though."

Jaune nodded and walked in without a moment's hesitation. Pyrrha followed, saying "Talk to you later, I suppose." as she passed. Ren was the next in line, and only nodded as he walked by. Nora was the last to pass, but she did so slowly, eyes locked suspiciously on his. He didn't know what the demon was whispering to her, but he knew that it was nothing good.

He shook his head at the girl and said "Whatever it's saying isn't true." In a matter-of-fact, almost casual tone. Nora's eyes widened, and her mouth opened as if to say something, but Naze simply walked past her. He had no particular interest in anything she had to say.

He continued walking until he came to the large tower that served as the central offices of Beacon. It was early in the day, and all staff were likely all there. He walked in through the doors and headed immediately to the elevator. Pushing the button, he waited for the lift to arrive. As he did so, the secretary behind the desk asked "Um, can I help you? Do you have an appointmen-" with a ding, the doors slid open and Naze walked in, hitting the button for the top floor. As the doors slid shut again, he answered the question. "No, thank you, I'll see myself up."

The elevator slid smoothly up the shaft, and Naze quickly found the doors opening again out into Ozpin's office. It seemed that there was a scene in progress, and that he was intruding on it. A tall man in a white suit was leaning on Ozpin's desk, both hands palm down on the metallic surface. Ozpin was sitting behind his desk, and though he was now looking at the elevator, Naze would've guessed that he was looking up at the man in front of him. He also noticed Penny standing in the middle of the room, her arms up around herself like she was afraid. She was just starting to turn to look at him as well.

A heavy second of silence passed as he stepped out of the elevator and started to walk towards Ozpin's desk. As he did so, the uniformed man said "Ah, why don't we just ask him?"

Naze raised an eyebrow while saying "I've come to discuss a private matter with the Headmaster. I'm afraid I really have no interest in sharing with you." The man made a deep grunt and said "Really? We've quite an interest in discussing with you. Penny, do you mind repeating what you said earlier?"

Penny seemed almost to shrink under the attention that was suddenly set upon her. She started to shake, and her hands worked incessantly. "What? Oh, um, no." She gave a small hiccup "Not at all, Mr. Ironwood, Sir." Naze didn't recognize the name. The way he was dressed and the use of the title seemed to suggest that he was of a military background, though.

Penny gave Naze one last hesitant look before turning her gaze blankly ahead of her, as if the was reciting something that she had memorized. "I met Naze in an alleyway. He didn't give off any life signs, so I thought that he was dead. When I went to see if there was anything I could do for him, he got up. We spent most of the evening walking around Vale." Ironwood took a step towards her and said "Were there any notable incidents?"

Penny nodded, again hesitantly, and said "Naze broke into the local cemetery, and discovered that I am an artificial person." Ironwood took another step closer, and said coaxingly "Anything else? Did he say anything particularly interesting or out of the ordinary?"

Penny seemed to be very uncomfortable now, fidgeting and shuffling away from Ironwood. "He said… that he was… dead." She tried to phrase it as unassumingly as possible, but that didn't seem to blunt the impact of her words. Ironwood looked back to Ozpin as if to say "I told you so" before casting his gaze to Naze himself. "Well? Do you have any explanation for this? Why would you say something like that? Are you in league with these risen dead from last night? Are you some kind of infiltrator, a spy, or perhaps an assassin?" Ozpin stood from his seat, coffee mug clinking against the desk loudly, saying "Damn it James! You cannot honestly assume such things with such little information! He may be dead, but he is still one of my students! I will not allow you to label him as some kind of terrorist without reason. Now, please, if you could take your paranoid delusions elsewhere, or at least save them for tonight where you can ask about them, I would greatly appreciate it."

He walked past Ironwood than stopped a few steps from him, arm out towards the elevator. "Now if you'll excuse me, one of my students has need of me."

James Ironwood simply looked at Ozpin blankly for a moment before something in his eyes softened. He took a few steps towards the man and said "Oz, I'm sorry if I offended you, but-" Ozpin's only response was to point again at the elevators, now looking away from the man. Ironwood looked down and said "I see. I'll… contact you later. I hope we can work this out." Ozpin didn't react, and Ironwood gestured at Penny, saying "Come along. We've places to be."

The pair got in the elevator and hit the button to go down. As the doors slid shut, Naze caught Penny mothing the words "I'm sorry" to him silently. Perhaps she thought he would be offended. It was clear enough to him that she was under duress to say what she had.

Ozpin walked back to his desk slowly, breathing heavily as he did so. He sat in his seat and put a hand to his forehead. "Believe it or not, we were great friends once. I suppose that time has a rather unique way of testing our bonds, though."

Naze nodded and smiled, saying "I know the tests well, Sir." Ozpin let his hand fall back to the desk tiredly and gazed at Naze. "Ah, of course you do. It's difficult to think of you as any older than a teenage boy. Anyways, enough of that bitter matter. What is it that you came to discuss?" Naze shook his head, his expressionless face going from side to side. "I'm afraid the problem I come with is more bitter than dissolving friendships. It's about our demon friend. I'm afraid that it's somehow found its way back to Nora Valkyrie. I believe that it is starting to speak to her, influencing her behavior and thoughts. If left unopposed, the situation could become much more…dire."

Ozpin knit his fingers together and said questioningly "Dire? What can be done to stop that?" Naze looked out the window over the sprawl of the city below for a moment before saying "I'm afraid that there is very little. You could kill the girl, or by some course of action, get her killed. That would deprive the demon of a host. Other than that, there aren't many other courses. You might be able to deal with the demon, but such deals are never good. I might recommend an exorcism of some kind, but with no gods to fight them, demons are more or less on a plane all their own."

Ozpin put his arms flat on the desk and said "That's it? Certainly there must be more that we could do. Perhaps you could try what you did the first time, and simply remove it?" Another shake of the head "I'm afraid not. Short of destroying the girl's soul, you're out of luck. That demon has its claws dug into her now. To pull it out would shred her completely." Ozpin sighed and, after a moment to reserved silence, said "It's difficult to believe that creatures as dangerous as this were ever able to be overcome." Naze nodded in an equally reserved way. "Yes. It has been, quite literally, a miracle, in every instance. Divine intervention is not something to be underestimated. I don't know what you'll do in lieu of a god this time, though. I don't doubt that I'll find it very interesting."

Ozpin let out a troubled sigh and said "You speak like this is going to become an issue. I think I'd much rather believe that these creatures have taken a permanent leave of our world, and that this one is the last echo of a bad memory." Naze shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Believe what you like. It won't be my soul in danger should they decide to come back. It never has been." He turned from the window and looked at Ozpin, shrugging. "But it will likely not be my fight when it comes. I've always attempted to maintain a certain amount of neutrality with demons. It's never been much of an issue, there have always been those they hated more than me to distract them."

Naze turned away from Ozpin and started walking towards the door again. "Anyways, I've things to do. You've been made aware of the situation, and what you do is your choice; I wouldn't seek to make it for you. Have fun coming to a decision." He walked to the elevator and hit the button. Instantly one of the pairs of doors slid open and gave a small ding.

Ozpin nodded and said "Very well, don't let me keep you. And, I hope to see you at the event this evening." Naze nodded as the doors started to slide shut. "Indeed, I'll be there, whether you see me or not. Thank you for your time; it was a pleasure, as always." The doors shut, and the elevator slid back down to earth.

* * *

Tell me what you thought, specifically about the characters of Ozpin, Ironwood, Penny, and Weiss's family.

Also about the demon stuff. I want to be sure its all making sense.


	19. Chapter 19

Solace stopped walking and put his back to the wall of the alleyway, feeling the hammer on his back push against the stone. He pulled his tome from his side and cracked it open, letting the sides fall open in the metal encased fingers. The hallowed prayers and hymns all flashed past his eyes, recounting the history of his order, but he was looking for one subject in particular. He knew that he had seen the name Naze before, now it was only a matter of finding it…

He stopped the flipping pages with a finger as one section in particular almost went by. The Litanies of the Foes. It was here that all enemy's names were recorded when they could be determined. This was difficult in the cases of minor threats, but the more powerful the adversary, the higher up their name would be. He had never encountered Naze, nor any servant of Naze, but one of his order must have at some point.

He past many names on his search, but none were what he was looking for. After several minutes, and constant searching, he was about to give up, thinking that it was possible this one had sprung up after he had been entombed, or that he had perhaps changed his name, when on one of the last pages in large, bold golden print read "Naze the Eternal"

He quickly stopped the pages and read eagerly, hoping for any information that may help. He was so eager, and his mind so excited, that he slipped into speaking his old language, Thelasian. It was somewhat guttural in comparison to the speech that he had learned recently, being spoken mostly from the back of the throat and the lower diaphragm. This made it reverberate off the walls in-between the buildings rather loudly.

"Naze the Eternal

Record: This being, while on of the most powerful the Order has ever encountered, shows very peculiar behavior. Whereas most liches have plans, agendas, and schemes to advance their own nefarious goals, no such motivations have ever been observed from him. Accounts of unprovoked attacks are being researched. No such information to date."

He stopped briefly. Was there really no record of an unprovoked attack? That was uncharacteristic of a lich, to be sure. He continued.

"Research into the origin of this creature have been found to be inconclusive. It has been generally agreed upon by the Grandmasters of the Order that its resurrection predated the founding of the order by at least two thousand years. Research into this area has been halted."

Two thousand years? He had the dread feeling that it was much longer than that. If he had been left so long to garner power, than why wouldn't he use it?

"Recorded battles with this creature and its minions include: Fourth Holy Crusade, Garnet's division (one hundred strong; seventy five Paladins, twenty Priests, five Purifiers) was completely destroyed. Fourth Holy Crusade, Reedman's division (two hundred fifty strong; one hundred fifty Paladins, seventy five Priests, twenty five Purifiers) was completely destroyed. Galen's division…"

His body went numb as he fell silent and continued to read. There were hundreds of entries, with the scale of Holy forces increasing each time, and each one ended the same way; completely destroyed. It was difficult to comprehend what kind of a force was capable of that. Eventually the numbers of people lost even stretched into the tens of thousands. There were more, but he didn't need to read it. It was clear that his Order hadn't gotten much intelligence on him either. He kept flipping the pages, doing his best to not look at the battle records. There had to be something else. Some word of guidance, or hidden wisdom.

At the final page of the record, there was an addendum that pulled his attention towards it. "High Grandmaster's Command: extenuating circumstances have led this, the most Holy of Orders, to abandon attempts to destroy this creature. Though it is an abomination to the very ways of nature itself, losses have been too great to allow continued efforts. The lands of this creature are to be deemed off-limits, and any violators are to be excommunicated from the Order. Serve with the Light."

Solace nearly dropped the book. He was strong, but he was not too far off from the average Paladin. He had been high ranking, but that was a result of his valor and heroism more than anything else. If thousands of men and women who had undergone the same training that he had were killed, than what chance did he alone have?

The book snapped shut, and he looked to the sky. The sun burned brightly above him, just as it had done for millions of years. He closed his eyes, and felt the same burning light inside himself. His soul had burned similarly for as long as he had lived. He couldn't let doubt darken the Holy power within himself. His order might have died, but they left a legacy. These Hunters operated on a similar principal, so perhaps they would be willing to lend him aid. He thought about where the nearest person was that he could go to for this was. The first person that came to mind was Professor Ozpin.

His eyes went opened again, going to the tower of Beacon Academy. He didn't know what had transpired after he had been removed, but something must have happened. He hoped that Naze the Eternal had not forced any into his service. His mind wandered to the girl that had been the object of his attention. Hopefully the sister, Ruby, had come to her senses and not allowed him to defile her sister's soul. If she had, than Solace would have an unfortunate task ahead of him. It would be painful to tear two sisters apart a second time, but they were being used. He couldn't allow that.

He started to walk, heavy armor clanking against the paved ground with every step. He stood out incredibly well in a crowd with his armor on, and it seemed that even a few people recognized him from last night. None said anything, though, and he was left to continue his walk uninterrupted.

Reaching the school took little time at all, given the efficient way that the streets were laid out in the city of Vale. Before he even had time to fully contemplate what it was that he would say, he found himself walking into the doors of the building, having to duck slightly to clear the doorway. The receptionist sitting behind the desk at the far end of the room looked up, saying "Hello! What can I…" before her voice trailed off as her eyes traced up the massive and imposing form the Solace projected in his armor. She quickly resumed her greeting, shuffling several objects on her desk so that she didn't have to look directly at him. "What can I do for you, sir?"

Solace walked up to the desk, somewhat amused by the fact that he towered over it so completely, and gave the woman a charismatic smile. "I assure you ma'am, I've no intention to harm you. I do have urgent business however, and must speak with the Headmaster of this school immediately." The woman seemed comforted by his friendly demeanor, but still somewhat nervous to deny him anything. He greatly wished that she would calm down.

"Oh, I see." She said, looking through another few papers before looking to the projected screen to her side. "I believe that Mr. Ozpin is expecting someone soon, but I could call him and ask if he is willing to see you." Solace nodded and said "That would be fine, thank you."

The woman turned away from him and started to interact again with the screen. Solace turned and took a few steps away from the desk, giving the woman some space. To preoccupy himself until she was done, he looked over his armor. He had gotten most of the scratches and marks out, but those were of little concern to him. His real concern was the effect that death magic could have on his armor and, more importantly, him. While both he and the armor were sanctified to resist such powers, it could have a long lasting effect, hanging around like a miasma. He had found nothing, in spite of his most critical looking. It seemed that his shell was free from the taint of that foul magic. Why the lich had let that be the case, he didn't know. Certainly he could have killed him without any issue, right?

The woman cleared her throat and said "Mister? Can I have a name, and a reason you want to see him? I'm sorry, but I can't just let you up without those." Solace nodded again, saying "Certainly! My name is Solace Lah, and I would like to speak with him about the matters of last night." At this, the woman frowned and said "Oh, I'm sorry sir, but I've been instructed not to let any reporters or media up. I'm very sorry, but you'll have to wait for the conference later tonight."

One of Solace's eyebrows shot up, and he said "Conference? Media? No, you misunderstand, I want to speak with him concerning the safety of the school, and all those who attend it. It really is an urgent matter." He thought for a moment before adding "Tell him I know who it was that brought Ms. Xiao Long back from the dead, and that this is a matter of grave importance." The woman gave him a doubtful look, but nodded. "Alright, I'll try that. Please be patient, the Headmaster can sometimes take a while to respond."

Solace nodded again and said "Of course. I'm sure he's a busy man." before turning away again. He appreciated the woman's attitude. In his time in the "modern world" he had come across some very foul-tempered people who filled the same role she did. He waited for several minutes, after a while he simply pulled the tome from his side again and started reading silently.

"Sir, you can go right up." Came the voice from behind him, and he turned to find the woman pointing at the elevator. He nodded his appreciation, saying "Thank you." as he walked towards it. The doors slid open before he even hit the button, and he stepped inside. It might've been his imagination, but he thought he felt the box lower slightly as his full weight went onto it. He hit the top button, and waited as the doors closed and the box started to ascend, pulled by the network of cables and pulleys that made up the elevator shaft.

When the doors next opened, he found himself in a circular room that seemed to be composed mostly of windows, with a large number of gears in seemingly every spot that they could be placed. There was even a rotating display hanging from the top of the room, though he could see no obvious function for the system. At the far end of the room was a somewhat small, and surprisingly simple desk. Seated behind the desk was the white-haired man himself, half-moon glasses and all that he had had last night, Ozpin.

Solace stepped into the room, waiting for Ozpin to acknowledge his presence somehow. He was scrawling on a small piece of paper, and seemed rather busy. Solace cleared his throat, and Ozpin looked up. "Ah, my apologies. I didn't hear the elevator." He stood from his seat and started to walk over to Solace. "Now, I understand that you know something of the mystery individual from last night. If you would be so inclined to share, I would certainly enjoy hearing it."

Solace nodded and said "Yes. I'm afraid that I haven't much knowledge, but what I do have may be invaluable. He was…" Solace started to speak, but his voice trailed off as he saw something on the man's desk that caught his totally off guard.

Another Holy tome of his Order, in good condition, simply sitting on the man's desk. There didn't appear to be any special care given to it, or any other related material around it, it was simply sitting on the desk.

Ozpin's eyes followed Solace's back to his desk, and he said "Ah, you seem to have found one of the more recent mysteries to come across that desk. One of my students found it when they were out on a mission, and I'm afraid that no one has the slightest clue as to how to read it. I've just gotten it back from the labs, and all that they've been able to confirm for me is that it's in a different language." He raised an eyebrow, eyes going from Solace's face to the symbol on the breastplate of his armor, than to the symbol on the front of the book, and back to his face. A wry smile came across his face, and he said "You wouldn't be able to read it, would you?"

Solace nodded, not entirely sure what to say. Many thoughts were going through his head, and he could put none of them into words. In place of any actual thought, his brain reverted back to the Paladin respect he had learned from his elders. "Yes Sir, I can."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow and said "Well then, I suppose you may as well take it." He started walking back over to the desk and grabbed it in one hand, lifting it off and holding it out for Solace. "Here, it's certainly doing us no good. If you could help translate, that would be greatly appreciated." Solace nodded again, saying "I would be happy to." Before he snapped back into it and asking "I'm sorry, I can simply have this?"

Ozpin shrugged his shoulders and said "Well, I suppose you could do some missions for me, if you really want to pay for it, but let's not worry about that now. You had something to tell me?" Solace nodded again and said "Yes! I don't think you realize just what that thing from last night was. I can tell you that that unholy abomination was not to be trusted. You must not allow it to resurrect the Ruby girl's sister! As I said last night, it will twist her very soul to fit its insidious proposes! It would be better for her to stay dead."

Ozpin turned away from Solace, looking out the window into the distance. His silence was somewhat foreboding to Solace, who was already dreading the possibility that he had missed his opportunity by being defeated. Without turning around, Ozpin said "You haven't seen the news since last night, have you?"

Solace shook his head and said "I'm afraid not. I wasn't quite… lucid after the happenings of last night. I can hardly recall any of the happenings of the evening after that fight. I may be somewhat behind on things."

Ozpin turned back to face him, a somewhat regretful look on his face. "You are a bit too late, than. Ms. Xiao Long has already been brought back. She has a media conference scheduled for later today, where she promises to answer every question that is asked to the best of her ability." Solace felt the color drain from his face, and his fingers go numb. He was too late. He wanted to curse and swear, and to throw his entire might at the lich for corrupting a child.

Ozpin saw his reaction, and said "You are allowed to attend the conference, of course, but I'm afraid that if you act the way that you did last night, I will have you removed." Solace looked to the man, barely understanding what he was saying. "I…I don't…" He stopped and took a deep breath, ordering his thoughts carefully. After he was done, he spoke again "Where and when is this conference?"

.

Professor Port stood at the front of his class, going into excruciating detail about one of his various adventures that he had as a younger, giving a plethora of details, some of which may have even been true. As it stood, however, there were only about five students who were actually listening to what he was saying, and Nora was not one of them. Instead, she sat impatiently fidgeting, waiting for the end bell to ring. After that happened, she was sure that Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren would insist that they go see Ruby and Yang. She couldn't say that she didn't want to join them, but she was sure that she wouldn't like it. She didn't know why, but when she saw Yang, she felt sick. Sick and angry. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she knew what was really going on. Her friends didn't, but then again, they didn't have a little friend to talk to all the time.

She knew that her friend was much smarter than everyone else; it had helped her so many times, reminding her of things she had forgotten, telling her the answers of homework and tests, and even told her what to say sometimes. That mostly happened with Ren, though. She didn't mind, though. She had made Ren laugh and smile in the last few days than she could remember him ever doing. And every time he did, Nora felt like she was empty without him.

She glanced over at him, and felt her cheeks grow red at just the sight of him. His pink eyes flicked over to her for a moment, and she quickly looked back at the professor. A classroom was no place for the feelings that she would get if he started to stare. Instead of looking at Ren, she looked down at the paper on the desk in front of her.

She had been doodling most of the class, and most of the time her doodles were just a series of interconnecting scribbles, but these seemed more structured. Not only were they not incoherent lines, they also demonstrated a kind of skill that she had never known she had. Mostly they were sketches of things that she liked: sloths, pancakes, Ren, but there were a few standouts that covered the paper. They were mostly ones that she had done without looking, and strangely enough seemed to have the most detail. They were of very weird creatures, obviously not Grimm, but something else. There was no pattern to their physiology, some had three legs, some had none, and some didn't even have heads. Most of the other ones were just landscapes. She didn't know why she had drawn them, she had never seen such rocky crags and inhospitable looking swaths of land in her life, but she had dotted the sides of the spearhead cliffs and the infinite drops with small creatures like the others that she had drawn.

No more ideas for things to draw came to mind, so she let her pencil fall back to the desk. All other forms of entertainment exhausted, she thought to herself "Hey Tiny, come on."

Tiny was what she had decided to call her little friend, because calling him "little friend" was too long. It sounded cute, and she liked it.

Tiny responded by putting the image of a bed in her mind, and saying "Sleep to pass the time. You're tired." It was true, she hadn't slept well last night. She had been somewhat distracted, by various things. She had homework to do, she had some coffee an hour before, Ren was in the room, she had her music on pretty loud, nothing really out of the ordinary.

But she didn't want to sleep. Dreaming was fun, but sleeping was boring. There was no guarantee that she would even remember the dream, and she didn't want to use the time doing something that could be boring. There had to be something that she could do.

She thought at Tiny again, this time asking "Can you make me feel good again?" It had happened a few times since she had first felt it when she had put Tiny inside of her, and usually had something to do with Ren. Why exactly Tiny seemed to like Ren, she didn't know, but she was very glad that they both saw Ren as attractive. It made it easy for them to get along. Tiny had helped her get along with Ren better than she usually did, telling her when she was annoying him, when to back off and give him some space, and when to push for more contact. She felt closer to Ren than she ever had before, and she was almost happier than she ever had been before. Everything was just going well for her. Except, of course, Naze.

Tiny considered her request for a moment before replying "Only a little. You haven't done anything yet." She agreed. Tiny let her feel good as a kind of reward for doing things well. She hadn't really done much today, so she didn't get much pleasure. Tiny let some of the feeling of warmth and pleasure move through her body, and she felt herself react in spite of her attempts to not let it show.

Her fingers twitched, her mouth opened ever so slightly, and she felt her pupils dilate, forcing her to look down slightly. She was sure that she felt several pairs of eyes move to her, and she did her best to lean back in her seat and look natural. Jaune tapped her shoulder, making her jump in surprise, and said "Nora, are you alright? You look kind of red." Her skin was flushed, tingling warmly against the cool air of the room and the soft fiber of her clothes.

She shook her head, and Tiny whispered to her the words "No, I'm fine." to her, on account of her being fairly distracted by the feeling that she had. She repeated the words out loud to Jaune almost as soon as Tiny had said them. She felt proud at how good she was getting at that. Jaune raised an eyebrow and looked at her doubtingly before shrugging his shoulders and saying "Alright." In an unconvinced voice. Nora was about to tell him that she was serious, and that there was no need to worry, when Tiny spoke again in her head. "Its fine, he won't worry. Just be quiet. He only wants to continue talking to Pyrrha anyways."

Sure enough, Jaune started to whisper to Pyrrha. What about, Nora didn't know, but it sounded pretty boring to her. Instead of paying attention to any of what was happening around her, she simply sat back and enjoyed the feeling that Tiny gave her. It was in this fashion that she passed the majority of the class; leaned back in her chair, eyes unmoving and unfocused. The bell startled her when it rung, and everyone in the room quickly started to pack their things and make for the exit. Professor Port wrapped up the end of his story in a somewhat rushed manner, and Nora sighed. That was it for sitting around.

She slid an arm across the desk, making all of her items tumble off the side of the table and into the open bag that was sitting on the floor beside it. Not a single item missed its mark, and Nora smiled as she picked the bag up off the floor, shouldering it and joining her team in a walk towards the door. As she did so, she could practically feel Ren's proximity to her. Her skin prickled in his direction, telling her where he was in a way that she had never felt before. She supposed that she had Tiny to thank for that. It seemed that agreeing to help her little friend was one of the best decisions she could've made. The benefits to it seemed to be so expansive that she could hardly remember when she didn't have them.

As the four exited the room, Pyrrha put a hand on her arm, slowing her down and letting the boys get somewhat far away before saying in a hushed voice "Nora, is there anything that you want to talk about? Any, I don't know, questions… or concerns?" She looked awkward, to say the least. Nora tilted her head and gave her a puzzled look before replying cheerily "No. Why, do you have any questions or concerns?

Pyrrha rolled her eyes and gave a small sigh, pulling Nora to a complete stop. She knelt down to face level with the energetic ginger and said quietly "Nora, did you ever get…" she flinched, closed her eyes, and started again "Did you ever get "the talk" from your parents, or anyone? Maybe Ren, or your guardian, or anyone else?"

Nora racked her brain for anything resembling "the talk". She didn't even know what it was; how was she supposed to know if she had gotten it? She briefly turned the question to Tiny, whose response was just as puzzled as hers. Slowly, she shook her head. Nora gave a somewhat more exasperated sigh and looked down at the floor. "Alright, I guess I should talk to Ren about that." She spoke quietly, almost like she only intended the words for herself. Nora felt a tinge of annoyance at the cryptic nature of how Pyrrha was talking. "What is "the talk"? I want to know!"

Pyrrha quickly placed a hand over Nora's mouth and looked around at the people walking by to see if they had heard or understood Nora's outburst. A slight hue of embarrassment was starting to work its way across her skin as she looked back at her manically happy teammate. "Alright, listen; I need to talk to Ren about this. Until then, don't say anything about it to anyone. Got that?" Her voice was stern, but gentle at the same time. Nora nodded eagerly, and Pyrrha let her hand drop away from the girl's mouth.

"Alright, come on." Pyrrha sounded tired. Nora was slightly tired too, but she would've rather stayed awake. The two started walking back in the direction that their male counterparts had gone, and stopped after they had realized that the females were staying behind. Both were looked at Nora and Pyrrha with confusion and curiosity on their faces. As they came into closer distance, Jaune started to ask Pyrrha about it, but she waved him off before he had even finished the question. "We'll talk about it later." was her only response.

Nora looked to her side at Ren, realizing that he was looking at her strangely. It was a strange mixture of things in his eyes that she saw. She was concern, and she wasn't entirely sure why he felt that. She was doing better than she ever had in the past, both academically and personally. But she saw other things in his eyes too, once they were pointed out by Tiny. She saw a kind of yearning, like he very much wanted something from her, but couldn't bring himself to ask. It made her sad, and just a little upset that he would have trouble approaching her about anything, no matter what it was. It was strange, though, that she had never seen that strange edge in his eyes before. It didn't seem like something that she would normally miss. But she was eager to fix it. She would do anything for Ren. He was strong, and brave, and had always been there for her in the past. She wanted to do everything that she could for him.

And Tiny agreed. Ever since she had helped Tiny, she had seen and felt so much more than she ever really had before. It was as if she had been introduced to a new color, and was seeing it everywhere now. There was no way to describe it, all she could do was enjoy it. Jaune cleared his throat from beside Pyrrha and asked "So, uh, where to now that classes are over for today?"

Ren was the first to respond, saying "Well, we had to leave Ruby in something of a hurry. We should probably go and check on her again." Jaune and Pyrrha nodded, but Nora disagreed. "No, I don't want to go there!" Her voice was a little more impassioned then she had meant it to be, but she didn't mind too much. The others gave her confused looks, and Jaune asked "What? Why?" Nora realized that she would have to justify her objection, and tried to use her own reason before asking Tiny. "I don't like Yang. I mean, I like Yang, but I don't want to go see her. She makes me feel sick, and I don't know why. And…"

She could see that her argument was not making much leeway, so she let Tiny try, repeating immediately after him everything that he said. "…and they Ruby said that Blake had gotten injured, and that Weiss had taken her to the infirmary. We've already visited Ruby and Yang, whereas we haven't seen either Blake or Weiss at all today. I think it would send the wrong message if we were to show favor for one and not the other."

They paused at this. It showed a level logic that they weren't used to Nora possessing. Jaune was the first to speak after, saying "Yeah, I guess she's right. We probably should go and talk to Blake and see how she's doing. What happened to her, anyways? I know Yang said, but I think I missed it." Pyrrha responded, saying "She said something about her ears. Which pair she was talking about, I don't know, but it couldn't have been pleasant."

The course of the group took them to the infirmary, and Jaune held the door open for his teammates as they all walked in, again giving Nora a strange look. Nora avoided looking at him, not wanting to take the chance that he would see the pleasure on her face and ask her about it. She had learned quickly that such altercations were awkward, and she felt stupid for attracting the attention she had in the classroom. She would have to get better at hiding her feelings in the future. She couldn't really be blamed, though, could she? She doubted that anyone else had ever been hit with pleasure that fast before. There was no way to brace for it.

Jaune walked up to the front help desk and asked if a Ms. Belladonna was checked in. She smiled and nodded, pointing behind her and down a hall, speaking a string of numbers that probably coincided with Blake's room. Jaune waved for them to follow as he started to walk down the hall. They took a few quick steps to catch up, and Jaune said "Alright, she gave me a number, but she also said that Blake was just sitting on the bed with the door open, so we probably don't need it." Pyrrha rolled her eyes, and they kept walking. After a while of looking, the team did find Blake's room.

She was just as the nurse had said, sitting on the bed, legs hanging over the side, tapping her foot rapidly. When Jaune stepped into the room, she looked up, and the grim expression on her face lifted a little. "Hey Blake!" Jaune said, giving her a small wave. He looked her over at first, trying to see what was the matter, when he saw something that he never had before. One pointed cat-like ear stood up off of her head, and on the other side of her head, there was something that looked like it might have mirrored the first one at some point, but was now little more than a gnarled remnant. It barely stood any higher than her hair did off of her head, and would have been almost invisible of not for the dried blood around it matting Blake's hair.

He knew that Blake was a Faunus, he had known that for a long time now, but it still seemed very strange to see her with the traits of a Faunus. She usually wore the bow so often that it was practically impossible to imagine her without it.

Blake returned his wave, saying "What brings you here? Did Ruby send you? Tell her that I'm fine, and that she needs to stop worrying about it." Jaune shook his head and said "No, Ruby didn't send us. We just heard that our friend got hurt and decided to come over." Blake scoffed and said "Well, if you're hoping to find Weiss, I don't think you will. She left a few minutes ago." Jaune shook his head again and said "No, I'm serious. We just came for you."

Pyrrha stepped forward with a hand over her mouth, saying "Oh my! How did that happen?" Blake looked at the worry on Pyrrha's face for a moment before shrugging and saying "Ruby and I were trying a workout (designed by Yang, of course) where she had to pull the bow off my head. I think that she meant it as a joke at first, but one way or another, we actually turned out doing it. Ruby used her semblance, but grabbed a bit of my ear too. It hurt, but I don't think I need to be here any longer. A doctor came and cleaned it out, so I should be ready to go. I'd really like to get back to Ruby. How is she doing, by the way?"

Ren answered the question by saying "We don't know how she is. We only talked to her a few minutes after you left. If I'm totally honest… it seemed like she had something else on her mind. I don't know what, but I think that Yang told her something important. Like I said, I really don't know what that could be, but she seemed pretty shaken up. I don't know if that was because of what happened with you, or because of what Yang could've told her." There were a few silent moments before Pyrrha asked "You don't know what she could've told her, do you?"

Blake leaned back on her hands and let out a long sigh before looking back at the group, a hard edge in her eye. "Can you all promise that you won't tell anyone else about this?" Now very interested, all of them nodded their heads. Blake nodded with them, then said "Good. I don't really don't have any proof to back this up, so I don't want it to be spread around." She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts, before saying "I think Naze might be… well… dead. Or at least, working with those dead people." Eyes widened around the room, and Nora became somewhat surprised that Blake knew this. "I know this sounds crazy, but you have to hear me out. You haven't seen the same stuff I have; He never eats anything, never drinks, doesn't blink most of the time, and you can't tell me you haven't noticed the way he acts."

There were solemn nods from the others. Nora looked around, wondering if Blake would be able to convince them of this. She wondered what Tiny would think about the situation, and no later did the thought cross her mind that it was followed by a single word response. "Patience."

Blake continued talking "And on top of that, he has that sword. He swears that it's a family heirloom, but it's made of the same kind of metal that Yang's new hand is! We saw them put that hand on, so what does that say about how he got it? And it's really convenient that his whole family died, and there was no trace left, right? How would anyone be able to confirm or deny his story if he's the only one who's telling it?"

Ren spoke up, breaking Blake's rant. "That's crazy. He could've gotten that sword through any means, it doesn't mean that he's in league with some group of dead people. And besides, so what if he is? Beacon is a public school, and Yang is allowed in. Why does it matter?"

Jaune reacted before even Blake could, saying "No, that makes sense. What if he's some kind of spy? You know, now that I think about it, I don't even think I've seen the guy breath before." He turned to his side and said "Pyrrha, what do you think?" Pyrrha looked like she didn't like being called on out of the blue like that, but she also looked like she didn't like the idea of an undead spy at their school. "I think that Yang being obviously announced as… well… what she is now makes that better. But I don't like the idea that anyone around us could be working for them. That gives them more power than they should have." She looked around, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "At least, in my opinion. If he is, it should be announced. Someone should know about this."

Ren shrugged "Than what, we tell Ozpin? What do you think he'll do about it? What could he do about it?" Blake spoke again, saying "I don't know, but we can't just keep this to ourselves! At least Ozpin might know what to do, we are clueless!"

The voice of Tiny started to speak, and on reflex, Nora spoke out loud. "We can't really just let this slip by, can we? We have a duty to protect the innocent, and if anyone gets hurt because we didn't tell anyone, than we failed."

To Nora's horror, Ren spoke against her. "Who's to say that they aren't innocent? They haven't done anything wrong so far! If we're going by total wrongdoings of an entire people, than we have a lot of ground to make up before we can start criticizing other people!" A heavy silence fell over the room again as they all considered this. There was certainly no denying that their history wasn't a great show of morality or human goodness.

Tiny spoke again, and Nora could feel herself becoming more and more invested in the actual discussion. Normally she would stay out of something like this, but there was a certain appeal to it that she had never really found before. She spoke for Tiny, eager to hear what it had to say. "We don't know anything about their history. For all we know, they could be genocidal lunatics who use the whole "ambassador" thing as a front to gain trust! And what proof do they present for their claims? Their word?" Tiny did make a good argument. Though Nora did feel bad about speaking against Ren, she was sure that Tiny would help her fix whatever problems, if any, resulted from the argument.

Ren shook his head and folded his arms, saying "It's hard to believe that you people are being so close-minded. Can't you even give them a chance to prove their claims? How would you feel in their situation?" Faces all around the room drooped, and looks of guilt started to come across them. Ren wasn't done, though. "And Blake, I know that all of this sort of spiraled out of control from your original suggestion, which was just that you suspected some association, but shouldn't you know better than this?" Blake gave him a hurt look. "I hate to bring this up, I really do, but shouldn't you know the dangers of talk like this better than any of us?"

Blake returned Ren's hard gaze for only a few moments before her good ear folded down flat against her head and closed her eyes, turning her face towards the ground. In a hushed and guilty voice, she said "I… I didn't… just forget I said anything, alright?"

Ren let the stony quality of his gaze fall, seeing that his point had been made. Not wanting this discussion come between him and a friend, he stepped over to the side of the bed Blake sat on and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her as best he could. He suddenly became very aware of how much he had just spoken in comparison to how much he normally did, and felt his face turn slightly red.

Before anyone else could say another word, footsteps in the hall cut off any possibility of further discussion on the topic. All of the teens shut their mouths as a man in a white coat walked in, looking at a clipboard and saying "Alright Ms. Belladonna, simply…" before he looked up and saw the multitude of new faces. He smiled and said "Don't worry children, your friend will be fine." Then held a small white bottle out to Blake. "Now, as I was saying, simply apply this antibiotic to the wound twice a day, and you should be safe from infection. Do you have any other questions or concerns?"

Blake shook her head and said "No sir. Thank you." The doctor smiled again and nodded, saying "Good. That's it, than. You are free to go."

.

Yang looked out across the fairly spacious interior of the room. It seemed larger than it had last night, but that was when it had been set up for a funeral. Now the setup was very different. The raised platform was still present, but now there was a table and chairs where her coffin had been, and the seating in the rest of the room was arranged to fit more people comfortably. The flowers and banners had been taken down (something that she was somewhat grateful for. It was incredibly disconcerting to see one's own face plastered across massive room-spanning banners.).

A steady flow of people were trickling into the room, most of whom Yang didn't recognize. Almost all of them bore some mark of a media person, whether it be a camera, notepad, scroll, or any other device that could be used to record questions and responses. There were a few familiar faces, friends she had in different classes, as well as her close friends. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were seated near the front, and she made it a point to smile and wave at them. All of them responded in kind, but that didn't make her feel much better. Ruby still seemed pretty shaken up from learning that Naze, who had just seemed to be a weird stranger from out of town, actually was the head of a huge organization of dead people who were all, to put it bluntly, obsessed with certain fields of research. She had done her best to explain that they were completely devoted to their research, and that they couldn't really care less about what the living were doing, but that Naze wanted to try something different than letting people simply grow afraid of them as time went on.

It was a little rough explaining to her sister that that was the entire reason that she had been brought back from the dead, but she was fairly sure she had gotten her point across. She had come up with an analogy that she thought was pretty accurate and easy to understand; that it was basically a job, and that being brought back was like being hired. If she didn't do her job, she would get fired. Ruby had asked her about what would happen to her if her job became unnecessary, and Yang had laughed. Somehow she didn't think that the position that she filled would be going away any time soon.

More people filtered in through the doors, and Yang spied the members of team JNPR walk through the doors somewhat awkwardly and take seats near the back of the room. She couldn't blame them about that, spots at the front were filling up fast. It made sense that they didn't want to contend for them.

One figure in particular caught her attention, and she instantly recognized the heavily armored figure of the Paladin that Naze had blasted out the door last night. Speaking of…

She looked at the doors, confirming that they were in fact still on their hinges. They were, and Yang felt the need to give props to whoever was on the repair crew with that one. The Paladin stepped into the room, looking around for a brief moment before his eyes seemed to lock with Yang's, and a sad look came over his face. She like she had done something wrong for a brief moment before she remembered how he had shouted about her soul being "twisted to the whim of the lich", or whatever it was that he had said. He didn't think that she was actually herself. He thought that she was some imitation of herself. She shook her head, thinking about how ridiculous the idea was, and waved at him.

When he saw her do that, he averted his eyes. Either he wasn't a fan of attention, or he didn't want to see her acting like a real person. She got the impression that he wasn't used to seeing dead people act like they still had personalities. That made her want to go over and say a more personal hello, but she knew better than to do that. She didn't want to start another fight.

She let her eyes drift around the room again, looking for anything that might interest her. News people were setting up cameras all over the room, just like last night, and she wondered just how many people would be watching her, not just live, but for the numerous reruns that she knew would be coming afterword.

She looked behind her at the countdown timer that signaled when the whole presentation would start. She hadn't seen the point at first, but Ozpin had insisted that it be included. Now that she stood here, she agreed that it was a good idea. It gave a kind of strange finality to the situation, and seemed to calm everyone knowing that there was a definite countdown. There were only a few minutes left before she would start taking questions.

She turned and looked around the room again, this time looking for a specific face. Her father didn't appear to be anywhere in the crowd, and she felt her shoulders drop just a little bit. She had hoped that he would be able to come. She wasn't angry, though. She could only imagine what this whole experience must've been like for him. First he lost wives, than one of his daughters. A feeling of guilt came over her. She should've fought more against Naze to allow her to speak with him, at least with him. But it had been made very clear that she wasn't to go against what Naze said.

Speaking of Naze, her eyes were drawn to the puppet body of her boss as it walked in the door, folding its arms and leaning against the wall, waiting for things to start. It was strange to her how much she didn't see the body as a person now. Yes, it had a face, and moved around, and sometimes even had expressions, but it was like the Atlesian knights that she had seen used. There was no real personal touch to them. She smiled, realizing that she knew exactly the right word. There was no soul to them.

She pulled a chair out and took a seat behind the table. She would just have to wait until that timer finished ticking down. It would be a painful few minutes, but she would just have to endure it.

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Author's note:

Sorry for the weird formatting, I just don't have the time to deal with the site's shit right now. So, uh, I'm getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow, and I'm very afraid of drugs. So I'll be out of commission for a few days to come. But at least you're getting this chapter way ahead of time, right?

So anyways, given the unique nature of this scenario, I'd like some suggestions for questions for both Yang and Solace (Shh, he's gonna get questions too). I'll use them.

So review, leave questions, opinions, whatever. Follow. You know, the usual stuff. Wish me luck with my stupid teeth!

Ohgodwhydoihavetogounderidontwanttodoit


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note:

We just broke 51 followers a few days ago, So I'm really happy about that. If you're reading and haven't followed, you should do that. What you should also do is leave a review, because those really mean a lot to me. So go ahead and read. Geez.

* * *

The buzzer sounded, and Taiyang looked up from his hands, back at the screen in front of him. The counter had been ticking down steadily, but there was something difficult about watching his own daughter start to do something as momentous as this. He thought that he had lost her, and he had simply broken down.

He hadn't even been able to go tonight. It was possibly the biggest event that he would ever see with his own eyes; the introduction of an entirely new people, and the immense power that they had demonstrated so far, and he wasn't able to attend. He was a Huntsman, he had faced down more fearsome creatures than even the oldest legends told of, and he couldn't bring himself to face his own daughter. He simply didn't want her to see him broken like that again.

He had broken twice already, once when he lost her mother, and once when he lost Summer. He felt his body start to waver again, and closed his fists tight. He wouldn't think of them. He had promised that he wouldn't let them drag him down again. He couldn't cry again, even if he wanted to. His eyes were as dry as the air around him. That was one function that his body had already exhausted.

The news switched back over to the live feeds from the school, and his daughter came back on the screen. She was seated behind the table, her arms up, resting her head in her hands. The gauntlet that he knew she loved so much was on her right arm, and the metal of the left one threw a glint of light briefly into the camera lens before she shifted and the stray shot of light left the camera. She looked behind her, confirming to herself that the clock had reached zero, than turned back to the crowd, taking a microphone off of the table in front of her and standing from her seat.

She spoke into the microphone, and her voice was magnified, broadcast through various speakers throughout the room. "Hey everybody! Thanks for coming out, I'm really happy to see everyone!" He felt his breath catch when he heard her voice, so chipper, so eager, just as it had always been. She held up her hands, as if to calm some noise from the crowd that was nonexistent. "Now before we start, I'd like to invite our good friend, Solace Lah, up from the crowd!" She pointed out into the crown, and cameras turned to follow, finding the heavily armored man from last night who had attacked Naze the Eternal for what had seemed to be no reason.

The man looked around, confused, before Yang continued "Yeah! Come on up, buddy! There's an extra chair and everything!" So there was. Though it had escaped his attention, there were two chairs at the table. Solace stood, giving the girl a weary look before saying loudly enough to be heard by all in the room "Why do you wish me to be up there? Are there not others who you want at your side?"

Yang waved dismissively, saying "Sure, more than you, yeah, but I'm getting orders from the big boss to tell you to come up here. I don't particularly like you, but he says something about "equal representation" and whatnot. See, these people don't know about the Paladins and all that, they just think you're a crazy person who attacked Naze out of nowhere. So are you going to take the time to explain the situation to the people, or are you just going to keep being suspicious?"

Solace sighed and, with visible trepidation, started walking up towards the table. As he did so, many took note of the large hammer and two books hanging off of his body by chains. His heavy steps seemed to shake the seats as he walked. Yang addressed the crowds again, saying "Alright people, let me give a few introductions here."

Attention in the hall seemed to refocus on Yang as Solace continued to make his way up towards the table. "Solace here is something called a Paladin. Now I'm sure that he'll want to give a more in-depth lesson on what they are, but here's what I've come to understand: the Paladins are basically the antithesis of a necromancer. Where a necromancer is all about learning how to use death energies and stuff like that, the Paladins do almost the opposite. They don't really do the opposite of death, but they deal with something close, that they call "holy power" which is sort of like…" she thought for a moment before finishing "…like the light from your soul. They try and make it as bright and pure as possible, and necromancers don't really give that a second's thought."

With that, Solace reached the table and pulled the chair out, placing it at the maximum distance he could from Yang while still being behind the table. Yang looked like something was making her uncomfortable as well, but what was making her feel that way was undeterminable. Taiyang felt the urge to go to his daughter, but didn't know if he could. He would only distract her. It was clear that she needed to focus during these proceedings.

Yang sat back down in her seat, scooting slightly away from Solace before speaking again. "Okay, now that the party is all here, I think we can take some questions. I guess we'll do this like we did last time, just have people raise their hands and ask questions. And remember, questions aren't just for me this time. Give Solace plenty of screen time too."

With that, Yang looked out across the crowd and said "Hands! Let's see 'em!"

Taiyang watched from behind the camera lenses as a few hands shot up at random intervals throughout the crowd. Yang looked for one to pick before pointing to one spot and saying "You, blue sunglasses." A man stood up, indeed wearing blue sunglasses, and said in almost a shout to be sure he was heard "You talk about this soul power and magic like its common knowledge, but why haven't we seen it before? In all the years that we've studied powers of the soul, how come we haven't found magic?"

Yang nodded and said "That's a good one. Huh, let's see…" she paused for a few seconds before continuing "…there could be several explanations, which Naze the Eternal is looking into right now, actually. So far he hasn't found much, but what he has found seems to point to some kind of evolutionary change in humans over the years." She put her hands up in a slightly apologetic fashion. "There isn't really an answer yet. I'll tell you when there is, though."

Her hands fell back to the table with a dull thud, signifying the end of her answer. As soon as her arms came down, several other shot up among the crowd. She smiled and looked to Solace, who was still sitting awkwardly several feet away from her, saying "Well, we have to be fair. You want to pick the next one?" The Paladin glanced over at her, a look somewhere between disdain and regret coming across his face before he nodded and looked out, pointing one of his heavily armored fingers at one of the people towards the back of the room, saying "You ma'am, with the white top."

A narrow faced woman with shoulder length blonde hair stood up and asked loudly "This is a question for Ms. Xiao Long; you said something about evolutionary change in humans. Could you describe what you believe this change to be? Were humans significantly different in the past? If so, what form did these differences take?"

Yang gave a small sigh before holding a hand up and saying "Hold on, I'm not really very familiar with all this stuff, but I can ask about it." When he heard these words, Solace jolted to his feet, hands going to one of his books, pulling it from the chain and holding it up at Yang, pearl hammer crest out towards her. His chair toppled over, clattering to the ground, and he said in a startled voice "You're communicating with your master right now?" in an accusatory voice. Yang looked over at him with a surprised expression, gazing at his face for a moment before leaning back and holding a hand between her eyes and the book. In a voice that was barely audible through the microphone in her hand she said "Hey, do you mind turning off the floodlight?"

Taiyang tilted his head, puzzled. The book did seem to be lightly glowing, but there was nowhere near enough light to be referred to as a floodlight. His daughter stood from her chair and took a few slow steps away from the armored man, and he followed suit, keeping a consistent distance between them. He felt the urge to help, but there was nothing that he could do from behind the screen.

Yang stopped, digging her feet into the ground and bracing herself. Solace took another half step towards her, and it appeared that she was being pushed back. Her feet even slid several inches across the smooth floor. In a now angered voice, Yang shouted "Hey genius, you're really attacking me in front of so many people?"

Upon hearing that what was happening was an attack, about half of the people in the hall shifted, some reaching for weapons, some positioning themselves to flee the room. Taiyang's fists balled, and he growled at the screen "Someone help her!"

Solace gave Yang a hard look, than glanced over at the many cameras and people so clearly on the verge of intervening. After a second of deliberation with himself, he lowered his tome and stepped back to his chair, reaching for the microphone that he had left on the table. "My…" he paused "I would ask you to understand my point of view on the situation. You've heard the girl's take, now it's only fair to have mine." A small murmur went through the crowd, and those who had been about to confront him seemed to relax.

"I come from a very different time, one where the dead posed a significant risk to everything that I held dear. Even my-" his voice caught in his throat, and he choked for a moment before looking back up and saying "My apologies, I do not often discuss such personal matters." He took a deep breath and composed himself, during which Yang walked back to her seat and hesitantly sat down. Solace shook his head, pulling himself together, and started speaking again. "When I was but a boy, my entire village was consumed by the dead. I realize that it may be a difficult thing to imagine, but the sight of family and friends being torn apart by mindless monstrosities is something that struck me to my very core. I've been wandering Remnant for years, and no Grimm had ever come remotely close to the brutality I saw that night."

He swallowed another lump in his throat and continued. "I was the only survivor of that night, rescued by the Order of the Holy Light. In a world where necromancers stood almost unopposed due to their soldiers' tenacity and attrition, the Order of the Holy Light was one of the only forces to successfully oppose the already-dead armies that could be conjured from anywhere. I was trained from boyhood to be a Paladin, and as such, I feel somewhat offended by the gross simplification of our purpose. Yes, we fought the undead, but that was never our goal. All we sought to do was to safeguard the sanctity of the human soul. We had all seen the corrupting influence that necromancy had on the souls of the dead, and as such, those who practiced necromancy became our enemies. We could not sit idly by while the purity of innocents' was blackened by their foul touch!"

He sighed again, kneeling down to pick his chair off of the floor and setting it back up, speaking as he did so. "I only wish that I could convey what I had to go through. I know the evils that necromancy can bring, and I will not allow it to come to power again. I must not let that happen." He sat back in his chair, looking somewhat unsatisfied with his own explanation.

The woman who had asked Yang the question that had been interrupted spoke up again, asking "What do you mean by corruption? Do you think you could describe that more for us?" Solace raised an eyebrow, looking at the woman, before sitting forward in his chair. "Yes, I would be happy to." He started to think about how to describe it, and became acutely aware of the fact that his legs felt extremely restless. He stood from his chair again, saying somewhat bashfully "I'm sorry, I can't seem to sit still."

He started to pace behind the table, causing Yang to shift to face him slightly, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He held the microphone up to his mouth and started to speak again, saying "A person's soul is the most important thing that they have. I'm sure that I need not tell you of its significance. What you are not aware of is what happens after death. My Order spent many years studying this, and found that death is like a slumber. This is a natural state, and how should should remain forever after death. A necromancer has no respect for this lumber, and have no respect for the sanctity that individual souls possess. They twist the souls of the dead into monstrosities, leaving not even shadows of their former selves. This is an affront to every right that every living being holds. It is a practice of the foulest kind, and I would gladly give my life to stop it."

Another voice from somewhere in the crowd cried out without being prompted "What about Yang? Has she been corrupted?" His eyes quickly started to dart around the crowd, as did Yang's, trying to find the source of the words. A few cameras swiveled to join the search, but to no avail. After a few seconds of this, Yang abandoned her efforts and looked to Solace, saying "Yeah, am I corrupted? I know a few people who might call me a mindless monstrosity, but they would've done that anyways. I feel perfectly fine, maybe you're the one who's a little changed. How old are you, by the way?"

Solace looked slightly taken aback at the question. He stammered for a moment, saying "What do you mean? How would I be changed?" before he shook his head and said "No, I think that you are the one who's been manipulated. The sad thing to me is that you honestly believe that you've remained untouched. It truly is a tragedy." He looked back to the crowd. "You see? This is what pains me. She thinks that her will is still her own, but it isn't. Her soul has been tainted with the repugnant powers of her new master."

Taiyang again felt a twinge of dread. Could this man be right? He didn't want to believe it, but it wasn't a possibility that he could really ignore. His duty was to protect the innocent, but what if his daughter wasn't quite as innocent girl that he would've like to believe. Could it be true?

Yang clutched her fists, bringing the right one down onto the table hard and standing from her chair slightly, saying "Hey, what about you? You weren't the leader of the "Holy Order" were you? You had to serve someone as well, so how about that? I'll bet you-" her voice cut off, and her gaze shifted to the far wall, towards the door like she heard some kind of noise from it. Solace looked at her a second, confused, before following her gaze to see if he could detect anything out of the ordinary. Many in the room did so also, but none found anything strange. Then, just as suddenly as she had started, Yang blinked and shook her head. All looked back to her, and she coughed into her hand awkwardly, sitting back in her chair and motioning to Solace to do the same. "The boss just told me to take it down a notch." She said, somewhat bashfully. Solace continued to stare at her, trying to determine his next course of action. He didn't doubt that she was communicating with the lich, but was he really just going to let that happen? It occurred to him that there were numerous cameras in the room, all broadcasting live feeds, so the lich would undoubtedly know what was going on anyways. He retook his seat, feeling increasingly self-conscious as the many people continued to stare at him.

Another hand went up, and Yang pointed with impressive reaction time, saying "Yeah!" Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that it was Professor Oobleck. He wasted no time in starting to speak, not using his usual caffeine-fueled speed. "What are the planned exchanges between us and your people? Would there be a large scale sharing of knowledge, or would the data flow in one direction? If so, which way would it go?"

Yang answered with a small smirk, saying "No offense Doc, but the flow can only really go one way. There really isn't anything we know that they don't. And, anything that we do, they'll learn really soon anyways, either through cooperation or independent research. They will be happy to share some of what they know, though."

Oobleck spoke again, not waiting to raise his hand again. "When you say "some", what is it that you mean? Will they be purposely withholding information, or will it be up to us what they share?"

Yang thought for a moment, head bobbing from side to side and she organized her thoughts. "Think about what would happen if they just shared everything, if you will. We would rocket forward like… hundreds of thousands of years, technology wise. That wouldn't be good for anyone. You, as a history buff, understand that, right?" The teacher's response of "Quite." was well audible as he sat back down.

Yang gave a smile to the people and said "Alright, we're getting some good questions in today! What else?" another round of hands went up, but one hand in particular caught her attention. She knew that it was technically Solace's turn, but she didn't want to make her friend wait. "Weiss, what's your question?"

The white haired girl stood and nodded appreciatively, standing and clearing her throat in a very prim and proper manner. She spoke in a carefully intonated voice, saying "As we all know, dust is an integral part of society today. Have the "undead" used dust before, and if they have, do they know more about it than we do? Perhaps where it comes from, or more efficient ways of refining it?" A small murmur went up among the crowd again. Taiyang felt curious as well. If they did have such information, the effects could mean the revolution of the power industry. How wonderful a thing it would be if the power concerns of the world were gone. If they had some superior way of using dust, than there would be benefits untold.

His daughter spoke again, saying "Sorry Weiss, no dice. They know just about as much about dust as we do. Although, they've had access to dust for like, a few days, and are starting to study it really closely. If I had to give you a ballpark estimate of how long it will be until they start making some real progress, I would say maybe a month. But take that with a grain of salt, because as you are well aware, I'm no researcher." Weiss rolled her eyes and said something too quietly for any of the microphones to pick up. Apparently Yang was either able to hear it or read her lips, because she shook her head jokingly and said "That's real cold, Weiss."

One of the cameras zoomed in on Weiss's face, and revealed her very irritated looking face. Also in the corner of the frame was Ruby's giggling face. A smile came across Taiyang's face when he saw his other daughter smiling again. And what he assumed to be a pun was definitely within what he had come to expect from his daughter. He felt confident then that it was his daughter, in body and soul. There was no way that so genuine a joke, a representation of her deepest self. She was truly Yang.

She turned to Solace and said "Sorry I took your turn there, you can take two in a row, if you want." Solace regarded her with a look that was obviously uncomfortable, but also confused. It was clear that he still didn't know what to make of the situation. More hands went up, this time from mostly different people. He looked out over all of them indecisively before pointing and saying "Mr. Ozpin, what question might you have?"

Ozpin stood, both hands on his cane, putting some of his weight on the instrument and tilting his head down so that he was looking over his glasses. "What will you do should Naze the Eternal become accepted by us, and perhaps even prove his innocence regarding the incidents that may have you believe that he is, as you claim, a monstrosity?"

Solace did not make to move from his seat. Instead, he leaned forward, putting his arms up on the table, the combination of his burly arms and massive armor taking up the majority of the table. He prepared to speak slowly, picking his words as carefully as he knew how, knowing that his response could determine much about how he was regarded. He purpose was noble, and his actions just. He knew this to be true, but it would be a difficult task of convincing those who had never experienced the sort of terrors that he had, and had never rose to fight such things. The closest example that he could think of was the Grimm, and they were hardly comparable to the undead. Seeing a swift moving, pitch black animal kill was disturbing, without a doubt, but it paled in comparison to the lurching unnatural nature of the risen dead. Especially when he thought about the rotting and warped countenance of those he once knew, jaws slacked and eyes milky white, moaning and grabbing with cold, stiff fingers. No matter how many times he fought, he never got entirely used to the sight, the sound, or the smell.

He shook his head, blinking his eyes and realizing that he was starting to drift into a flashback. He pulled his mind back to the time at hand, starting to speak. "I do not believe that such an event will ever take place. I have access to innumerable records of members of my order being killed by his servants. I could read you the list, if you like." He thought that this would silence what he interpreted as a somewhat accusatory tone of Ozpin's voice, but he did not sit down. Instead, he said "That's all well and good, but can you give the circumstances? What were their actions before this event? Were they the aggressors in these situations? Context for an action is important, and I'm sure that you would agree that simply defending oneself is an entirely just action, no?"

Solace found himself put in an uncomfortable position by this. He could find the names, but the context? Not recorded. All that was known was that there were battles. "No, I'm afraid that I cannot give context. Such things were…" he paused "…not recorded. But there is no doubt in my heart that they would not have attacked domicile beings."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, saying "Would you describe Naze the Eternal's actions last night as hostile? He had the express permission of the family, and every right to be present."

Solace leaned further into the table, saying "Yes, I would. Perhaps it was an aggression that you cannot see, but I could not simply allow him to do that to an innocent girl's soul." He shook his head "Would you allow something as heinous as a rape to occur at a wedding? I had to do something, lest I be damned myself for letting it happen."

A heavy silence settled over the room. Solace's comparison to rape had certainly been effective, if nothing else. Several people in the room, as well as Taiyang, wondered if it was really warranted. Yang certainly seemed to think that she was no worse for wear and, after all, who else had any authority to speak on her own personal feelings? It was several very uncomfortable moments before anyone else raised a question, and when they did, Yang called on them, figuring that Solace had gotten two questions from Ozpin.

The person stood and asked "You never really answered the question from before about the changes that humans have gone through. Could you give us some more clarity on that issue? For instance; what differences might there be between Naze the Eternal and a modern day individual with identical experience and knowledge?" Yang nodded and replied, saying "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Uh, hold on, I'll have to ask him about that. Give me a second." Her eyes unfocused, and her movement stopped. Solace seemed to tense, knowing that what he considered to be the greatest source of evil in the world was communicating directly to the person beside him. A second later, Yang blinked again and said "Alright, I didn't actually know this, and they haven't looked very far into it yet, but from the early looks that they've taken, it seems to be a power versus control thing."

She cleared her throat, making sure that she was speaking clearly before continuing. "So in the past, people were born with…" she seemed to hit a snag, stumbling over her words and pausing. The gears in her head were visibly working as she tried to convert her thoughts to words. "…people were born with "smaller" souls. As they lived, their souls grew, but they never were as powerful as ours are today. So, in terms of raw power, we are way more set." She smiled cockily, giving the impression that this was a good thing. "Now, that isn't really an all-round good thing. Sure, that lets us use things like our aura and semblance and whatnot, but it used to work a lot differently. Their souls' grew as they lived, making them take shape depending on how people lived their lives. Our souls now are pretty fluid; they can move, change, and react pretty well, but it's nothing compared to how they used to be. That's why magic used to be more common. They, with training and discipline, could do some pretty crazy stuff." She gave a small laugh and indicated herself, saying "The sky was really the limit with stuff they could do."

She nodded again, making sure that she saw understanding on the faces looking up at her. "Like I said, they're going to start looking into that soon. There might be some correlation between magic practices and semblance, and between aura and magic potential but again-" she waved her arms dismissively "-I really don't know too much about that stuff. Maybe I can get someone else to talk about it somewhere down the line." Taiyang couldn't help but smile at his daughter's dismissive attitude. No doubt there were people chewing the seats they sat on, wanting a more thorough answer. They would have no luck tonight, though.

Another round of hands went up, and Solace knew that it was his turn again. He looked out over them, then said "You, with the black bow." while pointing. Taiyang recognized his children's friend, Blake. She stood, taking a deep breath and saying "This is for Yang; what do you think will be done about the current state of Faunus rights? Do you think that your people will get involved, or will they just stay out of it, and leave us to settle the matter?"

Yang gave a sigh, and put a hand to the side of her head, holding it up. "Blake, I know this means a lot to you, but I really don't think that they are going to get into the deep social issues. The only way that I can imagine that they would get into that is if the White Fang were to attack them, and that's really not in anyone's best interests." She looked at the camera, an uncharacteristic look of seriousness coming across her face, saying "Seriously guys, don't do it. Nothing good can possibly come of it. You'll only end up hurting yourselves."

Her eyes went down to the table for a moment, then looked back out to the audience, saying "Well, now that the little PSA is out of the way, I think we can get back to the questions now."

.

Things continued in this style for hours, and Nora fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat the entire time. She didn't know how anyone else was able to sit still during the whole thing. She felt mildly interested in what Yang and the other man were saying, but Tiny kept talking to her, distracting her from listening to any of what was said. It kept asking her questions, like "what would you rather be doing" and "why do you use Magnhild".

She answered the questions, but couldn't help but feel somewhat curious as to why they were being asked. It didn't help her fidgeting that every time she looked to her right, she saw Ren again, causing her skin to blush and toes to curl a little. To make matters even worse, every time she looked over her shoulder to her left, she saw the thing that made her feel both sick and angry. Naze, arms folded, leaning against the wall, eyes blankly staring at Yang.

For every bit that Ren made her feel good, Naze disgusted her enough to keep her feeling on some kind of middle ground. When she looked up at Yang, she also felt sick, but not the same kind that Naze made her feel. It wasn't her fault that she was what she was. Naze, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He was a monster. She heard the man, Solace, she thought she heard, say something to the same effect, so she felt that he deserved more support than Yang. She wasn't actually paying much attention though, so she knew that she didn't have much room to talk on the matter.

Eventually the questions from Tiny became the only thing that she could really focus on, and she didn't mind letting her attention leave her surroundings entirely. Tiny started asking stranger questions, like "are you happy with your body" and "what would you change if you could". She started to feel somewhat suspicious, and asked Tiny "Why are you asking me all of this? Are you trying to get at something?"

Tiny seemed almost to be taken aback by this, saying "What? Do you really think that I would have something like that?" Nora felt bad for offending her friend, and started to apologize, hoping that Tiny wouldn't take any real offense. It wasn't long after she started to express her feelings to it that a small tittering seemed to be raising from her friend. She was confused, and let her apologies fade off. Tiny whispered in her head as it always did, voice somewhat more mirthful than it normally was "Oh Nora, you're so easy! Of course there's another motive to this!" She felt her cheeks blush with embarrassment. She should've seen that one coming. Tiny didn't play jokes like that often, but he did just enough that Nora felt she should have been at least suspicious. Her embarrassment was quickly replaced by curiosity however, and she asked "What do you want to suggest?"

Tiny seemed to revel in keeping her waiting for the answer before finally caving and giving her the answer. "I could help you change. We've been together for a while now, and I think that you could use some…" Tiny's voice floundered for a moment as it looked for the right word, than continued "…minor adjustments. Not to say that you need them, of course, but they couldn't hurt. I could take care of them for you, if you like."

Nora considered Tiny's words. She didn't feel like she needed to make any alterations to herself. She was strong, she was pretty smart, and she was, if she dared say it, fairly attractive. There wasn't much that she wanted to change. Tiny had been smart so far though, giving her plenty of good ideas and helping her work her thoughts out. Maybe there was something to what he was suggesting. She didn't know what kind of alterations Tiny meant, but it couldn't hurt to hear it out, right?

Tiny felt her thoughts and responded before she could ask, saying "It wouldn't be much. Perhaps we could just make you a bit taller, or go for something more practical, like giving your body greater means to heal itself. Or maybe something more cosmetic." Nora felt her eyes flick over the right again, and just barely gaze on Ren. She loved him, she was sure of it, but he had never seemed to reciprocate those feelings. Why was that? Was there actually something wrong with her? Something that had escaped her attention for so long? A sudden paranoia set upon her mind. What was it? What was the fault that made Ren not want her back? Was it physical, or was it something deeper? Did she not act how he wanted his women?

She gasped in surprise and looked down at her hand, feeling a sudden stab of pain. She found that her fingers were clutched very tightly, driving her nails into the soft flesh of her palm. A few small beads of blood were just starting to leak out from between them. She loosened her hand and wiped the blood off on her pink skirt, leaving a miniscule red smear, barely noticeable against the light color. Maybe Tiny was right. She had made a few advances on Ren recently, but they had ultimately been complete failures. It truly seemed that her own efforts wouldn't make any progress. Maybe what Tiny was suggesting was really the only way.

She nodded to herself, thinking to Tiny "Do you really think that you can get Ren to like me?" She waited with bated breath, hoping that Tiny would respond quickly. It did, and it was a single word that brought an immense smile to her face. "Yes."

She suddenly felt her restlessness increase, her toes jittering rapidly inside of her shoes. She became aware of her surroundings again, and was startled to find that they were exactly how they were when she had let her focus fade from them. She tried for several minutes to find something to focus on, something that could let her pass the time in a way that seemed a little less like grating a fishhook across her mind. She found nothing, and knew that she couldn't just continue to sit still.

She rose out of her seat, turning to her left and whispering to Pyrrha "I need to go to the bathroom." Pyrrha nodded, standing and nudging Jaune to do the same. They did so, opening the way out of the cluster of seats. Nora walked past, squeezing her way through, trying to avoid any unnecessary contact with anyone as she got out into the much less cramped clear row. She walked back towards the closest bathroom, passing numerous people as she did so. The door to the bathroom was laid in the side of the wall, close to the exit doors, making the walk fairly short, but on the way, she noticed that Naze was still leaning against the wall, now following her with a dull, uninterested gaze.

Her skin prickled as she closed the distance with Naze by approaching the door. By the time she reached it, she was fighting the urge to either lash out and attack him, or to break into a sprint to escape his sight. She opened the door, enjoying the fact that the door opening broke line of sight. She stepped into the room, relishing the cool air and the smooth, tiled environment. Several stalls lined one of the walls, and on the other side was a long mirror stretching the length of the wall, with a number of sinks the same as the number of stalls set about a quarter of a foot below the bottom of the mirror into the wall.

Nora made her way to the mirror, putting her hands on the edges of one of the sinks and putting most of her weight on it, looking into the mirror at herself with a far more critical eye than she normally did. What was it that Ren didn't like? She spent minutes examining herself, turning to get every angle that she could, putting every aspect of herself under scrutiny. In spite of all her effort, she could come up with nothing that might turn him away.

She thought of what Tiny had said. Perhaps it wasn't something she lacked. Tiny hadn't said that he would give her anything, but merely make some alterations. There were certainly things that could be more attractive. She was short. She had never considered it before, but perhaps Ren liked taller women. Then there was the matter of her figure. While not possessing any traits that might explicitly turn someone away, here were many marks of a truly attractive person that she seemed to lack. She nodded to herself, sure that she had found at least some small part of the problem. If Tiny could help her fix this, then maybe she could entice Ren like she wanted. How Tiny would do that, however, she had no clue.

As if on some kind of cue, Tiny's voice rattled through her head again, now sounding confident, like he knew that Nora desperately wanted what he had offered. He did, of course, there was no way to hide such a large part of herself. She had only just recently become aware of it herself, and she wished that she were better built to convey what she wanted. "I can help you. We can change how you look. Ren could be yours, and yours alone. You could become so beautiful that you could have any man you choose. You want that, don't you?"

Nora fought the temptation to simply blurt out the answer "Yes!" and instead took a moment to think cautiously about the situation, even though the base instinctual voices in her head were screaming at her to take the offer. "What will I look like afterwards?" She asked, remembering several times in the past that Ren had warned her not to be impulsive.

A chuckling sound seemed to be Tiny's only response. She was about to ask it what was so funny when a stab of pain seemed to jolt through her skull, forcing her to shut her eyes and put a hand to her forehead. The pain disappeared just as quickly as it had come, and she opened her eyes again.

The image in the mirror made Nora jump in surprise, sweeping her completely off of her feet. For a moment, she thought that someone else had somehow positioned themselves between her and the mirror without being readily available themselves. Then, as she moved to try and see them, the reflection moved with her. She quickly realized what was happening, that she was being shown something.

The woman in the mirror looked somewhat like Nora, with similar features all around. She was taller by a noticeable amount, about half a foot, and had a figure that made even Nora's eyes linger. The curvatures of her body were pronounced, yet not too overstated. She projected an air of fragility, and yet power at the same time.

As she stared at herself, more of the smaller traits that were changed started to stand out to her. She blinked several times, noting how her pupils looked. They were wide, taking up most of the space in her eye, creating a strange visual of her being in some kind of altered state. Nora leaned in to get a better look, whispering "Wow" to herself. Her face was narrower, with slightly more pronounced cheekbones, making her face look almost longer. She smiled at this, admiring the face. As she did so, she noticed something else that was different. Her teeth seemed whiter and, in a strange way, sharper. She brought a hand up and lifted her lip, examining what could only really be described as fangs. They were pearly white, and seemed to resemble that of a Faunus. She ran her tongue across the top front of her mouth, and felt foolish when she remembered that it was only her reflection that had changed. Something else that caught her eye was her reflection's tongue. It appeared long, and glided across the sharp tips of her teeth smoothly, almost gracefully.

She stepped back, taking in the sight of what Tiny was proposing that she become. She hadn't thought that she needed to change at first, but now… the thing before her was beautiful, and she couldn't hold a candle to that. It had some strange parts, but there was no man on Remnant who wouldn't be drooling over her for one reason or another.

She nodded again, all hesitation annihilated by the thing in front of her. "Yes! Yes, please, make me that!" If Tiny still had a mouth, she knew that he would be smiling. His response came, confident and gleeful. "I would be happy to! Of course, it won't be quick. You will have to grow, and change. But as long as you are alright with that-"

She cut Tiny off, saying "Yes! I don't care, just do it!"

Tiny's response came in the form of a pain that Nora had not felt in a long time. It wasn't a muscular pain, like she had somehow overexerted herself, nor was it the sharp sting of a wound. Instead, it seemed to be a pain deep in her very bones. It had been a long time that she had felt growing pains, and she remembered the fits that she had used to throw because of them. She didn't intend to throw any more of those, though. Not when she knew that the result would be so worth the pain.

She blinked again, and the fantastic reflection that she had been shown disappeared. She sighed sadly, but took heart that soon, she would be able to look at herself like that as much as she wanted, and so would Ren.

She turned away and started to walk towards the door when she heard the distant sound of voices in microphones. She stopped and considered. She could either go out and be uncomfortable again, or stay in the bathroom and have as much space as she wanted. True, sitting next to Ren was a privilege that she didn't want to pass up, but it almost felt wrong to let Ren see her like she was now. She stepped back from the door, asking Tiny if he could bring the reflection of how she would look soon. She wanted to see it again.

.

Naze let the orb of control drop back into his hand, dropping from small height that it had been hovering back into his palm. He let a slow, clicking growl escape from his chest as he looked towards the bare wall of his chamber, turning his focus towards himself.

He could feel them gestating inside of the twisted remains of his soul. Feeling. Emotions. Think he hadn't felt for a long time, and despised with every fiber of his being, logic oriented or otherwise. He cursed the fact that he hadn't even escaped the vice of emotion, even in death. There was still considerable time before his old paranoia awoke in full, and there was still enough that he could do to offset its effects. It would take special preparation, but things had not yet progressed that far.

He crushed the spark of feeling, smothering it beneath the dark powers that he commanded. It disappeared again, but he could already feel it starting to grow back. No matter what he did, it would come back, eventually too solid to destroy so easily. It came at a very inconvenient time, when he might be called upon to interact with the living. That was a time that he needed to be as clearheaded as possible. He needed every power of cognition as he had access to, and the echoes of the terror that had stalked him all through his living time, so distant now, would distort those beyond anything else's capabilities.

He shrugged the problem off, making a note to expedite preparations for his looming descent into paranoia. There were other things, much more immediate things to concern himself with that would be much more difficult to control. His little "secret" with his puppet body was starting to leak. It was inevitable, but it had been useful to him while the secrecy lasted. The body would still have uses, though. Having an avatar through which to act directly was something that he had learned long ago to be very beneficial. But who knew about it now? Ozpin and Penny had known for the longest, Than Ironwood, and now Blake, Weiss, and the whole of team JNPR were aware without his telling them. As they had come to this conclusion mostly on their own, they were some of the most dangerous ones to the secrecy. The most dangerous overall had to be Ironwood. Naze took him as a rash man, quick to judge and prone to acting without consideration. If he was going to any enemies among the modern living, he anticipated that Ironwood would certainly be among them.

Naze looked back to the orb, seeing the operations of all his people as a whole. Many were working, researching, or training, as they always did. There was a small number taking leave of their respective duties to watch the conference through the shades that were also present at the event, their presence carefully masked. He couldn't say that he blamed them. In fact, he would have expected more to be observing the start to political relations with the living. But years upon years had a way of growing cynicism.

He turned his focus back to the conference as well, knowing that its importance would have a great effect on the days to come. Many among those attending seemed to be receiving the information from Yang well, accepting it and perhaps even showing some enthusiasm at the beginnings of greater associations with the eldritch scholars. But for every one of those, there was an opposite. Someone who obviously regarded both Yang and what she represented with fear and anger, and Naze knew that they would be the most problematic in maintaining peace. But also in the hall, surprisingly enough, were a large number of people undecided. Naze had not expected this. What he had been anticipating was a polarized audience, with only miniscule numbers remaining in the middle ground. What he saw was that the majority of those listening were doing so with open minds, hearing both sides of the story, Paladin and undead.

Perhaps the living had changed, in some way other than soul construction, or perhaps it was that very thing that resulted in this unexpected thoughtfulness. Whatever it was, it would be to his advantage. Perhaps this was not quite the doomed cause he had thought it to be. Perhaps they had actually advanced to a point of being able to accept the truth of the situation. Or perhaps they had not. Only time would hold the answer.

He set his focus back to the conference, paying special attention to the Paladin. He knew that the Holy Order wasn't dead, as he had so foolishly thought. Not while that man still drew breathe. It would be simple to kill him, and thus rid himself of the reminder of less pleasant times, but there was another possibility. The man would teach his verses and lessons, growing the order back to strength, but the force would still be as weak as it had ever been, posing as little a threat as they ever had. Naze doubted that the addition of modern technologies or tactics would make them any more of a threat to him or his organization than they ever had been. He still possessed far superior knowledge.

He would allow the man to do as he liked, and not take any action against him, so long as he did the same.

Then there was still the matter of the demon. Ozpin had done nothing about it, so he presumed that the man had come up with no way to help the girl. The demon was growing more powerful, and was starting to subsume Nora's soul into its own power, as was the way of demons. Soon it would likely possess the girl entirely.

There were plenty of things that would keep the coming days interesting, he had to admit that. Ideals and personalities would clash, just as they always had. He looked forward to seeing how all of this would turn out. Now it was simply a matter of time, waiting for things to play out.


	21. Chapter 21

Adam Taurus clenched his fists, leaning forward in his seat towards the television, his eyes practically burning a hole in the screen at the girl, Yang. His anger was misguided, though. He knew it. The one who deserved his ire was the one who was commanding the girl, Naze the Eternal.

Adam pushed himself out of his chair, turning back to face his private chambers. Beyond the far door, there were several high-ranking White Fang lieutenants waiting to hear his input on the situation. He knew what he would tell them. He would tell them that they had to take the spotlight back from these undead. If they were allowed to hold the public's attention, they could distract from all the White Fang's efforts to win rights for the Faunus all across the world. Their own representative had said that they wouldn't become involved in social matters, but they already had. By their very revealing themselves, they had worsened things for the White Fang.

He walked towards the door, his fingers working ceaselessly by his side. How could they do that? It was a crime. Even the dead received more respect than them. It was nonsense. Something had to be done about this. He knew that they couldn't simply attack them, though. Blake had asked about them, and he appreciated it, but he was sure that it wasn't an attempt to help them. She had probably only been sating her own curiosity.

The door opened, and he was saluted as he walked into the darkened room. Several of the more powerful among the White Fang, commanders and some of the more political members of the movement. They all looked at him with worried faces, none sure of what they had to do. He would give them direction, confidence, and most importantly: limits. If he didn't give them limits, they would go too far, and make themselves the definite enemy. It wasn't their own fault, it was simply the way of things. They all believed in their cause beyond anything else, so they would all be willing to do anything for the furthering of their cause, even if it meant making themselves into the monsters that everyone thought they were. He was just a little more forward thinking than that. He desperately wanted to serve the cause, and was willing to pay any personal price, but he knew that restraint was also necessary. What had been criminal behavior up to this point was only a means to a goal. He needed help, and that had been the only way to get it. Now he didn't know if there was any hope.

He walked to the illuminated table in the center of the room, putting his knuckles against the cool metal over which a map of Vale was draped. "Alright people, listen up. I don't want to have to repeat myself."

* * *

Yang rejoined her friends and sister through a door at the back of the hall, where they could take their leave without being accosted by reporters who had missed their opportunities to ask their questions. Ruby looked like she was hardly able to stand, with large bags under her eyes and slow, dragging movements. She had fallen asleep several times during the conference, slumping over and, towards the end of the event, drooling on Blake's shoulder. Yang had wanted to laugh at this, but hadn't. There was a time and a place for that.

She knew that if she was still subject to such things, she would be exhausted as well. Answering the questions of relentless news and media personnel was a surprisingly difficult job. It was one that she was happy to do, though, in return for being with her sister. She looked over her shoulder at the trio trailing slightly behind her, slowing her pace so that she would be next to them. Blake met her gaze, returning it willfully, and Weiss looked away like she was avoiding it. Immediately Yang knew that there was something off about the way they were acting. She raised an eyebrow and asked "Hey, what's up with you two? You've hardly said anything since we got out of there. You aren't thinking about what that Paladin said, are you?"

The prospect seemed absurd, but it was one that she knew that she couldn't discount. Solace had made some convincing arguments, and had even given a few examples of the kind of warping that people could go through from his own past. They had all been pretty touching, but they had all also had nothing to do with Yang in particular. She knew that she was whole and unaltered, so why was anyone else even considering it?

Blake shook her head, saying "No, of course we aren't. We know that it's really you in there, your jokes are bad enough." This brought a smile to the girl's face. Even if she didn't agree about the quality of her jokes, she was glad to see that they had actually done some irrefutable good. Still though, there seemed to be something wrong with Weiss. She was still resolutely looking away from the blonde. She looked back at Blake, a questioning look on her face, when a thought occurred to her. Could it be that Blake wasn't telling the truth? She didn't want to believe it, but it was a distinct possibility that Naze had told her about. She didn't want to believe that her friends doubted her, but it seemed that she would have to accept that reality, if Blake was actually lying. Was there anything that she could do to prove that she was still herself? For the greater public, of course there wasn't, but maybe if she was simply able to convince those close to her…

Ruby stumbled over her own feet, and Yang was quick to catch her, saving her from a nasty tumble. Her sister looked up into her face, a small smile on her barely conscious face, and said "Thanks Yang." She felt immensely glad. Even if the other two doubted her, Ruby would know. She would always be able to tell. And she would always be able to tell anything about her sister, just like they always had. They were the closest people in the world, and didn't have anything that one wouldn't be willing to tell the other. If she did have any concerns, she would voice them, and Yang would be able to address them. She only wished that Blake and Weiss were as forthcoming.

Their walk back to the dorm rooms was peaceful enough, with the distant noise of many people talking and walking in the distance, bounding off the walls of buildings to make it to their ears. All the voices melded together into one loud drone, but Yang could still make out one voice in particular. Solace's voice was somehow distinguishable, even at this great distance, as if it resonated in the air differently than the others. What he was saying wasn't as clear as his voice itself, though.

Thinking about the man gave Yang a strange feeling, and she didn't know if it was because she would've actually felt this way about him, or if it was because of the way that he had acted towards her during the conference. There was a very strange tension between them, and it had grown thick over hours that they had been talking. She felt like she should be on edge constantly around him, like she should either be prepared for him to try and stab her in the back, or be stabbing him in the back herself.

She shook her head, pushing the thought from her head. If she didn't have to think about the man, she didn't want to. She felt offended by pretty much everything that he had said with regards to her or her soul, so it had made her extremely happy to cut into something he had been saying with a sarcastic remark.

She shook her head again, putting an arm around her sister and continuing to walk. She wasn't doing a very good job of not thinking about him. She tried to think about something else. The only other thing on her mind however, turned out to be her friends, and the fact that they might not actually trust her. It was simply so insane that they might not actually believe that she was herself. She also thought about whether or not she should tell them that Naze, the boy that lived across the hall and one room down, was actually Naze the Eternal, the eons-old lich. Blake could probably take the news pretty well, but she didn't know about Weiss. She predicted Weiss having some trouble accepting that. Yang did hate to keep secrets though, and Ruby had taken it alright, after Naze had talked to her, albeit briefly. Maybe that was all he needed with Weiss; a talk longer than the one he had given Ruby.

The thought of the two sitting down in a room and actually having a discussion was amusing to her, and she didn't exactly know why. Maybe it was something about the fact that both had very strong personalities, and that seeing them mix like that would be somewhat amusing. Still, she knew better than to set up such a meeting for her own amusement. When Naze had first told her about this job, she had underestimated just how delicate she would have to be.

They came to the doors, and she pushed them open, holding them for her friends. They each thanked her before streaming inside. Again, as Weiss passed her, she seemed to avert her eyes. Yang felt a tinge of annoyance this time. If they had some kind of grievance, why didn't they just say it? There was no point beating around the bush with something like this, nothing would change with time. If they thought that she wasn't really herself, than no amount of time would fix that. She bit her tongue though. If she wanted to say something, she may as well simply wait until they got to their room.

She followed behind them now, tromping up the stairs, heavy footfalls coming in rhythm with the others of her group, until they reached the floor that they needed and turned off the steps. Blake, now at the head of the group, pulled her scroll from her pocket and waved it in front of the door lock. The small light on the device blinked green, and the door unlatched. Blake pulled it open and was just starting to enter the room as another lock clicked down the hall and a door opened. All of their eyes were automatically drawn to it, and Yang what Naze was trying to do, if anything.

Sure enough, Naze's puppet stepped out, peering down the hall in the opposite direction for a moment before looking at them and seeming to react with surprise, saying "Ah, I thought I heard someone out here." He looked to Yang with a slight hint of a smile, saying "I was present for some of your conference. I thought you did an excellent job." Yang was about to nod and thank him when she was cut off by Weiss, who stepped forward confrontationally and said "What's that supposed to mean?"

The question left a very confrontational look on Weiss's face, and Yang noticed Blake start to step back out of the room, slowly reentering the hall. Had they planned something like this in advance? They had been whispering to each other while Ruby had slept, but she had assumed that it was about something having to do with the conference.

She stepped forward, taking a position next to Weiss, putting a hand on her shoulder and saying "Weiss, there's really no need to be like that. He just heard someone out here and wanted-" She was sharply cut off by the girl, who shrugged her hand off and said in a bitter voice "Of course you'd say that."

Yang normally wasn't one to take offhanded comments like that personally, but this one seemed different. It seemed more malicious than anything Weiss had ever said to her before. It could've been her imagination, but she thought that she detected some genuine malice in Weiss's voice. Blake sprang into action now, seeing that her two friends were suddenly about to jump at each other's throats. "Hey you two, calm down." She put one hand on Weiss's shoulder and one on Yang's, moving them apart. Weiss glanced over her shoulder at her Faunus friend before taking a deep breath and stepping back, towards the room. "Right, I…" she looked from Blake to Yang, to Naze, than back at Blake, her head hanging but an irritated expression on her face. "…sorry."

She entered the room, and Ruby followed wordlessly, giving Naze a look that was hard to place. Naze looked between Blake and Yang with a somewhat puzzled look on his face before shrugging and reentering his room, the door shutting firmly behind him. Yang was confused as to why he had even come out, but it had shown her something important; that she had been right about Weiss having angst about the dead. Maybe Blake was too, but she was always harder to read.

Blake gave Yang a gauging look, and she tried to return it with as much honesty in her eyes as she could, but she found it strangely difficult to keep her eyes locked with those amber eyes of her friend. After a moment of this, Blake turned away and started to walk back into the room. Yang followed, not quite sure what to expect. As the two reentered the room, Blake looked over her shoulder at her and said "We have a lot to talk about."

There was something foreboding about the way that she said it. She didn't think that she would feel much in the way of fear since she was resurrected, but this was certainly giving her a run for her money. Before the door closed behind her, she heard one of the showers running in the bathroom. She saw Weiss in the room, and Blake was still in front of her, so she knew that it must've been Ruby. That was good, because her sister had plenty of training she had to do, and she would need to be as strong as possible to do it.

Weiss was standing by her bed, arms crossed, giving Yang the look that said they had something to deal with. Yang was about to say something when Blake walked past her, taking a position next to Weiss and striking a similar pose. Yang heaved a heavy sigh and said "Alright, what is it?"

Weiss and Blake looked at each other, exchanging looks, before Blake gestured to the bed across from her and said "Maybe you should sit down." Yang complied, taking a seat on her bed, feeling the familiar sheets beneath her.

* * *

Ren glanced behind him back towards the bathroom doors as the conference came to its conclusion. Nora still hadn't come back, and he was starting to get slightly worried. She usually didn't do things like this. There had been occasions, of course, but it was a difficult task to come up with something that Nora had never done. He sighed, shaking his head to himself. Something was not right with his friend, or at least, was changing. He knew that he shouldn't feel worried, but it was a natural response. Her behavior had become even more unpredictable than usual as of late, and that was saying something. It was like she was fighting with herself, sometimes becoming skittish around him, and sometimes making what he could only assume were romantic advances on him. He had done his best to ignore them, not wanting to turn down his friend, but he had to admit, she was getting more and more persuasive. He found it harder and harder to deny her.

Yang stood from the table and gestured for her team mates to go with her as she started to walk away, and he couldn't blame her for wanting to be alone with them. The stress of the situation was obvious, and being with those close to her only made sense. He wished that he could've asked a few questions, but they really hadn't been relevant, and he didn't want to use the time for himself. He was sure that there would be other opportunities to ask, though.

The Paladin however, Solace, seemed to be remaining behind to answer more questions. Ren didn't feel the need to ask any more, he thought that the man had done a fairly good job of explaining himself. Pyrrha however seemed to be eager to get some time with the man. He could tell that, like himself, she had refrained from interrupting the media's time to sate the curiosity of the world at large. But now she had hopes of getting her questions answered, and he could tell that she intended to do so. She was talking quietly to Jaune as the two stood, making their way back out of the row of seats.

He stood, following behind them slowly. He was still hesitant to do anything without Nora, but if he had to, he would be willing to wait by the bathroom for her to come out. Jaune looked past Pyrrha to Ren, saying "Hey, Ren, are you alright with staying around for a while? Pyrrha wants to get a few questions in for the guy before we leave, and she doesn't want to bother anybody." Ren shook his head, indicating that it would be no bother at all. Pyrrha smiled thankfully and started to walk towards the front panel, eyes fixed on the armored man. He had been quickly surrounded by reporters and cameras after the end of the conference was declared, but appeared to be steadily fighting his way towards the main doors, gently pushing some of the people out of the way while simultaneously answering a few of the questions that were being thrown his way.

Ren followed his teammates to the end of the row, where he stopped, deciding that he would wait for Nora here. She wasn't a child, but he still didn't want to leave her alone in a place like this, especially considering the recent changes that she had gone through. Jaune and Pyrrha crossed and started to follow the man more closely, meanwhile Ren simply stood still, arms folded patiently, eyes going to the door to the restroom on the far end of the hall. She had been in there for quite some time. Perhaps there was something wrong?

He felt a worry start to grow in his chest. Nora was perfectly capable of caring for herself, but Ren knew better than anyone the erratic patterns Nora's behavior could take, provided she was in the right mood for it. The worry usually wouldn't get to him too much, but considering her recent changes…

He started towards the door, intending to check in on her. It was possible that she had gotten sick, but Nora didn't usually get sick. He couldn't remember the last time that she had caught any kind of disease. Her body was more than strong enough to fight off the various contagions that had assaulted her throughout her life. With that possibility mostly ruled out, he was again left with only the conclusion that it was some part of her strange behavior. This would have been worrying enough, but considering the recent changes that she had been going through, he found himself even more concerned.

He quickened his pace, making his way faster to the room. As he reached it, and was about to pull the door open, it started to open of seemingly its own accord, and Ren jumped back to avoid being struck by it. As it swung, it reviled Nora, who reacted quickly to seeing Ren just outside the door, but not quite in the way that he might've expected. Instead of doing what he expected, like smiling, or perhaps making another pass at him, she seemed to be abashed, looking down and speaking softly. "Oh, hey Ren."

He raised an eyebrow. Now he knew there was definitely something wrong with her. He didn't know how he would ask her about it, though. How could he? She was his friend, but he didn't know if he was comfortable enough to talk to her about something like what she was going through.

It was clear enough to him, and to his team members, that Nora was going through some kind of discovery. It could be of a sexual nature, it could not be, he didn't know, but he did know that he would feel immensely awkward talking about it. Instead of getting too far in-detail, he simply leaned down slightly so that he was at eye level and pulled her out of the way of the door. Then, with as much sincerity in both his words and his eyes, he asked "Nora, are you feeling alright? You've been acting strangely, and I think that if you've got any issues, you should-" His voice was cut off as Nora, in one swift motion, took Ren's shoulders and turned him so that his back was facing the wall, carefully yet quickly pushed his against that wall, and pushed her lips against his.

Ren's eyes widened in surprise, and in a natural reaction to the sudden change of circumstance, his back straightened, pulling his face away from hers. She still held him against the wall, but now seemed to be sinking back into timidity very quickly. Ren's mind reeled, trying not only to find a response, but also to process what he had just felt. She had been so warm, so inviting. Should he lean in and kiss her again? Would that be overstepping their friendship? But, by the same coin, hadn't Nora just done the same? Was that an invitation?

Nora saw the confusion on his face, and must have interpreted it as something else, because a hurt look came across her face, and she let him go, turning towards the door and saying "I'll see you back at the room." The hurt was clear in her voice. He tried to call out to her, or to follow her, but his body wouldn't respond to the commands that he gave it. His mouth simply hung open, his throat continuing to breathe shallowly, and his legs only supported his weight, not daring to do anything else for fear of giving out.

He watched his closest friend exit the hall, and didn't know how to feel. He was not used to the emotions that encircled his brain. Confusion, worry, and he would be a liar if he didn't say lust. It was all simply so strange to him, so foreign. He sighed to himself and looked over to his other teammates, struggling to speak to the Paladin. He was still making his way towards the door, and had almost reached it. Ren supposed that he had better allow Nora space, if not for her sake than for his. He needed to think about what had just happened, and what it meant.

* * *

Innumerable questions came to him, and Solace did his best to give short answers to those that he could make out, but he felt that all he really wanted to do was to escape the cameras. He never knew how irritating camera flashes could be.

He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he also found it to be nearly impossible to make any forward progress without some physical contact. Thankfully enough, his armor was able to do most of the work, providing an excellent means of displacing those who stood in his way. Not many were willing to stand in the way of the moving hulk of metal, and those who were weren't too difficult to brush out of the way. It seemed to take forever, but eventually he reached the door and breathed the cool, brisk air of the outside again. It was good to be free of the air in the hall, it had gotten stuffy inside of that hall hours ago, and he had been eager to escape ever since. And now he fought through reporters and other media personnel blocking his progress.

As he exited out into the night, a different voice from the others reached his ears. Most were assertive, vying to be the most heard, but this one was soft, almost timid. It instantly reminded him of himself when he was a child. Though the words themselves were obfuscated entirely by the other voices, he was still able to pick it out.

He stopped, looking to the people around him and holding his hands out, giving them an apologetic look and saying "Please, if you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate a little space here. I can hardly breathe." They complied, if only hesitantly, and Solace found himself at the center of a small circle. He turned until he found the source of the voice. It was a girl, in her teens, strong looking and with bright red hair. She looked at him with bright green eyes. Her eyes weren't the only thing that stood out to him; he could also tell that she had a very strong soul. All of the people he had met since awakening had very impressive amounts of power, but she had something else. It was a hardened discipline. A very strict personal code. In the light of all that he had said during the night, he might've considered asking her if she might consider becoming a paladin, but he knew that he would probably be overstepping his boundaries. Nevertheless, he wanted to hear what she had to say.

She looked up at him and, in a somewhat timid voice, said "What does it take to become a Paladin?" Solace looked back at her, a stunned expression on his face. That was nothing short of a stroke of providence. Perhaps his order was not as dead as he thought it to be. Perhaps he could rekindle the flame, and then he might be able to stand against the lich, and protect the innocent, as was his only desire. He blinked, and realized that he was simply staring at the girl. He cleared his throat, smiling and saying "Why do you ask? Might you be interested?"

The girl seemed to consider a moment, than nodded. He laughed and clapped her on the back, saying "If I had to make a preliminary assessment, I would say that you have a fairly good chance." Her face seemed to glow, and she nodded. "Will you be training anyone? If someone wanted to learn, how would they contact you?"

Solace smiled again, suddenly very thankful for the many cameras and reporters around him. "I don't really know right now, but I will work something out. If there are any others who might want to learn, I would recommend that they keep an eye out for any future announcements. Right now I'm afraid that I haven't the means to take in any initiates, but I will set about acquiring them as soon as possible." He could feel his mind exploring the possibilities already. Yes, he was no instructor, but he could certainly revive their ways.

Hope burned brightly in his chest, and he was sure that it was visible on his face. Yes, that was what he would do. For the longest time now, he had simply wandered, doing small acts of good wherever he could. Now he could do something far greater than that. He could bring back the Holy Order.

He clapped the girl on the back again, letting his vision drift to the distant horizon and walking through several of the reporters, saying "Now I must go. I've many things to do, and I would like to get them done as quickly as possible. I look forward to speaking again, girl." It was true, he did. But it would do no good until he had the means to train her. Her, and however many others might apply. He ran through a mental list of things that he might need. He needed a place, he needed gear fit for a Paladin, and many other things as well. He might've been concerned at his lack of instructional material, if he hadn't memorized it, learning it by heart and having to recite most of it every day during his training. No, he didn't need it written down. His memory would serve him just fine.

The metal of his armor clanked against the paved street, every heavy step seeming to serve as some reassurance that his cause was a good one. He doubted that he would be able to get any of it done tonight, though. Now all he planned to do was to find a place to sleep, write another letter to his dearest, telling her of his plan, and then sleep soundly.

* * *

Ruby finished her shower, turning the flow of hot water off and putting her pajamas on before walking out of the bathroom, intending to fall asleep very quickly, and hope that tomorrow would be better. Hopefully she would simply have more time with her sister, and she would get some real training done without injuring any of her friends. When she walked out of the door however, she found a strange scene playing out.

Yang was standing nearly toe to toe with Weiss, both looked furious at each other. Blake was standing by the side of the two, and she looked like she might've been keeping them from blows. Blake was the first to see Ruby, and when she did, she made a motion for her to stop and not come out. Ruby didn't, suddenly afraid of what was happening. The expressions on both her sister's and Weiss's face looked like they were ready to throw each other out of the window.

"Weiss, if I really wanted to hear about that, I would have asked!" Ruby couldn't remember the last time that she had heard her sister that angry. Weiss was quick to respond, standing on her toes to better close the distance between her and Yang's faces, practically shouting "Oh no!" The sarcasm and anger blended to make a very strange tone. Soon every part of the sarcasm was gone, replaced entirely by anger. "Do you have any idea what we went through? And now we are presented with actual evidence that you might have been changed! We're only being the best friends that we can! Maybe you could return the favor!"

With that, Weiss lashed out, shoving Yang back from her. She stumbled a few steps, than regained her footing, looking back at Weiss with a fire in her eyes that hadn't been there a moment before. With a burst of steed, Yang struck out at Weiss, hands curling into fists as they arced down towards Weiss's face.

A shocked look came across the faces of everyone in the room, including Yang's. Her fist stopped a mere half an inch away from Weiss's face, and she stood stock still, eyes flicking from Weiss's face to her own fist to Blake's surprised expression. Ruby stepped out, wanting to stop the tension that was starting to work its way into her teammates.

She walked up to them, putting her hands on both Weiss and Yang, pushing them apart, saying "Guys, hold on. What's wrong? What are you two fighting?" She edged her way between the two girls, moving her hand from her sister's shoulder to her fist, gently pushing it back down to her side. Everyone seemed to let out a collective sigh, and Weiss took a step back from Yang, not wanting to be caught within striking range again. Ruby looked between the two, saying "Alright, now what was wrong? Why are you two fighting?"

Yang shook her head and said "Ruby, it's really nothing that you should worry about. This is more between me and them than you." The girl shook her head stubbornly and said "No, if it affects you guys, than it affects me too. You have to tell me. Just trust me, I can take it." The three looked from one to another, none very sure of what to do. Yang was obviously still angry, but she made a conscious effort to overcome it, putting an arm around her sister's shoulders and leaning in close to explain to the situation.

"Ruby, you know me better than anyone, really. So you can tell better than anyone that it's still me, and that I wasn't really changed when I got brought back. They…" she gestured to Weiss and Blake "…don't have the years of experience that you have, so they are worried that I got changed. I might have gotten a little worked up about it, but you didn't hear some of the things that they were saying." Ruby gave the other two confused look, and Blake stepped forward, saying "Look, Ruby, I think we need to talk. We don't really distrust Yang, it's just that we don't know how trustworthy her new "boss" is, you know? All we have to go on that Yang really is Yang is his word, and we don't have any reason to trust that."

Ruby put her arms around her sister defensively, feeling her chest start to twist as she tried to figure out why they would think that Yang was different. She wasn't, and she was sure of this. Her sister was just the same as she always was. "Yang isn't different!" her voice sounded hurt, and it was a fairly accurate reflection of how she felt. "I know that you might not trust Naze, but if you really don't, than trust me! Yang is just like she was before. Maybe a little bit smarter than she was before, but other than that, she's the same girl that we knew before. If you can't accept that, than…" she tried for a few moments to finish the statement, but found that she couldn't. Her throat simply would not allow the words through.

Weiss stepped forward, another confrontational look on her face. Ruby could tell that she was probably not going to like what she had to say. "Alright Ruby, if you say that she is your sister, than we trust you." A smile came across Ruby face. That wasn't something that Weiss said very often. She wasn't done, though, and continued "But can we really trust Naze? Blake and I have been talking, and we've noticed some pretty suspicious things about him. Yang said that she didn't want to talk about it, and us pushing the matter didn't seem to do any good. So how about you? Do you know anything about him? He's connected to the dead, at least, that much is obvious, but how?"

Ruby sighed, giving her sister a concerned look. Could they tell them? Yang had said that she was waiting for the right moment to tell them, but could this be it? Her sister gave her a nod almost too small to see, than looked back to her teammates with a small, awkward smile. "Actually guys, I think we do have something to tell you." She looked to Ruby with a small smile, squeezing her shoulders and saying "Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Ruby shook her head, saying "I don't think I could." Yang shrugged nonchalantly and said "Alright, your loss."

She looked back to her team, the mischievous smile on her face as she started off talking. "Well, you guys are kind of right. Naze, that weird guy down the hall…" she pointed with a thumb over her shoulder "…is actually a super important guy. When I say super important, I mean like, the head honcho of the whole "dead people" thing. I know you guys think that it's that scary guy who came to the funeral and brought me back, and you'd be right, but that guy is also Naze. I know this may be a surprise, but Naze and Naze the Eternal are the same person." The looks of confusion that she received were obviously what she had expected, and she enjoyed them.

"It isn't like he had two bodes or anything, but that thing that you see every day is basically a puppet, and he controls it from where he stays. That sounds weird, I know, but would you rather talk to a weird meat puppet, or that spooky skeleton wizard that literally generates fear in you? Because I know what I would pick if I were still alive."

Weiss seemed to become annoyed at this, saying "I knew that he was some kind of spy! Well, why is he here? What does he want to do with this spy body? What is he trying to accomplish?" Yang laughed in response, a large smile on her face. "Why are you so paranoid about all this? He doesn't want to "do" anything, he's just trying to have some agency in the world without making the rest of his people known. If he couldn't do that, than none of this would've come together like it did. Do you really think that anyone would trust a spokesperson who's a weird socially awkward rotting corpse? No, they needed me, and I'm happy to do it for them. Something I'm having trouble with understanding is why you guys don't see it that way."

Blake spoke now, her words being carefully picked. "Yang, do you think it's possible that maybe Naze is the reason you died? Maybe he didn't change you, but it is possible that you are being manipulated in some other way. There are just too many possibilities for ways this could go wrong to simply trust everything about it. From what we've seen so far, Naze is a manipulative person. So we have no reason to simply believe what he might say."

Yang waved her arms frustrated, saying "Than trust what I'm saying! I'm the one you should trust!" Ruby spoke up, disturbed by the conversation that was happening before her. "If you guys don't trust Yang, than you don't trust me either. A team can't work without trust, and if you can't give me or Yang that, than I can't call us a team."

The room fell silent, somewhat shocked by Ruby's ultimatum. There was a finality to it that made it weigh heavy on all of them. None would've expected such a demand from Ruby, and none were able to reply immediately. Instead, they simply looked at each other, their eyes communicating all the surprise that any amount of words could. Blake was the first to regain her composure, shaking her head and saying "I'm sorry Ruby. We…" she looked over to Weiss "…we shouldn't have doubted you. Or Yang. We won't doubt you on this in the future. I'm sure that we would both appreciate it if you accepted out apologies." Weiss nodded, indicating that she felt the same way.

Ruby smiled, saying "Yes, as long as we're a team, we're good, no matter what. Just remember that as long as we are close, we can do anything." Yang smiled a confident smile, and pointed to herself with a thumb, saying "Yeah! Not even dying could keep me away from you guys!"

Ruby smiled at all of her friends before saying "Good, now let's all go to sleep."

* * *

The small spark of emotion was again squelched into oblivion, but was again replaced by the steadily growing flame that continued to burn away at Naze's mind. There was nothing that he could do, other than whether the feeling of losing his mind. It was not yet bad enough to warrant taking any action. For now he would simply have to accept being on-edge and awaiting his eventual descent back into what others might call humanity, and he called debility. Emotions had never done anything good for him, and that continued to be true, even in his undeath.

The procedure for containing the damage was simple, but was not without its considerable drawbacks. Naze had a natural telepathic link with all of his servants given the nature of their existence, and it was an easy matter to spread his mental stress among all of those who followed him, but so great would his distress be that even if none escaped the touch of his madness, he would still be barely within the realms of "acceptable" mental conditions. And the collateral effects on his people would reach every member of their collection, slowing research and, especially badly, make them all subject to lesser forms of the paranoia that he had suffered in life. It would be very bad for relations with the living if the undead as a whole became as paranoid and xenophobic as the living were towards them in the past.

But on the positive side, he would be well enough to remember what must be done. No one would like it, but he could drive them in the necessary directions. They would do as he said, if he ordered them. It was a level of force that he was diffident to use, but he wouldn't hesitate to do so if it was required.

But that was still some time away, and there was plenty to think about in the meantime. There were still plenty of mysteries that would require unraveling over the coming years. Demons were never ones to simply fade away, and he suspected that there was more to it than that, and he knew that there was more to that thought than the encroaching paranoia.

Then there were the Grimm, of course. The mysterious force that had brought humanity to its knees through both might and numbers. A strange occurrence, considering the fact that as a species, they seemed to lack souls. It was a strange fact, but not unheard of. Souls were subject to evolution, just the same as the flesh, but what set of circumstances that could lead to a species becoming spread over so many subspecies, all of which also lacked souls, Naze didn't know. It was a mystery that he looked forward to finding the answer to.

On top of all this, there was the Paladin to think about. He still didn't think that the reformation of the Order of the Holy Light would pose any threat, but it would undoubtedly prove to be an annoyance. No greater than that which he was undergoing now, though. Things were certainly interesting as of late. It seemed that enemies were starting to appear on all sides, just as they always had. But something was different this time.

This time however, it did seem that he had allies. The members of team RWBY at least, Ozpin seemed to be willing to aid him, and he doubted that Penny would willingly do anything to detriment him, at least unless it was Ironwood that told her to. That was another mystery that would require his eventual attention. What exactly was Penny, and why was she made?

There was no shortage of tasks, at least.

* * *

Author's Note:

Again, a few days early this time. Today is the last day of winter break, so hopefully things will get a little less erratic soon.

As always, I would appreciate reviews. Tell me what you think of all the different things that are coming together and being reveled, and what you think of the whole thing overall. I would really appreciate that, as well as if you followed and favorite the story. Its not difficult, and would really make me feel better.

Thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Note:

Mmm, that Nora stuff sure is getting weird. It's probably only going to get weirder. But hey, tell me what you think of it! Also; tell me what you thought of the backstory. You know what, just tell me what you thought about everything. All of it. Do it.

Can you tell I want reviews? Give them to me.

Anyways, thanks for reading! If you've read this far, and have not followed/Favorited this story, you should probably do that. Just a suggestion.

Thanks again for reading.

* * *

As the caravan left the village that Naze had spent his entire life at, he looked back. He wouldn't be sad to leave it, but he knew already that he didn't like traveling. There were others who were going with the caravan to Golden Sands from his village to learn the ways of the book, around twenty or so, and mostly comprised of people that Naze had never seen before, either because of sheer coincidence or because of his isolationist tendencies. He was alright with that, though. None of them seemed particularly intelligent, and thus not greatly worth knowing.

His foot fell into a deep mud pit to the side of the path, and the thick brown fluid sucked his boot in almost half way up his leg. He let out a grunt of annoyance and started to slowly pull the boot out, his foot still in it. After a few seconds, the boot came free with a loud sucking sound, and he stumbled back to his feet before tumbling back down into the damp dirt that composed the path. His foot was now quite a bit heavier than it was before, but he knew better than to struggle to scrape the residue off of his boots. He would wait for it to dry, than crack it off. In the meantime, merely walking would do enough to remove some amount of the gunk.

One of the several people who were walking by stopped, wrapping their arms around one of his and pulling him back to his feet. "You alright?" they asked, giving him a cautious look. He nodded, saying "Yes. Thank you." In his usual, terse manner. The person nodded awkwardly and continued walking, and Naze did the same, glad that he wouldn't be forced to participate in a conversation that he had no interest in pursuing.

He looked down at himself, curious to see of the muck had gotten anywhere else on him. His dark robes were mostly untouched, save for the ends near his feet. The swamp had a special way of reaching everywhere, making everything damp. It would be a far cry from the desert that the group was headed to. Naze considered the change in environment carefully. The bogs that he had spent his life in were putrid in many ways, but it was also full of life. Many small things, like insects and molds, and things even smaller, like disease. The desert would be free of those things for the most part. He wouldn't have to go to such extremes to avoid them anymore, but would instead be assaulted by a new list of threats. He knew that his skin would blister much in the coming time, even people in his own village had heard tales of the vicious assaults the sun could lead. Dying of thirst in the swamp was unthinkable, but those who averted such a fate only borrowed time, for the murk of the bog made everything sick. It was said, in hushed whispers and dark rooms, that not even the Basilisk were able to escape the sicknesses that swam in those waters.

The strange cry of a bird echoed down from the green, ropy canopy above, making many turn and look, startled looks in their eyes. Many quickened their pace, and Naze was among them. He didn't believe the superstitions that surrounded many of the creatures that inhabited the swamp, but he did believe that they could be dangerous. His hand went to the small dagger that had been given to him before his departure. It was a small weapon, and he didn't know how to use it, but it would be better than nothing.

It wasn't long before he found himself near the head of the group, with the pack animals that carried the supplies they would need for the rest of the journey. It was going to be several weeks before they reached their destination, and he was sure that the journey would not be a very pleasant one. It took them through vast stretches of marsh, than through large stretches of arid nothingness before they were able to reach their end.

Naze put his hood up, not at all drawling comfort from the people around him. If worst came to worst, they would serve as distractions well enough. Some very few of them were physically strong, which would make them easy prey for anything that wanted to take them, beast or Basilisk. If this did happen, he wanted to be one of the last targeted.

* * *

Old pages flipped, stopping at another noteworthy point along the travel. Runes glittered, and memories became fresh again.

* * *

Naze came to a stop, watching the rest of the pilgrims make their way to the top of the tall hill that seemed to have a definite finality to it as the end of the swamp. The caravan had come across many clearings in the days that they had traveled, but this one was different. It went far above any of the landmasses that sat amid the still waters. This one had something that Naze had never seen before, and something that he thought he could get used to seeing. It looked greener, and finer than the grass of the swamp. That grass was dark and ropey, sometimes even sharp. This grass looked far softer.

A hand clapped his back, and he flinched and the loud voice of Rideat, the one person that he supposed he could call a friend in the group. He had been quite irritating at first, but Naze had quickly found himself counting on the man's company to help escape the monotony of the endless walking. And just as he found a use for the man, he seemed to find a use for Naze. He found Naze an endless source of puzzles and questions. It wasn't uncommon for him simply to launch into a series of questions, of both philosophical and practical in nature. It was an exercise that Naze had found somewhat enjoyable, allowing him many opportunities to flex his mind in ways that he had not had the opportunities to do before. If he knew Rideat as well as he thought he did, the wide smile on his dark face seemed to suggest that another one of these sessions.

The excitable man peered for a moment in the direction that Naze was looking before looking back at his pale friend and saying "What are you looking at?" In a wordless response, Naze pointed at the hill, a small smile coming across his face as he predicted Rideat's reaction. Just as he thought he would, Rideat made an exasperated noise and said "No, you know what I mean. What do you see?"

In a taunting voice, Naze said "Perhaps you should ask what you mean to ask. It would subvert much confusion." Rideat folded his arms and leaned back, the smile starting to fade slightly. Naze continued speaking "Anyways, you mean to ask my perception. I see a hill, larger than those we've come across so far. It would seem to mark the end of the land that I've occupied my whole life, and the beginning of what looks to be much less strenuous. Though, of course, I've not seen over the hill, so this could be entirely inaccurate."

Rideat smiled again, saying "Can't you ever be happy about anything? We're almost halfway there!" He gave Naze a light push on the shoulder, attempting to rile him up while simultaneously starting to jump around, demonstrating his own happiness. Naze looked him up and down while he did this before saying in an even voice "If that's what being happy does, I think I'll pass."

Rideat stopped his antics and gave Naze a different, more appraising look. He did this every time that he gave an unexpected answer, as if drawing a new measure. He looked back to the hill, trying to see it the way Naze did.

Naze started walking again, not waiting to see if his friend was following. Sure enough, several seconds later the hurried footsteps rushed up behind him, and he was again by his side. "Where are you going?" he asked jokingly. Naze looked at him out of the corner of his eye before saying "If I'm to be happy, I would at least want it to be when we are halfway, not almost halfway."

Rideat laughed, then said "I suppose if that's what it takes, I'll walk with you." There was silence between the two as the listened to their footsteps, the conversations of the others around them, or the light breeze moving through their ears. After this silence had grown too great for Rideat to bear, he turned to Naze again and asked "Hey, a while ago, I heard someone saying that you didn't really care about the Basilisk. It sounds insane, but I guess as I've gotten to know you, it seems more believable. I guess I just…" he paused, then continued "Well? Is it true?"

Naze stretched, pulling his thin shoulders back, feeling several of his joints pop satisfyingly as he considered the question. He continued to contemplate for several seconds before nodding and saying "Yes, I suppose that is accurate." Rideat waited for several more seconds before realizing that Naze had finished. "Well, why?"

Naze shrugged his shoulders and said dismissively "I don't know. They've never done much to me, and I find myself quite interested in the mysteries that they hold. They can do things that we could never even dream of, like throwing balls of fire from nothing but their palms, and constantly remind us that we can't possibly match that. But I find myself questioning that." He stopped speaking for a moment to organize his thoughts, than gave Rideat a short summary. "I don't hate them, but I certainly don't love them either. I would be just as happy to see them fall as anyone here, but not before I crack their mysteries. What good would killing them do if we're left in the same squalor we are now? We can't simply kill them, we have to replace them."

Rideat gave a vicious smile and said "Yes, and maybe put them in our place while we're at it. I'd like to see a Basilisk cleaning my boots." Naze however, shook him head at this. "No, than you've got the same problem they have with us now. If there's anything too this book that they've found, I think the Basilisk will regret keeping us around, no matter how much good we've done for them."

Rideat nodded again, saying "Yes, I think we can make sure of that."

The two of them came over the crest of the hill, affording an expansive view of the terrain to come. It was slanted upwards, and didn't seem to hold any surprises to come. Naze was quick to note to himself how quickly the ground seemed to lose its moisture. Just along the slope, it seemed that the vegetation choked and died. He also felt the sun starting to send its warmth through the fabric that covered his head. He was already starting to sweat. He didn't like it, but it didn't seem to sap one's strength in the same way the bogs did. Perhaps he might even like the desert more. It would come as a surprise, especially to him, but he might be willing to stay.

* * *

Pages again flipped rapidly, coming to a stop a small number away from where they started. Runes again glittered and gleamed with arcane light as the memories imprinted in them also came to light.

* * *

The distant glittering lights of the Golden Sands village shone out across the rolling planes like beacons, and they were all happy to follow. They had been traveling during the night, and resting during the day. Perhaps for short distances they could go, maybe for an hour, but to do any more would certainly be suicide. Naze's lips were cracked, and his robes were sweaty, but he still thought that the bogs were more dangerous.

Rideat stepped next to him, one boot in hand, pouring an immense amount of sand out of it while giving Naze a humorous look. He got the distinct feeling that the sand had been placed in his shoe on purpose. Naze smirked and turned his attention back to the village. It wouldn't be long now before he saw the book for himself, and then this entire journey would come to fruition.

He started to walk again, Rideat walking next to him again. "What do you think we'll find in that book? The call was not very specific. I think it will be some way to withstand their attacks, so that they can't even touch us. That way, there would be no way for them to stop us. What do you think?" Naze shook his head, saying "No, that's almost too simple. It must be a weapon, like how they throw fire at us. I just hope that we can be better at it than them."

Rideat clapped him on the back, in a habit he seemed to be getting used to, saying "Ha, well, whatever it is, I'm sure you'll get a hold on it just fine. Just be sure you give me a hand here and there, alright?" Naze nodded. It was the least he could do. They started walking, sliding down the sandy side of the dune, the sand under their feet falling faster than them.

* * *

The cover of the book slammed closed, and Naze pulled himself out of the nostalgic haze. What was he doing? Nothing but wasting time. He stood from the throne-like chair he was seated in and tried to shake the feelings off like a wet dog did to water clinging to its coat. But, like a dog, there was still quite some residue left behind. He only wished that there was an easy way to get rid of all of it.

His attention then went to his the orb in his hand. There were shades all over the world now, ready and waiting for his command to serve as his eyes, ears, and sometimes even his invisible hand. Through his orb he saw so much, and it all melded into one thing: change. Things were changing everywhere, and no one knew exactly how, not even him. It was clear enough, however, that people were taking sides. The Paladin was difficult to keep an eye on, considering his ability to impede the functions of Naze's less powerful minions, but they were managing. More came to him every day, first it was only reporters, wishing to hear more of his life story, and what he stood for, than people started to want to join him. At present the number was around ten. Not a very prestigious start, but it was a sizeable considering that Solace hadn't really done anything. There were some random acts of vigilantism here and there, but nothing that had awarded him any kind of extraordinary credibility. He also knew, however, that their numbers would grow much faster when they started to actually train and make themselves a force. Perhaps they would even rival the huntsmen one day.

But that day would be a long time coming. And even when it came, they could be little more of a threat. Right now, it was amusing enough to see the Paladin, so strong and dignified, scrabbling to accrue the means to recreate his Order. There were others scrabbling as well, but not for the same reasons. Groups were scrambling to prove that the undead were evil, and not to be trusted. There were those who were scrambling to prove that they were just as they said, and that they held the key to finally defeating the Grimm. And then, of course, there were the still undecided masses. Most people still didn't know what to think. They had reason to believe neither one, other than the words of those telling them about them. Soon Naze would have to hold to his word and start to teach them, if they were willing to learn.

There were more people trying to assert some modicum of control over the situation, such as General Ironwood or the owner of Schnee Dust Corporation, Weiss's father. Both had investigated the possibility of gaining some leverage over him, Schnee through formulating a plan to cut the undead out of the Dust trade which, as he probably saw it, would be a major blow to their integration. It wouldn't be, but Naze would let the man delude himself. At least his daughter didn't seem to share his foolishness. General Ironwood had taken a more direct approach. He seemed to think that the knowledge of Naze's puppet body was something that he could use for blackmail, as he had expressed several times in private. The notion was amusing, but it seemed to be giving rise to an undeserved sense of confidence.

Of much greater interest to Naze than Ironwood was Penny. The automaton, under his observation, seemed to behave in a way that he didn't quite expect. She seemed to feel guilt about what had happened between her and Naze when she had told Ironwood about his undead status. It wasn't her fault, if he had read her reactions correctly. Ironwood had power over her. He wondered if that wasn't something that he could do about that. If he could, than Penny might be willing to join him. Having such a unique member join them couldn't be bad, and it would yield useful information. If all that he had heard was to be believed, than she had a completely artificial soul. That was something that he had never looked into. There had never been a point. No shortage of souls had ever made itself a problem.

Perhaps he could contact her somehow. It wouldn't be difficult, the only risk would be that Ironwood would find out, and even if he did, there wasn't much that he could do about it. There was a gain, but there was also a potential loss. If he did that, and was caught, than Ironwood could decide to use the "blackmail" he had gotten, and while it wouldn't do much, it was still something that Naze didn't need to deal with. No, it would be better to turn his attentions to Penny later.

The more immediate concerns were with carrying out what he said he would do. As he waited even now, scholars were copying texts and planning lessons, all for anyone who could learn. Still, no means of distributing this knowledge had been set aside, but he was sure that someone would be willing to house classes. If things came down to it, he could simply rent, buy, or construct a suitable location. If that could be avoided, however, it would be nice. Those things took time, and seemed to give an air of haughtiness that he wanted to avoid. If he could find an upstanding member of the community to house his lessons, that would be much better, demonstrating the fact that the living and the dead could work together even in trivial matters. He had not yet contacted Ozpin about that. He had been busy with…

He wouldn't deceive himself, he had done mostly nothing. Reliving his past, indulging in some insignificant desire, brought on only by the unfortunate resurgence of his humanity. As much as he detested that component of himself, there was nothing he could do about it. So much he had to pay, just because of one small mistake he had made so long ago. One small imperfection, reflected now in a much more drastic form.

It was a week since the press conference, and all that Naze had done for the most part was waste time. Thankfully enough, however, none of his subordinates had fallen into the same trap. None had wasted any time. Yang had made several more public appearances, studies had continued, and lessons were prepared.

Now that he had risen out of his distraction, Naze was ready to continue execution of his plans. He had to speak to Ozpin about hosting the classes, but it was night, and he doubted that the man would appreciate any interruption during such a time. Waiting was not a difficult thing to do for Naze, and there were many things to occupy his attention until then. One of the shades, whom he had paid special attention to, seemed to call for his attention. He was willing to give it, and looked further into his orb.

What he found when he did was the dorm room of team JNPR. He knew what this meant. The demon that occupied Nora's soul must've been influencing her behavior again. He didn't know what end the little worm sought through Nora, but the matter was out of his hands. Ozpin had assumed responsibility for the situation, and though Naze knew that the man had no clue what he was dealing with, he wouldn't overstep his bounds. He would, however, watch with interest.

* * *

Nora got out of her bed, irritated and flushed. Her skin had gotten more sensitive, and she felt like she was prickling for a sensation that she didn't know. She looked around at her sleeping teammates. Jaune was asleep, turned over on his side, facing away from her. Pyrrha was sleeping similarly, slowly lifting the covers with every breath.

Next to Pyrrha, in the far bed, slept Ren. Nora couldn't help but let her gaze linger on him for a moment as she walked past him towards the door to the bathroom. How could she not? Ren was just so perfect, she was nothing but utterly helpless to him. If he asked her to jump off of a building, she would do it. She had to do it. She wouldn't be able to bear disappointing him in any capacity. And if he did ask something that she couldn't do, she would just have to make it up to him some other way.

She tried to get past him without disturbing him, she really did, but Ren was like a magnet. It was just not possible for her to resist him. She gave in, taking a few light steps in his direction, careful to not make a sound. As she reached the side of Ren's bed, she knelt down so that she was at face level with her sleeping master. Even if he didn't know it, that's what he was, and she wouldn't want it any other way. She could feel his breath against her face. It was hot, and seemed to sooth the tingling that she felt all over her. She wished that she could just squirm her way under the covers with him, but she couldn't. She knew that. But it was all that she wanted to do.

Tiny's voice went through her head, and she was starting to expect. He said in a quiet voice "Don't bother him yet. Just go to the mirror, I want to see how we look." Nora sighed, slightly hoping that the breath would wake Ren, and that he would open his eyes and embrace her. But, unfortunately, no such thing happened. She walked over to the bathroom, closing the door behind her and flicking the light on. Then, with a slightly anticipatory look on her face, she turned to look at the mirror.

She had changed in the past week. It was just starting to be noticeable, but the changes were sweeping. She was starting to get taller, and her body was starting to fill out in ways that it never had before. She had never considered what she would do if she were beautiful, except for win Ren's heart. And she was well on her way to this, her body starting to grow towards this goal. Maybe that was why her skin felt so feverish. It was calling for the one it was being remade for. Her skin did seem much softer than it had been, after all. That wasn't the only thing that she had noticed. Her muscles were getting tougher, and she was feeling overall healthier than she ever had before.

Her eyes were starting to change, just as Tiny had shown her, the pupils spreading out wide, even in situations where there was plenty of light. In spite of this, Nora had never felt so much as a sting of pain when changing lighting conditions like she thought she might, like walking outside during the day or flicking the lights on in a dark room like she had just done. Now that she thought about it, she didn't recall feeling any real pain recently other than the dull ache of her body growing again. She had written this off as a symptoms of her becoming stronger, but now that she thought about it, that didn't make much sense. Was it something that Tiny was doing?

Before she could level the question at him, he said "What about your mouth? That's important, you know?" She nodded, and opened her mouth, trying to angle it so that the light shined inside. After a moment of trying, she found the right angle, and she picked her lips and cheeks out of the way with her fingers.

Her teeth were starting to come to sharp points, starting at the back and working their way forward towards the front of her mouth. Because of this, no one would notice unless they took a good, long look into her mouth, which didn't usually happen. She ran her tongue over the teeth, feeling the smooth surface of her front teeth change gradually to the sharper points of the back. That was when she noticed another thing. Her tongue had grown longer, but so far lacked the split that Tiny had shown her in the mirror. She stuck her tongue out, letting it loll out and touch against the bottom of her chin without even stretching it. She asked Tiny "Wasn't this supposed to split?" in a curious way. Tiny gave off a kind of hesitant vibe before answering "Yes, I intended to bring that up." Nora didn't think that she liked the tone of his response, but continued to listen. "There's only so much that I can do in the manner I've been using. If I had some assistance in the matter, than I could manage it just fine."

Nora tilted her head. "Assistance? Like what?" A very odd sound came from Tiny before he responded "Well, I can't split your tongue for you, but I could certainly heal it that way." Nora realized what her friend was saying and recoiled slightly at the thought. "You want me to cut my own tongue like that?" the thought was startling, but Tiny quickly set about laying her fears to rest. "Relax. I could prevent you from feeling any of it, and heal it almost instantly. You wouldn't feel a thing, and you'd wake up with the tongue you want."

Nora tilted her head again. Did she really want a tongue like that? She shook her head. It wasn't about whether she wanted it or not, it was about whether Ren wanted it or not. She tried to think about why Ren might like that, but Tiny interrupted her thoughts, telling her why. Her cheeks blushed, and her breath tightened at the things Tiny whispered in her ear. They did a wonderful job of convincing her, though.

With a new, feverish enthusiasm, she cast around the room for anything that she could use to get the job done. There was nothing used for cutting in the room other than razors, and those weren't nearly good enough. She might be able to put a few slits in the surface of her tongue, but it would be a far cry from the spilt that Ren would like. She needed something bigger, and maybe even sharper. What was there that she could use?

She was already thinking about Ren, so the answer that she came to was natural. If she could get one of Ren's pistols, she was sure that it would be good enough to do the job. Ren always kept his weapons close by, but he was asleep. She had already gotten so close to him while he slept, there was no reason that she couldn't do it again. Slowly and carefully, she creaked the door open and stepped out, carrying herself as softly as she could. The floorboards creaked slightly, but no one so much as stirred. She crept her way back over to Ren's bed, going to the small table next to it, searching for the little green metal objects.

It wasn't long before she slid the drawer open, revealing them to the miniscule amount of light that shone through the door. The metal glinted slightly, and Nora grabbed one quickly, dexterously turning it as it came from the small space without delay. She quickly took the thing and leapt back, her feet nimbly breaking the fall and dispersing her weight silently. She went back to the bathroom urgently and pulled the door closed again, pulling the pistol up to her eyes.

The pistol shape fit well in her hand, and the blade glinted brightly in the light from above the mirror. She opened her mouth and again let her tongue roll out, placing it gently against the cold metal of the blade. A strange feeling jolted up her spine, and she noticed something that she hadn't before. There was no trepidation in her body, no hesitation at all. Instead, it seemed that there was a bizarre excitement running through her mind.

Without even consulting Tiny, she started to push her tongue against it, making sure that it was centered in the mirror. Blood started to leak from the wound, but she didn't feel an ounce of pain. Instead, it seemed that there was a massaging feeling to it, like the cutting was relieving stress.

The resilience that her tongue offered to the cutting was surprising, but she continued nevertheless. The edge of the blade started to run with warm blood, and it started to drip from Nora's hands onto the floor. She looked down, realizing that she should be doing this over the sink. She stepped forward, making sure that the blood was falling into the drain. She continued pushing, harder and harder, until the blade had slipped to around halfway down her tongue. She decided that that was far enough, and pulled the green blade from her mouth, being sure to keep any of the blood from going to the floor. Then, she held her tongue out to fully observe the wound.

To her great surprise, the blood was starting to run much slower, clotting and, if she wasn't mistaken, forming a new skin over the open wound. She was amazed at the process and brought her free hand up to investigate. Her fingers went to the middle of the two sides, and she touched the blood experimentally.

Her eyes widened as she became aware of a tremendous heat rushing into her fingers. She pulled her hand away quickly, making a muted squealing noise as she did so. She couldn't feel much in her mouth, but apparently her fingers were just as sensitive as ever. She closed her mouth, not wanting the fluid to get anywhere, and waited, knowing that Tiny would tell her if something went wrong. Nothing would go wrong as long as tiny was still helping her. After several minutes of waiting Tiny said "Alright, I'm done. You may inspect the new apparatus."

She opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out and feeling how strange the new formation was. She could control it perfectly, as if it were two fingers. Two wet, boneless, tasting fingers. The two ends, now able to move separately after having been split down the middle, had also narrowed down at the end, making them easier to control. Nora didn't know what she was going to do with this ability, but knew that it would come in handy eventually.

She recalled the blood that had fallen to the floor, and looked around for something to clean it up. Her eyes fell on a dry towel, and she went to remove the slowly spreading red spot from the light tile. As she bent over, beginning to scrub it up, she asked Tiny a question. "How come my blood was so hot when that was happening? I mean, it was practically boiling! Is that safe?" In response, Tiny gave another tittering laugh and said "Of course it is! With me here, everything is safe. You never have to worry about anything again. I will protect you, and you can live your life with Ren. I just want to make everyone happy." Nora smiled at this. She knew that she had made a good choice when she had met Tiny.

She looked back down at the floor. The blood was completely cleaned, but the towel she had used was ruined. She would have to find some way to get rid of it. Leaving it in the bathroom wouldn't do, someone would notice it there. Maybe she could stash it under her bed until finding a better place for it. She took the towel in one hand and turned back to the sink, using the other to turn the faucet on and wash what blood was left in the sink down. She also ran the blade of Ren's pistol under the flow, watching the residual fluid that still clung to its sides be buffeted off before going spiraling down the sink.

She turned the flow of water off and took the weapon from the sink, holding it with her other hand as she made her way back to the door. She gently hit the light switch as she walked past with the butt of the pistol, making sure that the switch had gone down all the way before opening the door again. Despite being thrust suddenly into almost total darkness, she could still see perfectly fine. She crept her way back to the side of Ren's bed, body taking a reverent manner. With some degree of struggle, she tore her eyes away from that of her obsession and put them to the drawer, again pulling it open and placing the weapon right next to its mate.

Her job done, she looked back to her own bed. Its covers looked warm and inviting, but the tingling in her skin was still present. If she didn't do anything about it, she would go crazy before the sun came back up. Her eyes drifted back to Ren, almost innocently. Maybe it wasn't her bed that she needed to sleep in.

Her knees bent, bringing her low to the ground as she crept along the rounded the bed, coming to the other side where there was more room. Ren slept on his back, but always to one far side. If she was careful, she could probably slip under the covers without waking him, and spend the rest of the night with him. She knew that that would at least do something to offset the feeling. It was starting to feel like a burning, even.

She lifted the covers by their top corners, peeling them up from the surface of the bed, than, with all the delicacy that her new body afforded, she placed one foot through the new crevice and started to slip in, lifting more of the blanket as she needed. It wasn't long before she was completely beneath the blankets, save her head. She had thought that being so close to Ren would slake the burning feeling. Instead, it just felt worse than ever. She couldn't stop herself, even if she tried.

Her arms reached out for the one sleeping next to her, and her legs did largely the same. She slowly wrapped both sets of appendages around him, bringing herself as close to him as possible without waking him. The warmth of his body set the itching to rest, and she tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder. She wished that she could stay here, but it would end eventually. She squeezed him just a little tighter as her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep. The last thing that she was aware of before losing consciousness was of the feeling that she was being watched.

* * *

The dark room was quiet, which seemed to be appropriate. It reflected the tense nature of the situation. Although he hated to admit it, he needed the help of the criminal Roman Torchwick for what he was planning. He needed to find a way under the skin of the undead, and he knew that no one was better at that task than the infamous Roman Torchwick.

There was simply the small issue that he was in maximum security detention. Adam and the rest of his partners had brainstormed methods of springing him, but nothing had come up that wouldn't lead to a direct confrontation with military forces, which was something that the White Fang could not afford. Adam wasn't stupid, however, and he knew that he wasn't the only one who wanted that scumbag free. He had concluded his dealings with Cinder some time ago, but for such a worthy cause, he was glad to go digging through his old contacts and pulling a few strings. That was how he had come to the room he was in now.

It was a small room, out in one of the warehouses by the docks. It was a remote location, but he wasn't alone. He knew that Cinder wasn't stupid enough to try and trick him, but he would be stupid if he didn't prepare for such an occasion. Cinder wasn't coming herself, of course. They had worked out the whole deal already, and only the help that he was going to receive for the mission was going to arrive.

He knew next to nothing about her, but he had seen the girl by Roman's side quite frequently when the man was free, but he had never spoken of her, and she had never spoken at all. The only thing that he had heard resembling a name given to the woman was "Neo". Adam didn't even know if she could. All that he did know was that there was something very unnerving about her, even when she wasn't doing anything particularly strange. She simply seemed to give off an uncomfortable feeling. No one, not even Adam, felt safe around her. He didn't know how Roman tolerated her.

And now he was waiting for her to show up. Adam glanced up at the clock on the wall through the slits in his mask. He had said for her to show up exactly one hour after midnight, and it was barely thirty seconds from then. If she didn't show up, than he would leave, his opinion of Cinder going down quite a bit. The small second hand of the clock ticked slowly up, and Adam felt a small twinge of anxiousness. What was she doing?

As the second hand hit its mark, the minute hand also twitched up, finding its position as well. Just as this happened, the door to the room opened, and in walked the woman for whom Adam had negotiated the aid of strutted confidently into the room, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Adam's eyes went up and down the woman's figure.

She had a strange choice of attire, that much was certain. The mixture of white, pink, and brown weren't colors that he would think went together very well, but her appearance proved him very wrong. She was very short, surprisingly so, but carried herself with a control that he might not expect. It took a trained eye to see, but every one of her movements was practiced, like she was trying to emulate something. What that something was, however, he had no clue.

She walked in and sat down in the seat across from Adam, one leg folding over the other as she fixed him with and expectant gaze. Taking this as an indication that she was ready to receive her orders, Adam leaned forward, putting his hands on the table and saying "Alright, you are aware of the situation, I presume?" The only reply he received was a blink and a slight tilt of the head. This caused him to stall a moment as he thought of what direction he wanted to take their partnership before he decided to focus on a strict business-like manner.

He cleared his throat before continuing. "Good. Now, Roman is being held in a maximum security cell, and there's only one way that we can get to it. Cinder told me that you are a master at stealth and subterfuge, so you have a clear directive. Your job is to get in, grab Roman, and get out. You may have access to whatever supplies you may need from the White Fang, including some men, but I cannot give you too many. If it becomes known that the White Fang is freeing dangerous criminals, especially human ones, there will be hell to pay. Is this clear?"

Her smile widened a little more, and she gave a short, solitary nod. "Good, now, I think it would be useful to go over the details of the situation; Roman's containment situation, the guards assigned to him, their shift rotations, every detail that we-" He was interrupted by the immense feeling that he was being watched, indicated by his aura practically ripping his attention to an abnormality in the far corner of the room near the door.

A pair of floating eyes, burning with an intense, fiery glow floated at about the height of a man. Around these eyes, he could see a vaguely humanoid figure, seemingly made out of a thin dark mist. Arms were present, but instead of legs, its bottom simply tapered off as if these were simply nonexistent. Acting without hesitation, Adam grabbed his blade and stood, overturning both the table and the chair he had been sitting on. The table flipped in Neo's direction, but she threw herself over the back of her chair, using one arm to help guide her smooth movement and support her weight. Adam leapt out towards the thin figure, drawing his blade and striking out in the same elegant motion. He made sure to focus much of his aura on the strike, not wanting to take the risk that this unwelcome observer would escape. The honed edge of the blade sang as it cut through the air between it and its target, and the swing built power as he focused more of his energy into the strike.

The blade hit its mark, drawing a horizontal line across the figure's upper torso, but the blade passed through it as if it were as incorporeal as its appearance suggested. Adam barely had any time to process his confusion before the thing simply seemed to fade out of existence, taking any trace of its presence along with it. Adam was left, blade and body tense and ready, waiting for another sign of where the phantom had gone. Seconds passed by like minutes as his brain grasped around desperately for any signals that could lend a clue. None came, and after a short time he moved to the door, not waiting to talk with Neo. He kicked the door open and cried out to his boys who were positioned around the warehouse "Hey, we've got an intruder! I don't want anything or anyone to step off this dock without my say-so!"

The men and women around the place moved into action, grabbing their weapons and starting to spread out in teams of three or more. If they found whatever that thing was, they would be sire to let him know. That accomplished, Adam turned back to Neo, who still had a wide smile on her face. What she was smiling about, Adam had no idea. They could've just been compromised. If something went down here, it could mean a significant blow to White Fang operations for some time. This warehouse had operated as a command center for a long time.

"Alright-" he said, righting the chair that he had toppled and sitting down again. "-let's continue." Neo regarded him with a look that was completely unreadable to him for several moments before blinking and retaking her seat as well. He started to discuss the specifics of the plan, when they would attempt it, resources that would be needed, anything relevant that he could think of. The whole time, however, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was still being watched. It could've been simple paranoia, but the sensation certainly seemed real.

* * *

Naze stroked his chin thoughtfully. He hadn't considered the White Fang in his plans. He hadn't anticipated that they would go to any extreme lengths to attempt impacting him. Now it seemed that he had erred. If they were to attempt the plan that they proposed, it would pose an interesting opportunity to heighten perception of his people. If they were to stop the freeing of this criminal, it would undoubtedly have very positive effects on their reputation. However, it could be difficult to do so in a way that wouldn't arise suspicion of how they knew so much. If knowledge of his shades became public, it would defiantly be seen as a violation of privacy.

People didn't like finding out that there was an eons-old sorcerer watching over them from afar. It tended to create tensions. Stopping the jailbreak would set him above the Paladins, though, who had yet to do anything to set themselves apart.

He was about to turn his attentions to that group when another call from a shade drew it first. He gave it, and found himself peering through the shade's eyes as it hovered hundreds of feet above the ground over a heavily wooded area. The area itself looked fairly unassuming, but Naze quickly became aware of an unnatural power in the air. It was one that he had not felt in a long time, and he preferred to keep it that way. It was the power of an artifact, older, maybe, than even he.

What kind of artifact it was, he couldn't tell. He would have to send either a more powerful servant, or travel to the area himself to figure that out. The power, although pervasive, was weak and faded. This told him that it was either a small artifact, or was far away. He directed the shade's vision to the ground, looking for any sign of geological activity. Items of such eldritch origin often found their way deep under the tectonic plates of the planet, and less commonly found their way back up. The weaker ones were usually destroyed by this, but that only served to filter them. The ones that returned to the surface were invariably some of the most dangerous things that a mortal could touch. He could count the number of resurfacings he had seen on one hand. This power in the air seemed to indicate that one would come up somewhere in or near this forest. Naze had never successfully captured one of these artifacts, but the scientific gain from attaining one would be immeasurably vast.

He sent a telepathic order for a team to be assembled to and for them to go and scout the area. A complement of two Death Knights and ten soldiers, more than enough to hold off any enemy they might encounter. Naze was willing to send so much power only because the potential gain was so high, and the losses could be immense were it to fall into enemy hands. While he didn't know what the artifact did yet, he did know that it could tip scales. They always did. Some granted an incredible insight, some bestowed terrible power. Some affected one person, some affected hundreds. They were unpredictable at the best of times. He needed to know more.

He took one final note of where the site was. The distant island of Menagerie, in a very dense forest. He made the preliminary guess that there wasn't much of a threat of the site being discovered by anyone else. Even if it was, no modern force had the ability to extract such an item from the undoubtedly titanic depths it was still at.

He stopped, and thought of his own artifact. He had never captured one, that was true, but he had made one. His phylactery still sat in the heavily runed and locked chest, deep in the bowels of the earth, though not nearly as deep as those that had been lost. He could go see it any time he desired, and he was sire the desire would arise sooner or later. It was natural that his phylactery be one of the central objects of his paranoia; it was all that held his soul together in the unnatural mangle that it had become. It was a price he had been willing to pay, though. If he could go back, he would do the same thing over again, though more carefully, of course. No one knew of his phylactery's location except him, and he intended to keep it that way. Enchantments and runes were the guard to his book, but secrecy was the shield of his soul.

The dead silence of his chamber seemed to press on him suddenly. The sudden pressure put him in edge, but it was no more than an illusion. Brought on by his nerves, of course. There was little other explanation.

There was still little that he could actively do until things started to move again. "Patience, patience." He chided to himself, sitting back on the throne and resigning to wait. There was nothing else to do.


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Note:

Mm, I like this chapter. Things happen, and I feel the quality was pretty good. I also feel really good about the length.

So, guys, I ask for reviews, and I kind of want them a lot. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a bit of a review whore. The more I get, the happier I'll be. I know the majority of you won't review, but to those of you who have done so in the past, or do so regularly, do it again. I'll give you a high five. And of you want to leave a first review; I promise that I'll value what you say. Also on the list of things you should do: follow or favorite.

With the whoring aside, I really do appreciate all of you reading. Writing this story has really done a lot for me, and that's why I want reviews so badly, because they're the only indication of the quality that I've written. So thanks. I won't justify my whoring anymore.

For now.

So read and enjoy!

* * *

The letter to Reisha was coming slowly, but there was simply so much to say. Solace didn't know how well he would be able to condense his thoughts. For the first time in a long time, he considered sending his message via scroll. But no, he couldn't. That method was faster, yes, but it would lack any of the personal touch that the letters had. He shook his head, ridding it of the thought. If he wasn't personal with his love, than who could he be with? His pen went back to the paper, and he continued writing as best he could. He wasn't much good at it, but he enjoyed it. The soft bed near the corner of the room called to him, but he denied himself the pleasure of sleep. He hadn't written to her in some time, and he wouldn't forgive himself if he delayed any longer.

He told of the things that he had experienced in recent times, of the strange events that had kept him on edge. The dead were returning, and very few were able to see the obvious threat that they posed. He had talked and talked, but so very few had believed his words. He was fairly certain that half of them had even believed him to be mad, as if the life he had lived before awakening in present day had been nothing more than a feverish dream. The thought made his somewhat mad, but he understood the hesitancy to believe him. It sounded absurd to him as well, when he told it. He knew it to be true, however, and he knew the importance of the lessons that he had learned during it. The dead were a destructive force, one that couldn't be trusted. It had been taught to him this way, and he would teach it to others.

He thought of teaching as he wrote. How would he fair as a teacher? Those that had done so for him in his youth had certainly had a gift, but be doubted that he shared that gift. He was patient, understanding, and like to think himself kind, but what if there was some other, ineffable factor that he was missing?

He knew what Reisha would say already, if she were here. She would seek to comfort him, to set his fears to rest and make him confident in his ability. He wished that she was there with him. He would give much to have her by his side again, but it wasn't possible. She had to stay at her village, and it was his fate to train the new generation of Paladins. Only ten had pledged themselves so far, but they were strong willed individuals, and would do well as Paladins. If they lacked the physical strength to become Paladins, than they could become priests, and support those of their brothers and sisters who needed it. His mind drifted idly to the girl who had approached him after the conference. She had been a prime example of what he wanted to join him. She had had a certain discipline about her that Solace knew would make her a strong warrior, no matter what force she decided to serve. Solace was hesitant to even think it, but she might've been able to ascend even to the rank of Purifier. Solace had never known someone of that rank, but they were some of the most fearsome and respected members of the order. They rarely associated with those of the lower ranks. He didn't know if he could train one of such high potential.

He scrawled the last few lines of the letter, and sat back, looking it over both for any mistakes and to make sure that his meaning and wording was clear. It was somewhat messily written, there were smudges and spots at several unfortunate locations, but he knew that she would be able to read it without error.

He set his pen down and took the letter in his hand, folding it carefully before sliding in into an envelope. He would send it in the morning. Right now he could hardly keep his eyes open. He staggered over to the bed, hand tiredly flopping against the switch on the wall to turn out the lights before falling into the bed and pulling the covers over himself, letting his eyes close and his mind drift off for some much needed rest. He dreamed about Reisha, and about the order he hoped to rebuild. They were good dreams.

* * *

Yang waited in her bed for what felt like forever. Reading the book Naze had given her helped, but it only did so much. She was glad for the opportunity to learn more about magic, but she had never really been much for the "book learning". That was more Blake's thing. She wanted to practice the skills that the book taught her, but the book was careful to hammer home how dangerous the spells were. With so much on the line, she knew better than to practice magic of death when she was in a small room with her three best friends. That would be a bad idea.

Surprisingly enough, Ruby was the first one to wake up. She had been getting much better, surprising even Yang with the speed and zeal of her comeback. If Yang didn't know that she had been majorly depressed, she wouldn't have guessed it. She only would have guessed that her sister had fallen ill, or something similar. She was returning with a passion that Yang hadn't seen before. At first, before any of this insanity had happened, Ruby had wanted to be a huntress to help others, but it had mostly seemed to have the kind of magical life that hunters had. Now it seemed to be a passion that burned. She knew now, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she wanted to be a huntress. And she worked with every fiber of her being towards that goal. It was good to see such passion in her sister. For a while, she had worried that her sister would never pull out of the rut she had fallen into. Now she didn't know if her sister would ever calm down.

Ruby slid off of the bed she slept in and fell nimbly to the floor. Yang nodded to her sister, saying "Morning Rubes." Her sister smiled at her and said "Hey Yang." Before going into the bathroom, the door closing to just a crack behind her. She heard the sound of the showers turning on, and then Ruby's voice came over that, saying "Hey, Yang, do you think it came in today?"

Yang knew that Ruby was talking about the new blade for Crescent Rose. She had ordered it on express delivery, but it had yet to arrive. Her sister was starting to be driven up the wall just waiting for it. Without her weapon, Ruby couldn't really participate in many of the classes that required her to have a functioning weapon, and Yang knew that her sister sometimes fawned over Crescent Rose just a little too much to not be creepy. Nevertheless, Yang could understand the need to know that one's weapon was in full working order. She regularly performed checks on her one gauntlet that she still wore. She knew that the other arm didn't need checks. Brazen had done a more than perfect job in replicating the lost limb, and that it would never really falter.

"I don't know, maybe!" She tried to sound optimistic for her sister. What she really thought was that the component had gotten lost in the mail, but she didn't want to say that to her sister. And besides, it was sort of impressive that she was still able to remain positive. She didn't want to crush her hopes like that.

Her other teammates started to wake now, Blake sitting up first, making a rustling in the sheets, than Weiss rubbing her eyes and rolling over beneath her covers. Yang smiled at both of them, waving and saying "good morning guys!" in a happy voice as she leaned over the side of her bed and slid the book under it, hoping that her friends would not say anything about it. They hadn't so far, and she was glad of it. Maybe they could tell that there was something off about the book. It wasn't difficult, but Yang was fairly sure that she had grown less sensitive to such things since her death. To the others the book probably seemed almost evil, but there was nothing the matter with it in her eyes.

Blake and Weiss eventually pulled themselves out of their beds, and went to the bathroom to join Ruby in getting ready for the day. Yang thought about joining them, but didn't. She had found that bathing was something that it was easier to skip. With her vital functions ceased and all, she didn't sweat or secrete any of the things that she would've which, coincidentally, were what made people smell bad. She still gave herself short rinses to make sure that no grime built up anywhere, but other than that, she had stopped. There was simply no point to it.

The others didn't seem to mind. It seemed natural to them, or, at least, Yang hoped it did. It would be somewhat embarrassing if it wasn't. But anyways, there were more important things to do today. The team was still excused from the bulk of their classes, even though Ruby was almost fully recovered, but they still had to keep up on their work. Of the most persistent in that regard was Ruby, surprisingly enough. She did the work with a haste that was heartwarming to see. Yang could tell that there was nothing her little sister had ever wanted more than this.

It wasn't long before her teammates finished preparing, dressing, and applying products as they normally did. They came out, freshened and ready, and Yang stood, clapping her hands together and saying "Alright, are we ready for the day?" They all nodded, and Yang nodded, saying "Alright, Ruby, what are we doing for today?"

Ruby looked at her, than around at the others before saying "Well, first of all we have to go and check if my new blade is here. Then, after that, we just have more training planned. Does that sound good for everyone?" They all nodded. There wasn't much else for them to do. After school let out, they would go and collect their work from the various teachers and do them back in the comfort of their dorm room. It was much better than doing it in the classroom, at least.

Ruby started to walk towards the door, and the rest followed. They walked first to the post office, chatting among themselves about various things. Yang talked to Ruby about what she would do if the blade had in fact come, and if she planned to make any modifications to Crescent Rose in the future. She never stopped thinking of ways that she could change about that thing to make it more deadly. It was a dedication that Yang had to respect. She also heard Blake and Weiss talking behind them, and she tried to listen in a bit to their conversation. From what she could tell, they were talking about something having to do with dust. She thought that she heard a small bit about the undead, but shook it off. She was probably just imagining it, and even if she wasn't, it was not her place to butt in. If they wanted to talk, than they could. She didn't want to come off poorly like that.

The walk to the post office was a long one, unfortunately. It was off campus, and there were no roads leading directly from campus, so it took a few minutes to get there. When they did, they had to wait in line for several more minutes before finally reaching the front desk and being allowed to receive their mail. Ruby gave the man behind the counter her information, and was greeted with a huge box almost the size of her body. She put her hands to her mouth, a look of utter joy on her face before reaching out her arms towards it and hefting it up on a shoulder. Yang knew the box wasn't as heavy as it looked, but she still didn't want her sister carrying the thing. She didn't say this. The blade in that box was special, and she wouldn't want anyone else touching it. Yang knew that, and even thought it was kind of cute.

With Ruby practically bouncing with every step, they started back to the school. Yang suspected that Ruby would want to set about work on Crescent Rose as soon as possible, and figured that it wouldn't be too much if they took the day off. They had all been working hard. Maybe they deserved it. Ruby certainly did. And besides, she would be too busy making sure that every aspect of her scythe was perfect.

The walk was not as slow on the way back. This was likely because Ruby was practically jogging, but Yang didn't mind. She did hear a few unhappy grumbles for Weiss, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. She always found something to moan or gripe about. Now proved to be no different. But she stopped when they got back on campus, and it was very soon after that the four found themselves back in their room, Ruby pulling Crescent Rose off of the top of her bed and unfolding it, displaying a slightly worrying disregard for the space around her as she did so. Weiss was quick to point this out, saying "Hey, watch it! You could've hit someone!" Ruby nodded and mumbled something that sounded like agreement, but she was clearly not listening.

With the pulling of a few levers, pushes of a few buttons, and a slight shake, the blade of the great scythe popped off, thudding to the floor with a dull thud. Ruby used a foot to send the discarded blade sliding a few inches away, clearing the space for what she was about to do next. She spun the scythe, bringing its head to the floor. She propped it up against the wall like this and turned her attention to the box. She took the box in her hands and, after a few unsuccessful attempts to open it with nothing but her hands, cast around the room for a sharp object she could use to open the tape that held the box tightly shut. Blake handed her a pair of scissors, and she went at the box with a few quick movements that ended with the top of the box being opened, and Ruby carefully lifted the new blade out, despite the rather thick protective wrappings around it. She laid the new blade out of Weiss's bed, despite several protests from the girl, and started to cut the protective layers of plastic and paper off.

When the silvery blade was freed, Ruby quickly picked it up and went back to Crescent Rose, lifting it again and fitting it into the empty socket with a bit of a struggle. After the blade was set in the groove, she put her palm against the edge, and pushed down with as much force as she could muster, her aura doing its part to protect her bare palms from the nearly razor's edge. Everyone else in the room either cringed or looked away. That was a dangerous thing to do, even in such a calm environment as this. But it worked, and with a heavy click, the blade snapped into place.

Showing the same haste that she had before, Ruby set about relocking every mechanism that held the blade in place. When she was done, she turned the weapon right-side up and thumped it against the floor a few times, making sure that the thing was secure. The new metal stayed in place, and Ruby must've found the results pleasing, because she turned back to the group, folding the weapon up and stashing it behind her back under her cloak where it usually resided. She was obviously thrilled to have the weapon again.

Weiss looked from Ruby to her bed, then said "You're cleaning this up." In a flat tone that was obviously not a request. Ruby pouted, looking at the pile of trash that she had left of Weiss's bed. It wasn't much, but there was still enough to make cleaning it up a hassle. She sighed, and started collecting the refuse slowly.

* * *

The teacher droned on, absently tapping on his chalkboard, but Naze's attention was elsewhere. His eyes were focused on the girl, Nora, on the other side of the seats. It was an interesting turn that her development with the demon had taken, undoubtedly, but he couldn't help but wonder if Ozpin actually planned to do anything about it. No action had been taken so far, and the girl was definitely starting to exhibit signs of corruption. She was being twisted, not just mentally, but physically now as well. Her appearance had taken a far more sexual nature, and it was clear from casual observation who the object of her affection was. Her partner, Lie Ren. Naze would know this, even without his shades. Every time she looked at the boy, an expression if deep, aching yearning came across her face, and every time he looked at her, she reacted as if she was struggling to keep control of herself.

Though he had promised to stay out of the matter, he considered intervening in the situation. Although there wasn't much that he could do other than kill the girl, he still considered it. Originally he hadn't perceived the demon as much of a threat, but its effect on Nora was forcing him to reevaluate that perception. It had forced her body to grow to whatever perverse ends it desired to serve, and with that, the demon itself had grown more powerful. If it grew much more, it could start to pose a serious threat. He made a mental note to speak with Ozpin again on the matter.

Nora glanced over at him, and a scowl came across her face. She knew what he was, and she hated him for it. Naze knew that it was because he had revealed his identity to the demon that ruled her. This had perhaps not been the wisest move, but it had been satisfying to reverse the roles that they normally played.

The dismissal bell rang, and students all around the room started to get up and leave. Nora herself moved quickly, leading the rest of her team out the door. Naze watched them go, eyes critically analyzing every detail that he could. In spite of everything that he knew about demons, he couldn't say how much longer the girl had to remain human. Eventually the changes would reach the level to which she wouldn't even be human. At this point Nora would either be subsumed as a whole, soul absorbed totally by the demon, or she would be turned wholly into demon herself, and the demon would move onto something else.

Perhaps it was the growing paranoia that was sprouting in his mind, but something had to be done about it. If a demon were allowed to grow unabated, it could, conceivably, usher the demons back from whatever crevasse they had retreated to. If that were to happen, he doubted that the forces that Remnant had access to would be sufficient to repel them. They had a habit of being both highly persistent and highly competent at what they did. Without any higher, divine power, the demons would stand relatively unopposed.

He got up from his seat and joined the exodus from the classroom, making his way to the next class. He wasn't entirely sure why he was still bothering to attend classes. He didn't need the guise anymore, enough people knew that that the body was dead that it probably didn't matter anymore. But it allowed him direct agency, something that he didn't take for granted. Working solely through others was a tedious and frustrating process. Acting directly was much better, allowing him to change things instantly.

As he walked, he became aware of one person in particular who was following behind him at a distance that was just a little too constant to be accidental. He didn't want to give away that he knew they were there, but he did feel like confronting them. He needed some entertainment anyways. Instead of continuing on the straight path to his next class, he turned down one of the non-populated halls and walked some distance down it, making sure that the anonymous follower was still behind him. He could hear the clacking of high heeled shoes reverberating off of the walls now, making the person's presence obvious beyond a doubt now. There were other steps as well, lighter, but around the same distance from him. He wondered if his followers intended to attack him. If they did, they would certainly provide some amount of entertainment.

He turned, and found three people standing threateningly between him and his way out. The foremost of them was not quite a student as he had expected, but she wore the uniform of one. She was tall, with dark hair and a slender frame, but the most prominent feature about her was her eyes. They burned around her pupils with a strange orange glow, making her gaze appear much more intense than it otherwise would have. The two behind her didn't appear nearly as old as she was, about the appropriate age to be attending beacon. One was taller, a male, with grey hair, eyes, and clothing to match. He stood in a dismissive stance, and the other was female, with darker skin, green hair, and red eyes that lacked the luminescence that their leader's had. All three wore school uniforms, though not the uniforms that were standard to Beacon. They seemed to be confident, but what they wanted Naze still did not know.

He simply peered at them, not making a move other than raising an eyebrow at them. He wouldn't be the first to say or do anything. The woman at their front took several more steps forward, until she was only a few feet from Naze. She then stopped, and said in a silky voice, her words rounded and enunciated carefully in an almost purring fashion "Oh my, you seem to have taken a wrong turn, haven't you?"

Naze's eyes flicked around the hall, and he shrugged, saying "I wouldn't think so. But you obviously do, and you've followed me, so clearly you want something." She didn't react to his dead monotone, which was somewhat out of the ordinary. Most people were taken aback, but Naze didn't mind. He had the unfortunate inclination that she would replace this initial thing with another irritating habit.

She smiled and took another couple steps forward, hips swaying in an intentionally seductive manner, apparently unaware that this would have no effect. "We simply wanted to come down to…" she paused for a moment, caressing the puppet body with her eyes, and Naze started to have a full comprehension of just how manipulative a woman this was. "…guide you in the right direction, of course." She fully closed the distance between them, now only inches away, and started to circle around him. Naze drew the comparison in his mind between her and a stalking predator, looking for some weakness to prey on.

"And what direction would that be?" he asked, already expecting some kind of offer or bribe. Sure enough, she completed one circle and started another, brushing up against him as she did so. "I'm concerned that you and..." she paused again, taking a few more steps before continuing "…your people, might be vying for the wrong kind of relationship with the public." He raised an eyebrow again. The woman clearly took this as a sign of interest, and continued talking. "You seem to be approaching them like they are equals, and like you want their respect. Why? You're clearly much more than they are, so why bother? I could help you take a more…" another pause, and another few clanking steps. "…backseat approach. You could simply lend us some of your power, and we could carry out your dirty work."

Naze spoke again, looking from the boy in grey to the girl with green hair, asking "And who might "us" be? These are important details not to be left out. Is "us" the two children I see before me? I wouldn't trust them with even the simplest tasks, let alone anything of importance. And you aren't much better. What is someone of your age doing at a school like this, anyways?"

She smirked and took a step away towards her two companions, still facing him with a smirk. "We are…" a mock thoughtful expression went across her face, and she said "…a collection of individuals who realize that our little club called "civilization" needs something to lead it, and have been vying doubtfully to provide that for some time now. With your assistance, we could do so much. And you, of course, would be at the top of the pyramid. Tell me, what is it that you want the living to do?"

The answer that first came to Naze's mind was one that was as bitter and jaded as any old man, and he spat it out in as appropriate a voice as he could manage. "For them to stop meddling in affairs beyond their comprehension. It's an unfortunate habit they have, but it's to be expected, given just how infinitesimal your existence is." This, satisfyingly enough, did elicit some reaction from the woman. She took affront to this, narrowing her eyes. "Perhaps I've chosen the wrong individual to talk to. Is there any possibility that I might speak to your master? I'm quite certain that he would see things more insightfully."

The irony of the statement was enough that the corners of Naze's mouth lifted in a smirk. "I'll run the possibility by him the next time I see him." He said, his voice still the monotone that it had started. Unsure of whether he was being facetious or not, the woman started to turn away, signaling for her two associates to join her. Before she could disappear, Naze spoke out, saying "If you want me to find you after I tell him, you'll have to give me a name."

The woman stopped and turned, an irritated smile on her face. "Yes, of course." She said, and gave a terse nod. "You can find me under the name Cinder." She put emphasis on her name, as if even she liked the sound of her own name. Naze nodded and said "When I speak with him, I'll inform you as to the results."

Cinder nodded again, and continued to walk away. Naze watched her go, analyzing her as she went. So, this was the women who had dispatched the infiltrator to Adam, and who wanted to see Roman Torchwick freed. The woman who's plan he would ultimately stop, and whom he would find himself at odds with eventually, if she continued to side with the White Fang. She didn't seem like the type of person who kept on one team for too long. At maximum, she probably stuck around until there was no more benefit, than left hastily afterword, no matter the consequences. He didn't imagine that an alliance with her would bring any of the benefits he was working towards.

They turned the corner, and were gone. Naze kept walking, just as the bell rang again, signaling the start of the next class. Naze looked up at the nearest speaker from which the sound emanated, debating whether or not to go to the class he was supposed to. The answer came as a swift, resounding "no" and he instead started to shift his attention, commanding a shade to move to Beacon to keep an eye on Cinder. If she was as important as she appeared to think she was, than she was definitely worth the observation. If she wasn't that important, than she likely worked for someone who was, and would lead them up the power chain when she contacted them. Naze looked forward to finding out if the woman's claims held any truth to them. If they did, than there was more to this government than there had first appeared to be.

The observation would, no doubt, yield interesting results. The shade that was chosen started to relocate to Beacon, and Naze let his focus shift away from his puppet, idly guiding it back to his dorm room.

Done with that for now, he turned his focus elsewhere. The excavation team that had been put together for retrieval of the artifact was almost ready to go, and the security detail was already prepared, practically itching to get out and start securing the area. Naze could see the value that would have, but did not want the two to be separated. Besides, several more shades were performing an extensive survey of the area, and the soldiers "securing the area" would be very disruptive to that survey. The survey was a simple one, merely assessing the kind of threats that the excavation might face. They all knew the importance that the object posed, and all were eager to see it for themselves. None wanted to take more risk than was necessary, so being prepared for anything was a necessity. If they got that relic out, and it was destroyed or damaged in some way by a Grimm, than all of this effort would be for nothing. They were all determined to not let that happen.

The teams would be ready to set out soon. They would get to the site in a few hours, arriving via a rune of translocation set up by the shades. Naze looked forward to the unearthing of the artifact just as much as they, perhaps more. Whatever they stood to gain, it would be worth it.

But they had not yet embarked on this mission, and there were other things to occupy his time until then. He turned his attention to one of the other shades that were observing the world for him, and one in particular caught his old eye.

A man with streaks of grey in his hair was pacing back and forth, talking in a commanding voice about the dangers that the undead posed to a familiar redheaded girl with strikingly green eyes. Naze had been wondering what had happened to his golem friend. He focused on the senses of that shade.

* * *

Penny sat uncomfortably. She was sorry that she had even brought up the undead. She wouldn't have, if she had known that it would upset Mr. Ironwood so much. She hated to see him upset. But, then again, she hated to see anyone upset. It was so horrible a thing, anger. And worst of all, she didn't seem to be able to predict what set some people off and what made others happy. She had tried her best to learn, but it seemed that nothing had come of it.

And now she was getting a stern talking to. All she had said was that maybe the undead weren't really all that bad, and that maybe they were being honest when they said that they wanted good relations. But that was naïve, at least according to Ironwood. Apparently Penny was supposed to expect deception from them. It was hard to do, because she had already met one, and he had seemed too nice. They had even become friends. It pained her to think about what Ironwood might have her do in the future, especially if it brought her against her friend. What would she do if that happened? She couldn't disobey Ironwood, but she couldn't hurt her friends either.

Something caught her attention other than the speech Ironwood was giving her. A wispy, dark cloud, almost shaped like a person, appeared behind Ironwood. She was about to say something about it when two brightly glowing orbs appeared at eye level, and Penny got the distinct impression that they were looking over everything very critically. Its eyes went first to Ironwood, who didn't react, and then turned to her. She instantly felt like she was back at the lab. She disliked that place, but at least she was friends with everyone there. This thing was just staring at her, and she didn't even know what it was. She tried to detect anything that might give her clues, but there was simply nothing, as if it barely even existed. There was not heat, no movement, the only thing that she could pick up was an anomalous energy reading, and even that was barely detectable. Yet, in spite of this, she could see the thing as clear as day.

Ironwood paced back and forth a few more times, and every time he turned Penny was sure that he would see the strange ghostly figure and say something. But he never did. He must've been able to tell that her attention was elsewhere, because he let out a sigh and said tiredly "We'll talk about this later." And turned to leave. Penny wanted to say something as he went, not only because she didn't want him to feel hurt, but because she didn't want to be left alone with the thing behind him. Whatever it was, it was frightening. The words caught in her throat though, and she wasn't able to speak them. What if they just made Ironwood mad again? She exhaled deeply, wishing only that she was better at figuring things like that out. She couldn't bring herself to run that risk.

The doors closed behind Ironwood, and Penny was left alone in the large, sterile room with nothing but the menacingly acute eyes stabbing into her. She found herself almost paralyzed with fear, but managed to say in a hesitant voice "H-hello?" The form didn't react, but only continued to stare at her. Penny remembered what Ironwood had said, about expecting treachery and deceit, but found it impossible to do for herself. She didn't know anything about the form in front of her. Maybe it was just as frightened as she was. She stood from her seat and gave as convincing a smile as she could, saying slightly more confidently "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

She didn't feel that the hesitance was completely covered by the enthusiasm, but at least she had made the effort. The form only stared at her silently for a moment, before it started to close the distance between the two, drifting forward smoothly. As it did so, an almost imperceptible change took place in its manner. The sharp, critical edge in its gaze changed to a more inquisitive one. This didn't lessen the intensity, or the trepidation that it made her feel, of course.

As it closed the distance between them, it stopped just as it entered into what would be normal conversational distance. It paused again here, than extended a shadowy, smoking arm out to the right of its body. Penny followed this, trying to figure out if it was meant as some kind of signal or message. Just as she was about to ask the thing, the arm receded back into its main mass, disappearing from perceptibility. Something else seemed to take hold of it, making it move slightly to itself, than something very startling happened.

Its head seemed to grow more distinct, and its eyes blazed with a new intensity, changing to a blue that seemed to stretch for miles below their ethereal surface. Its head elongated slightly, and Penny got the distinct impression that the thing's identity had changed. How she got this impressions, she did not know, but attributed it to her aura, as she did most intuitive thoughts. Figuring this, she spoke again, saying "My name is Penny, it's a pleasure to meet you!" the thing still stared at her, and she started to wonder if it could even understand her. It wasn't too far out of the question that this alien thing didn't know her language. It was so bizarre that this lack of knowledge wouldn't surprise her. She tried to determine this, asking it a simple question that would be easy to answer. "Do you know what I'm saying?"

The thing, though faceless and as far as she could tell, bodiless, started to move its head strangely. She wouldn't have noticed, but the movements were just large enough to register on her instruments. As the thing did this, the air around it started to vibrate, creating at first nothing more than a ghostly, haunting moan before it sharpened into a loose word. "Yes."

She gasped, being taken slightly off-guard by this. Despite not having any physical means to accomplish it, the thing was able to talk. It was still shaking, and she took this to mean that it was still trying to form words. "We've…" there was a pause as its vibrations changed to produce the proper sounds "…met…" Penny waited, eager to hear what the thing had to say. "…before." Its vibrations ceased, and she raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Who are you?" It started to shake again, this time faster, as if it were used to this method of communication now. "Naze."

She tilted her head in confusion, saying "You aren't Naze! You're something else." Surely that had to be true. Naze was dead, but this couldn't be his soul. It was almost nothing! Naze's soul had to be more powerful than this. It spoke again, faster now. "I speak through proxy…" it paused, lining up the next series of words "…and come with an offer." Penny's eyebrows raised, and she asked "proxy? How is that possible? And what is the offer?" The figure stood still for another extended period of time before speaking again. "You don't like Ironwood…" another short pause "…do you? I could help…" it paused again, but she got the feeling that this was more of a considering pause than to prepare to speak again "…free you from any unwilled bonds with him."

Penny didn't know what to say. She liked Mr. Ironwood well enough, but what would it be like if she were to free of him? He gave her jobs, talked to her, and generally interacted with her. She thought that he was her friend, and he said that she was his friend. She didn't know if she could go back on a friendship like that. But Naze was her friend too, and he wanted to help her. He was mistaken though, he thought that Ironwood was unfair to her, maybe even cruel. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ironwood cared for her. "Oh, no, I don't think I would like that. Mr. Ironwood is nice! My father is a little nicer to me, of course, but Mr. Ironwood treats me well."

The shadowy figure stopped moving entirely for a moment before resuming and saying "Like when he forced you to speak up about me?" Penny had almost forgotten about that. "It was clear you didn't want to, yet he made you. That's not very friendly."

Penny shook her head. "No, he has his reasons. You just don't know them, because you haven't seen them. Mr. Ironwood is a good man, I promise. You don't need to worry about me. I'm in good hands." A smile was on her face now. It had all just been a misunderstanding. She hoped that Naze could understand that she was totally sincere about Mr. Ironwood. Most people didn't understand their friendship, but all Penny wanted was that no one worry about her. She didn't want to be a thorn in anyone's side.

The shadowy form made a gesture with its gaseous arms, saying at the same time "Perhaps. Should your mind change, the offer will remain open." The ghostly figure started to drift away, going towards one of the walls, remaining absolutely silent the whole time. Penny's face flashed with confusion, and she said "Wait! Where are you going?" Without stopping, the figure said in that same slow, disembodied voice "Away. I've things to do. Fear not, however, we will speak again."

With that, the smoke form started to disappear, phasing through the wall as if it weren't even there. Penny watched the thing go until it was gone entirely, than felt a strange feeling deep in her chest. She was happy with Ironwood, but what would've happened if she accepted that offer? It would've been interesting, she was sure.

* * *

Ruby panted, her clothes soaked in sweat that had accumulated over the past few hours that they had practiced, acting like a testament to her desire. She wanted to be the best Huntress she could be, so she would train as hard as she needed to make that a reality. Crescent Rose was clutched firmly in her hands, but she didn't know if she could let it go. Not out of any strange desire or discomfort leaving it, but simply because her fingers had been wrapped so tightly around it for so long that she wasn't sure the muscles would be willing to move.

Across from her, Blake and Weiss struggled for breath in a similar fashion to her, although slightly less drastic. They had been mock-fighting for hours now, and were sure that they had reached their breaking point. When from the raised seats, Yang called "Alright, how about a break?" all three were quick to take her up on the offer, dropping their arms and limping on their already sore feet towards the seats. As they did so, Blake nodded to Ruby, saying "You really got better today. I didn't know that getting Crescent Rose back would do so much for you." Ruby smiled and nodded, happy that they had noticed her improvement. She certainly had.

When they reached the seats on which Yang was, they were handed bottles of water, and they all took them gratefully and almost collapsed into their seats. They had held nothing back all day, as they wanted this final day of repairing the damage that had been done to their friend to be the best it could be. Yang's suggestion of taking the day off had been promptly thrown out the window, and Ruby had stated her desire to train harder.

It was only now, exhausted and on the verge of passing out, that she felt really healed. After Yang came back, the oppressive feeling had lessened, but there was still a miasma of doubt and weakness hanging over her, reminding her of the great damage that had come to her. Now she felt like she used to, and it was a feeling that she relished. She would never take the warm, idle comfort for granted again.

She felt stronger, having re-tested her own limits against her teammates. She had even done a little better than she had before, but she was willing to chalk that up the increased effort that she gave this battle. She had been almost like a blur the whole time, dodging and striking faster than the eye could follow. She didn't make many successful hit, of course, but that was because her teammates were just that good. Both had very admirable defenses, and Ruby would have been surprised to find any chinks in them that they couldn't close soon after. Yes, if she was totally honest with herself, most of the hits had been luck, but she wasn't about to let that dampen her mood. Now was a time for celebrating, and for looking forward. There was no way that she wouldn't become a Huntress, it simply wasn't possible. She would go on, fighting monsters and saving others from what she had gone through.

Her thoughts darkened as she remembered the events that had led to Yang's accident. A deep, creeping feeling of illness started to make its way up from her stomach. Perhaps she wasn't completely healed. But that didn't matter, as it was only a small thing. She was strong again, and she was happy again. She leaned back in the chair and peered up at the ceiling through the several strings of hair that clung to the sweat on her forehead. What would the teachers say? Would she get any praise or comments on her recovery? She hoped that she would, but she didn't really anticipate it. This was Beacon, and teachers weren't prone to complementing students much.

She thought about the homework she still had to do and groaned. It was all very boring theoretical stuff, and nothing that she actually liked. She wished that some of the classes weren't as dull as they were, but there was nothing that she could do about that. Luckily, what she found boring, Weiss usually found very interesting, so she could always ask her for help.

Yang took notice of her sister's sounds and took a few steps over to her, leaning forward so that she was looking down at Ruby's face. "Hey Rubes, what's up?" Her sister responded by rolling her eyes and saying "I still have that review for professor Port to do." She made a gurgling sound in the back of her throat "Why's all that stuff have to be so boring? I mean, a little report I could understand, but five pages? Really?" Yang smirked and nodded, rubbing Ruby's head and saying "Yeah, well, that stuff in important. You might really need it someday." Weiss also spoke, saying "And what do you mean by "boring"? Everything taught in that class is at least interesting enough to hold your attention long enough to get a report done."

This prompted Blake to roll her eyes and say "Yeah, the shipping methods between kingdoms really is enrapturing." Weiss scowled at her, but Ruby and Yang laughed. After a while, Ruby got up from her seat and said "Well, maybe it's about time that we head back. All in favor?" Weiss, Blake, and Yang all raised their hands simultaneously. Ruby nodded and picked Crescent Rose back up, folding it and stashing it behind her back where it always went. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of the colors on her cape shift in a particularly entrancing way. The dark red and black still flowed like liquid across the fabric surface, and Ruby loved to watch it. It reminded her of when Yang came back, and of her funeral. She was glad that Naze the eternal had done something with it to make it appealing again. She knew that she would be devastated if she had lost the thing. It was like her mother's and that meant a lot to her.

As the group started to pile out of the room, her mind wandered, connecting random dots here and there with others that were nowhere close. Eventually she came up with the combination of Naze and her mother. This combination was somewhat startling to her, and it had never occurred to her before. As the group walked back towards the dorms, she found herself completely unable to shake the thought. Was it possible? Probably not. It was probably just wishful thinking. But that didn't mean that it was impossible. Yang surely would've told her, though, if that were the case. How could she not? She know how much that would mean to her. Unless she didn't know herself, that was also a possibility. Ruby didn't know much about the way Naze ran things, other than what Yang had told her, but that seemed like something that he could easily neglect to mention.

Before she knew it, they were back at their dorms. Yang opened the door, and the rest of them streamed in behind her, each one but Yang vying with each other to be the first to the showers. None of them wanted to feel sweaty like they did for longer than they had to. Ruby turned out to be the first, and smiled, wondering if this was because she was the fastest, or if the others had let her get it. She hoped that she had gotten in on her own merit.

* * *

Jaune walked down the hall next to Pyrrha, looking over his shoulder at Nora and Ren. The pair had been locked together even more than usual lately, and Jaune didn't know what to think of it. Nora had been acting very strangely lately. It was like she had simply let go of whatever control she had over herself, and that was very unlike her. She was impulsive at times, and always a bit eccentric, but she had never simply run wild before.

He was starting to get worried about her, and so was everyone else. Even Ren had admitted that her behavior was very out of the norm. The three of them had discussed what to do about it, but none of them had come up with anything. There was nothing that they really could do. At first they had thought that it was simple natural changes, like puberty, but it had soon proven to be something else entirely. What were they supposed to do, though? Go to Professor Ozpin and tell him that their friend was turning into some kind of sexual aggressor? They couldn't just do that. Not even Ren, the sole focus of her attention, wanted that.

"What are we going to do?" he asked in a hopeless voice, watching Nora wrap herself around Ren's arm as they walked, affixing his friend's pink eyes with an almost predatory gaze. If it came down to separating the two, he didn't want to be the one in-between them.

Pyrrha gave a sigh and looked back as well, following his gaze. When she saw the bubbly redhead attached to Ren, she shook her head. "Jaune, I…" she searched for the words for a brief moment before shaking her head again and saying "I don't know. I really do hate to say this, but…" she looked from Nora to Jaune and finished "…this is up to you. You're the leader, Jaune, and I'm afraid that you have to deal with this. I'll give you whatever support I can, but I can't make the decision for you."

Jaune's face fell. He had been dreading that reality. He had gotten close to Nora over the time they had been on a team, almost coming to think of her as a sister. If he brought the issue up with anyone, she was sure to get a harsh reprimand, maybe even be expelled. He couldn't do that to her. She wanted the same as everyone else; to be a Hunter. That wasn't a dream that he could crush like that, not when he himself held it so dearly. But was it still something that Nora valued? Looking at the girl, he didn't know if she did. It seemed that her every thought had been replaced by Ren. He turned his gaze back to the way he was walking, shoulders slumping as he thought. Maybe he could just ignore it all.

A sudden noise from behind the two came cracking out, making Jaune jump as he turned to investigate its source. What he found annihilated any hope he had for pushing the matter from him mind.

The source of the noise, as it turned out, was Nora reacting to something that Ren had evidently said. She had let out a screech and not so much pushed him, but rather walked him into a corner, her hands placed firmly on the wall to either side of his shoulders. Yet, in spite of this generally threatening behavior, she seemed to be pleading with him, her face barely an inch away from his.

Both Pyrrha and Jaune sprang to action, moving to assist Ren without hesitation. As they got closer, Jaune started to make out some part of Nora's pleas. "-ase Ren, why don't you love me? I'm trying! I really am!" As the two got within distance to do something, Nora lurched forward, and Jaune could've sworn that he saw an elongated tendril-like thing that looked a bit too much like Nora's tongue slide out of her mouth and into Ren's just as their lips connected. A startled expression came across the boy's face, and he struggled, but only for a brief moment before his whole body seemed to relax. Whether or not that relaxation was voluntary, Jaune couldn't tell.

He looked to Pyrrha, panic clear on his face. He didn't know what was happening, or if he had simply imagined the thing coming out of her mouth, but he wanted to do something about it. Pyrrha had a similar look, and then looked back at Ren. Jaune did the same, and saw Ren's eyes starting to roll back in his head. It looked to him like he was starting to lose consciousness.

Jaune acted, choosing not to try and remove Nora, but instead to try and reawaken Ren. He put a hand out to Ren, shaking his shoulder and saying "Ren! Hey, buddy, wake up!" At first his reaction was almost nothing, than, as if he was waking from a deep sleep, his eyes moved lazily over to Jaune. Then, without any further prompting, his eyes widened again and he started to wriggle against Nora. She pressed her face harder against his, but this made him fight harder. He brought his hands up and placed them on her shoulders, pushing with all the tired strength that his arms could muster.

Nora kept pushing for several seconds, and it was clear that with whatever small degree of power Ren was able to muster, dislodging Nora from his face would be impossible. Jaune didn't know what to do, but Pyrrha saw her chance to act. She assisted Ren, putting both hands on one of Nora's arms and pushing away from Ren. With their strength combined, Nora wasn't able to keep her position. She was forced away from Ren, and again, Jaune saw the lengthy end of a long tongue disappear, pulled back into her mouth.

Nora fought against Pyrrha for a second before taking a few deep breaths and calming down. Her skin was flushed a bright red, and she had a certain gleam in her eye that reminded Jaune of a hungry dog. She let herself be moved back, speaking as she did so. "I'm so sorry! I just kind of lost it for a second. I'm good now, I promise." Pyrrha gave Jaune a worried, questioning look, and after a brief moment of consideration, he nodded. Pyrrha let go, and Nora took a few deep breaths. "I just… I want to do anything I can to make him happy."

Jaune was about to speak, but Ren beat him to it. He said "Nora, I think I… uh… forgot a book in our room. Do you think that you could go and get it for me?" Nora put her hands to her mouth and took a huge gasp, then said "I would love to! I'll be right back!" and took off, running towards the dorms. In her wake, Jaune and Pyrrha looked at Ren with immense concern. "Are you alright? What did she do?"

Ren waved a hand, saying "I'll be fine. Just…" he let out a deep breath and looked up at Pyrrha, saying "Could you go and get Ozpin? I think we need to have a talk." The sadness in his voice was obvious, but it was still a shock that he would be willing to call such a meeting. Jaune tried to be sensitive, saying "Are you sure you want t-"

Ren cut him off, shaking his head and saying "No, I won't do that. I want to talk to him about something else. It's just…" he let out another deep breath before saying "I'm scared for her. And… well, I'm a little scared for myself too." His back hit the wall, and he slid down, taking a seat on the floor and putting his hands on the top of his head. Jaune sat next to him and said "Don't feel bad, man. That's normal. Anyone would be a little terrified of someone just doing stuff like that out of the blue."

Ren shook his head and said "No, you don't understand. I'm scared for myself. When she was doing… that, just there, it felt…" he looked back up at Jaune, and he was startled by the haunted look in his eyes. "…good. If you hadn't done anything, I think I would have just stood there."

Jaune's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't let the alarm overwhelm him. Instead, he put a hand on Ren's back, using the other to take one of his hands and stood, pulling him up with him. They started to walk. Where to, it didn't matter. It wasn't much, but his companionship was all that he could give his friend. He hoped it was enough to do something, at least.

* * *

The air sparked and cracked, tearing asunder beneath the arcane link between the two locations. The forest, dense and mostly uninhabited by either Faunus or Human, was the first land to taste the flavor of the undead boots of Menagerie. The machine they would use for their excavation was disassembled, but it wouldn't remain that way for long. Workers set about bringing it to functionality instantly. Once assembled, it would bore a hole into the earth, and extract the artifact.

A thin rain started to fall, but it was ignored by all hundred or so undead who had gone. The guards quickly took their positions, acting as sentinels that would guard against any and all invaders with vicious combat efficiency. Shades were already spread throughout the area, watching for the slightest indication of danger.

It would not be long until the artifact was retrieved.


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Note:

The new chapter. Yes, tis here at last.

As usual, leave a review, follow, fave, do whatever you like.

* * *

Ren stood in the elevator to Ozpin's office shakily, not sure what to do with his hands. At first he dry washed them in front of him, then put them down flat at his side. Nothing felt comfortable. He crossed them and leaned against the smooth metal wall, feeling the slight vibrations as it slid up the shaft, than pushed off, not finding any comfort in that position either. It felt wrong to be worried about something like this in the face of what he was about to say to the Professor, but he couldn't help it. The posture that he settled into was with his hands behind his back, clasped together tightly as he tried to order his thoughts as best he could.

Nora was sick. She had to be. That was the only thing that could possibly be wrong. She would never do any of the things that she had recently on her own, and obviously there was something wrong with her body, given the thing that had slid down his throat. He shuddered at the thought. He wouldn't forget that feeling as long as he lived, he knew it. It made his skin crawl, but also made him feel something else. He had felt warmth and comfort, even a desire to kiss her back. When she started, he had every intention to fight it, but that resolve had simply dissolved. It scared him that she had been able to do that to him. He tried to keep in control of himself at all times, so that control being taken away was a frightening prospect, especially when it felt so good.

There was still some fragment of his mind that longed for the sensation. That wanted to feel the closeness and the sensation that he had no doubt was love. Yes, he had to admit it to himself, especially now. He loved Nora, or, had loved her, before all of these changes had started. He wanted her to be back to the way she was. The sweet, innocent girl that he had come to know over the years. It seemed, terrifyingly enough, that that girl was almost gone. This, what he was doing now, was a desperate final effort to get that girl back. He would do anything he had to, no matter what the cost was. That was one thing he was sure of.

The elevator slowed and stopped, the doors producing a soft ding before sliding open, and Ozpin's office was revealed with a painful slowness. The grey-haired man was sitting at his desk, looking pensively across the expanse of empty space at Ren. His face was impossible to read.

Ren walked towards him, saying "Sir, I think I have something very important to talk to you about." Ozpin gestured to a seat in front of his desk, and Ren took it. "It's about my partner, Nora. She's…" his voice trailed off, and his gaze fell to the floor as the words refused to come. The full truth of the situation, at least the little that he understood, was impossible for him to speak. He settled for something else. "Nora isn't herself, and I think that she needs help."

Ozpin didn't react for a moment, only staring thoughtfully back at Ren before leaning forward, putting his hands on his desk, and saying "I believe I am aware of the situation."

Confusion shot through Ren like a bolt of lightning, and he said "No, Sir, I don't know what you heard, but-" Ozpin didn't directly cut him off, but Ren stopped talking all the same when he stood from his chair and turned to look out the window. There was silence for a moment, heavy and stifling, before Ozpin spoke again, not even looking at Ren.

"I've always held firm that I've made more mistakes than anyone. Some have tried to dissuade me from that, pointing out all the good things I've accomplished, all the lived changed, or saved, or…" he made a vague gesture with his hand. "But those people don't know the full scope of decisions I've made." He continued, his voice sounding tired. "I'm very much afraid that the matter with your friend may be one of my many mistakes." He turned to Ren, and the boy was surprised to find genuine apology in his eyes, practically overflowing from the half-moon glasses. "I've known about your friend from the beginning, and opted for careful preparation when I should've tried anything I could. I'm sorry."

Ren stood now, immensely confused. "What are you talking about? How could you have known what was happening to her? And what is happening to her?" He looked through every option in his head, and none told him how Ozpin might've come into such knowledge.

Ozpin heaved a sigh and said "The undead, as I'm sure you're aware, know a great deal. I was warned about this, but instead of acting immediately, I opted to wait, and to observe. I was told that there were precious few ways to help your friend, but I decided to wait, figuring that we could find our own way. We, the Huntsmen and Huntresses, who do nothing but protect the innocent, set out mind to the problem. And…" his arms opened, and he said "…we've nothing to show for it."

Ren raised his eyebrows and asked "Wait, the undead told you? How did they know?" Just as the question left his lips, he remembered what had been discussed about Naze, and how he was suspected some kind of spy. He had stood up for him than, but if he had known the whole time…

"Yes" Ozpin said "I've been in contact with them. And as for your second question," he shrugged "they know many things, and I think that they might know the last thing that can save your friend." Ozpin might've continued speaking, but for the first time in as long as he could remember, Ren interrupted. "Ask them! I don't care what it is, I'll do it!"

Ozpin fixed Ren with a gaze that held many things, not the least of which was regret. The two glared at each other for several moments before Ren realized that his fists were clenched, and his teeth bared. He took a deep breath, calming himself as he sat back down, muttering "Sorry." In a low voice. Without another word, Ozpin pushed a button inlaid on his desk, producing a low tone. "Glynda? Bring Naze here, if you please." The teacher's voice came through a hidden speaker, saying "Certainly sir." In an even tone.

With that, Ozpin leaned back in his chair, giving Ren another impossible to place look. He seemed to be measuring something about him, but not in the traditional, physical sense. Ren got the feeling that he was looking for something else. Something far more immaterial. He hoped that he had it. If it could help him help Nora, there was nothing more that he wanted. Ozpin continued this silent scrutiny for several more seconds before saying "Perhaps you can provide me more details on the matter. What has she done recently that worries you?"

Ren hesitated, the laundry list of behavioral changes and worrying obsessions practically coming alive in his head. It would be difficult to isolate just a single instance. "Uh, well, earlier today, just a few minutes ago, actually, she kind of..." he hesitated again. Why was it so hard to say? Embarrassment? Fear? "…kissed me. It was very unlike her, out of the blue and completely unwarranted. I even tried to push her off, but she just held me there somehow." His cheeks were red, but he supposed that that was inconsequential. "And her tongue, it's bizarre. Its long, and it seemed like there were two digits on the end." He supposed that he should give some context to this. "She's been changing a lot recently, and we don't know why. It strange things, like… like…" it only now occurred to him just how awkward it would be to tell a professor about how Nora's appearance had changed to one of the most sexual he had ever seen. His cheeks were bright red now, he could feel it. He didn't try to go on, letting his words taper off into oblivion.

Thankfully, Ozpin held up a hand. "I know what you mean to say. She's changing in ways that she…" he thought for a moment "…might already have done. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to return her to normal. She isn't just your friend, she is my student as well, and it is my duty to ensure all students' wellbeing as best as I can." Ren nodded, feeling slightly better. There was still one thought that was gnawing at his mind, though. "Sir, what will happen if we can't find something to help her? I don't want to think about it myself, but I have to know."

Ozpin took a very deep breath, first in, than out. He had obviously been dreading this question. Ren knew that that didn't bode well for the answer. "I, having very little experience in the field which is concerned, do not think that I could do any explanation justice. Naze was the one who informed me, and I shall leave that duty to him, for fear that I give an incorrect analysis. I hope you can understand that." Ren nodded. He wanted the most accurate information possible, and he appreciated Ozpin being honest about his lack of knowledge.

The next few minutes passed in silence. Horrible, grating silence. When the elevator doors again dinged and slid open, Ren's neck popped with the speed that he turned his head with. Naze was there, stepping out with a neutral expression on his face, the same one that he always wore. Now that Ren knew he was undead for certain, features of this sprang out at him. Naze's skin was too pale, his eyes glazed over in spite of the light behind them, the strange movements, it all made sense as he gazed at what he now knew to be a walking corpse.

Naze came to a stop, saying "You called?" in a voice that was devoid of any inflection. Ozpin looked up at him, a grim expression on his face. "Naze" he said "are you aware of the developments that have taken place concerning Nora?" Naze raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying "Some of them, yes. Why?" Ozpin gestured to Ren and said "Mr. Ren and I were just discussing the possibility of somehow reversing the damage that has been done to her, and returning her to her normal state."

The corpse shook its head in an awkward, jerking motion before saying "I'm afraid, as I have previously stated, that such a possibility does not exist." He looked to Ren, who met his gaze with disbelieving rigidity. "Boy, I'm afraid that I must be the bearer of bad news. That girl you knew is almost entirely gone. Whatever is left now is but a warped countenance of what she was. She's lost almost all of her will, her personality, herself to the demon that infested her."

Ren's sternness broke. "Demon?" he asked "What do you mean by "demon"?" Without pause, Naze explained in a brief manner that Ren could tell was boiled down to the bare essentials. "A demon like the one in your friend is like a parasite that feeds on and warps the soul. Its changed every aspect of Nora, hasn't it? Think hard now; are there any traits that she still has that she did before all this?" Ren did so, and the answer left him pale in the face. "That demon is stuck in, not unlike a barbed fishhook. There's no way to get it out without dealing catastrophic collateral damage."

Ren mulled the news over, repeating the phrase "catastrophic collateral damage" over a few times to himself. "What does that mean? You're just hopeless against this thing? What happened to the talk about "ancient knowledge" and all that? You can't do anything to help her?"

Naze's face grew just a little darker, and he said "I could disentangle the demon from her soul, but I would have to rip it out first. It would be easier if she were dead, of course, but returning a soul to a living body is not anything out of my scope, and the chance of collateral damage would still be astronomically high."

This revelation brought an all new kind of silence into the room. Neither Ren nor Ozpin spoke, hoping that they had misheard the words. Finally, Ozpin asked the question. "You can "rip out" souls?" neither one wanted to know the answer, but both had to hear it. A look of amusement came across Naze's face, and he said "Yes. As you know, Ozpin, I can twist a soul how I like, though I rarely do, but there is no need to wait until death. It's simply a matter of overpowering the opponent, something I find rather distasteful on such a personal level as souls."

Neither Ren nor Ozpin knew exactly what to say. The concept of ripping a soul out of a still living body was little less than unthinkable. Ren's heart almost stopped in his chest. If that was the only way, he didn't know what he would do. He wanted nothing more than to help her, but if it was the only way, he wasn't sure he would let it happen. Surely something had to be better than that. "No, we can't do that. There has to be another way!"

Naze gave Ren a raised eyebrow, than looked to Ozpin and said "Who's to make the decision here? Is it you, or the boy?" Ozpin took another deep breath and looked away. Clearly he hadn't considered the ramifications of the question. His only response was a soft "I don't know." Naze spoke again, offering them his opinion. "Of course I believe that the girl is unfit to make the decision, but consider the following: I perform the procedure, and she is traumatized for life. She goes on to tell people about what happened, providing tangible proof as to what the Paladins have been spewing all along. That would damn near ruin any chances we've got at peace. How could there be, if it gets out that we ripped a girl's soul out and tore it up without reason?"

Ozpin held up a hand, stopping Naze. "Yes, I see your point, but we can't just force something like this on someone. We have to ask her permission, regardless of what we know the answer will be. And…" the words became harder for him to speak "…we will have to respect that decision. I will allow attempts to convince her, but things like blackmail will not be tolerated. She is still a student, and a conscious being. She has rights, even in her altered state."

A heavy silence again settled over the room before Naze gestured towards the elevator and asked "Well, are we going to go ask or not? It seems that now is as good a time as any."

With that, both Ozpin and Ren rose from their seats and started to walk towards the elevator. Naze joined them, interested in what the outcome of all of this would be. It would certainly be an interesting test to ask her if she was alright with this. Even as unlikely as it was, her agreeing to the procedure would provide an interesting bit of information.

The elevator ride went smoothly, no one saying a word at all. The walk to the dorm rooms passed quickly, with Ren leading the way, his quickened pace driven by concern for his friend. Ozpin and Naze walked side by side, neither one wanting to get in his way. When they reached the dorms, they walked up the stairs and found their way to team JNPR's room, which Ren unlocked and motioned for the two to stay outside until he called them. Both obliged, not wanting to interfere where they didn't have to.

* * *

Ren slipped through the door and closed it behind him, taking in the room that was before him. It looked like a hurricane had run through the place. In the room, belongings had been scattered all over the place, like they had been thrown from their original places. He heard a distant sound, almost like whimpering, for brief second before it stopped abruptly, making it impossible to place. He took a few more steps into the room, being careful not to disturb anything on the floor.

There were cups, a few jars of food, even the blankets and sheets from a few beds was laying inertly on the floor. He didn't know what could've happened that would throw them so far, but he had no doubt that it had to do with Nora. A few of the posters of the wall had been ripped messily off of the walls, tearing the paper of a several.

He continued walking, feeling somewhat shocked by the sight that greeted him. Every bed was damaged to the point of barely being useable, the material on top being torn open and their innards being spilled out to varying degrees, the worst of which was Nora's. It looked like the stuffing had been very intently torn out, fistful after fistful, in rapid succession. He wondered if he should call for Ozpin and Naze. Whatever had happened, it looked very bad. Again he heard a small whimpering noise, and this time he was able to pinpoint its location. It was coming from the bathroom. Ren took a few tentative steps towards the door, finding it closed. The sound on the other side was clearly Nora, but what she was doing, Ren had no idea. It sounded like crying, but he wasn't sure.

With a slow and cautious movement, he put a hand out towards the door, turning the knob and pushing it open, peaking in through the crack as it appeared. What he found was that the bathroom was about as wrecked as the rest of the lodging, with toothpaste on the walls, water on the floor, and numerous other things out of place. The whimpering stopped again, and he thought he heard a small gasp. He opened the door the rest of the way, stepping in carefully, steeling himself against every possibility as best he could. He didn't know if he would be able to resist her if she tried kissing him again.

He looked around the room, glancing around the door, and found Nora huddled in a corner, the showerhead hanging on the wall above her slowly dripping cold water onto her head. She looked soaked, cold, and like she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had wrapped her entire body around a pillow, gripping it like it was her very life. Ren recognized the pillow as his. It seemed to be the only item that was wholly undamaged.

Nora looked up at him, and said in a high pitched voice, dripping with more sorrow than her clothes did with water "R-Ren?" Ren had been prepared for many things. He had been ready to dodge away from a sudden grab, he had been ready to talk his way out of a situation, he had even reconciled the need of limited force to get away, but he hadn't been ready for this. Something inside of him buckled at the sight of his lifelong friend in such a condition, and his guard went down immediately. He was speechless.

Nora hugged his pillow a little tighter, putting her face into it and saying, her voice now muffled "P-p-please go away. I d-don't want you to see me like t-this." He didn't obey. Instead, he took a few more steps towards her, leaning down as he did so and speaking softly. "What's the matter? Why are you in there?"

Nora's limbs constricted around the pillow again, very tightly, and she stayed that way for a few seconds before looking up and saying "I came in here b-because I d-didn't want to make you f-feel bad again." liquid was starting to run down her face, but Ren didn't know if it was from tears or the constant drip of water from the faucet above. He took a few more slow steps forward, and Nora shrank back from him further into her corner, pressing herself against the tiled wall. "P-please" her voice was clearer now, indicating that these words were more important or, at least, easier to say "don't c-come near me! I-I don't want to l-lose control again."

Ren tilted his head and kept his expression soft, hiding the foreboding feeling that the words gave him carefully. "What do you mean by that?" No response came, and he followed quickly "You can tell me. You can tell me anything, and I'll still be your friend." This got Nora to look up, and she said "D-d-do y-you promise?"

Ren nodded, and she took a few hiccupping breaths before saying "A-alright. I lost c-control. I j-just…" her voice faded off, but Ren quickly gestured for her to keep talking, encouraging her. "I j-just w-wanted you… to-to love me so m-much. I couldn't k-keep myself from doing i-it." Her expression changed again, and it was one that conveyed so much pain that Ren thought he felt his heart stop in his chest. "Y-you must b-be furious." Ren was somewhat taken aback by this comment. He had never gotten mad at Nora. Annoyed, maybe, but never any real anger.

He shook his head and said "No, not at all! Nora, I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately, and I want to know why." He already did know, but getting her to say it could only do good. Nora hesitated for a moment before saying "I just l-love you so much, I can't contain it sometimes. When I k-kissed you, and w-when I snuck into y-your bed…" Her voice trailed off again, and her eyes snapped back to Ren. "You forgive me for that, right?" Ren nodded, holding a hand out to her. "Of course I do. Now, do you want to come out of there? There are some people who want to talk to you."

Nora gave him a confused look and asked "Wh-what? Who?" Ren shook his head, a smile coming to his face again as he started to see the misery fade from the girl's eyes. "Nope, I can't tell. It's a surprise." At that, Nora's face lit up. She loved surprises.

Ren reached out a hand again, offering his open palm to Nora, saying "Now, are you sure that you don't want to come out of there?" She actually smiled, a sweet sight to see, and reached for his hand, taking it in hers and pulling herself back to her feet. Water dripped lazily off of her clothes, but Ren didn't care. It wasn't like the mess could be made any worse. Her hand still in his, he led her to the door of the bathroom, back into the bedroom, where she abruptly stopped, a breathless look on her face. Ren thought at first that she might be realizing the wreckage that had become of the room, but he shortly noticed that the light of the sun was shining down from a window onto his face at an odd angle. Nora must've found this attractive, because she simply stared at him, fingers tightening around his reverently. Ren was about to say something when she drew closer, and a strange scent filled his nostrils. It was almost alien, sweet and comforting, setting his worries to rest. He felt his entire body relax again, but this time didn't resist as much. He was only a few feet from the door. If anything happened, help was less than a second away.

Nora pulled him in close, pushing against him and dropping the soggy pillow on the floor, using the arm to wrap around his waist. "You know…" she said in a hushed voice, almost too quiet to hear. Ren leaned in closer, and she continued "…I had that pillow because it reminded me of you." The words tingled in his ear, as if striking some nerve in just the right way. "I really do love you, Ren. Did you-" she cut herself off, face turning red again, but this time not from tears. Ren put a hand on her chin and gently tilted her face towards his, saying "Go on." In a sure, confident tone.

Nora seemed glad to comply, saying "Did you like it when I kissed you? Please, tell me! All I want is for you to feel good!" Ren took a few cautious steps towards the door, but was also careful not to break their embrace. "Yes, I did, but that wasn't the time, nor the place."

An excited look shot across Nora's face, and she said "What about here?" She looked around, prompting Ren to do the same. "There's no one else, and we have all the time in the world! We could do whatever we want!" The excitement in her eyes was innocent, but Ren's mind jumped to the opposite without his consent. In spite of himself, he put his arms around her. It was all he could do to say "No, we shouldn't. There are people wai-"

His voice was cut off as her tongue slid into his mouth like silk, bringing all protest to a dead halt. The thing that surprised Ren was that it seemed so much more intense than it had just half an hour ago, and it completely escaped him why he had ever fought the feeling. It was nothing but bliss. He started to caress her with his hands, but before anything else happened, Nora broke the contact, withdrawing her tongue again and jolting back, stumbling slightly.

Immediately, Ren missed the contact, but felt something strange in his brain. It was like was just waking up, and sections of his mind were just turning on. His senses returned slowly, and he watched as Nora shrank away from him again, drifting back towards the bathroom.

She spoke frantically, in a panicked voice, saying "No, see? I can't help it!" She held her hands up, motioning for Ren to keep his distance "Please, just stay back. I…" tears started to leak from her eyes again "…I don't want to force you to love me. I just want you to love me." The shame in her voice was obvious, and it made Ren feel bad. Why did he have to do this to her? Surely it wouldn't do too much damage if he told her the truth…

"Nora, I love you." He said "I really do! That's why I'm worried about you. I want you to be ok. It would make me very sad if something happened to you." Nora's lips quivered, and her body shook on the verge of a meltdown. Ren tried to scrutinize the expression on her face, the light from the window giving a new depth that he could analyze. She had a look of fear, like things were about to spiral out of her control. Just beneath that, there was something primal. A base urge, barely contained by the rest of her mind, almost overpowering her. He thought he could guess what that primal thing was. He was fighting it as well.

Nora turned from him, back towards the bathroom, and clapped her hands to her head, whispering madly to herself "Yes! I know you tried to stop me! I tried, but I just couldn't stop!" Ren reached out to her, but it seemed that she could almost feel him, and moved out of the way before he could touch her. "No, we can't just do that!" She took a few more staggering steps towards the bathroom. Ren spoke, saying "Uh, Nora, who are you talking to?" It was a strange thing to witness. Nora talked to herself commonly, but now it seemed that she was talking to someone Ren couldn't see, and if he had to make another guess, it would be that the person she was talking to was the demon.

He lunged forward, placing a hand on Nora's shoulder and saying "Nora, you need to come with me. There are people who can help you. I promise, I only want to help you. You just have to trust me."

Nora choked down a hard lump in her throat, than tilted her head as if listening to another voice in the silence. After a few seconds she shook her head, apparently shrugging the other voice off. Her hands came down from her head, and she turned back to Ren, one of the most touching smiles on her face that Ren had ever seen. It was filled with warmth and hope, and he knew from that look that she would trust whatever he had to say. It was a wonderful feeling to know that she had that much faith in him. Gently, he led her towards the door. She followed, hand in his, stepping gingerly. Her fingers twitched around Ren's, and he got the distinct feeling that she was again fighting the urge to pounce on him. This made him speed his pace, if only slightly. They reached the door without further incident, and he opened the door to find Ozpin and Naze still standing outside, Ozpin with a somewhat worried look on his face, and Naze with a knowing grin. Ren couldn't help but feel embarrassed under the gaze of the undead. He felt like he might be judging him in some unfair manner.

He felt Nora recoil when she saw Naze, and cursed himself for not remembering the aversion that she had to him. She pulled against his hand, trying to get back into the dorm room, but Ren stood fast, not letting her go. "Nora, you need to hear this. They can help you, but only if you let them!"

This calmed her down somewhat, but she huddled close to Ren, seeking comfort from whatever it was about Naze that revolted her so much. Ren put a hand around her, trying to keep her as calm as possible. When he had situated both himself and Nora so that she wouldn't try to retreat again, he gave a desperate look to Ozpin. If there was anyone who could convince her that she needed help, it was him.

Ozpin nodded silently, indicating that he understood Ren's meaning. He spoke, his voice a worried tone but still even and carefully controlled. "Now, Nora, It's come to my attention that you have been under the effects of a strange creature recently. Is this true?" Nora looked skittishly at him, her eyes flicking between his face and the floor rapidly and unpredictably. "I-I suppose so." She quickly followed this by saying "But Tiny is my friend! I helped him, and he helps me! If he were to leave me, he would die! I can't let that happen, I'm sorry! And besides, he's done so much good for me! I mean…" she looked desperately at the three staring at her "My grades have never been better, and I feel better than I ever have!"

Naze leaned to the side, looking past her into the room. "Who created that ungodly mess?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and shifting his gaze back to Nora, an almost accusatory edge in his eyes. She shrank away, pushing deeper into Ren, hoping for some protection from the question. She didn't respond, so Naze turned to Ozpin and said "Perhaps I should leave you and the boy to convincing her. I very much doubt that I would be of much use anyways."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow and said "How are we to explain the process of what you plan to do, then?" Naze shrugged, starting to turn away. "Vaguely. In any case, it's clear enough that my presence is hindering you here. I'll take my leave, and trust you two to be able to convince her." He waved over his shoulder as he walked away to the door to his room, opening it, walking in, and shutting it tightly behind him. Ozpin and Ren both sighed, wishing that he hadn't done that. They were sure that his input would've made the process much easier. Nora took a small step away from Ren now, feeling less threatened. This made Ren reconsider having Naze. Maybe he had been right, and Nora would respond better without him.

Ozpin spoke again, saying "Now, Ms. Valkyrie, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to see you in my office. Ren, you come along as well."

* * *

The air sparked and screeched as the rune of translocation inscribed on the ground blazed into life, bringing the catacombs of the ziggurat and the small clearing in the forest together for a brief instant. Naze crossed through the rift, and crossed a vast stretch of space with no more than a single step. The arcane power died down as quickly as it had come, and he now felt the gentle thudding of rain against the wards that protected his body. Over the soft patter of rain hitting the ground, he could also hear tools working to assemble the machine that would pull the mysterious artifact from the ground.

It was rare that he left the safety of the ziggurat, but he felt it necessary now. Whether it was because of the growing emotion that was forcing his mind where it shouldn't be, or a logical step to ensure that the construction went to plan, he didn't know. But he knew that he wanted to be present.

He looked at the apparatus. It was perhaps two stories tall at its maximum, the three pylons that would focus the arcane magic into the ground. The three pylons were spaced evenly around a circular base that would serve not much more of a purpose than to support the pylons. The structure of the frame was made entirely of the grey metal that the undead used almost exclusively, as it was one of the most durable materials that could be accessed on a large scale. The only deviance in material was at the top of the pylons, where they terminated in the last several feet in large crystals, already resonating with the arcane energies in the air.

Undead were working on assembling it, mostly lowly zombies being use for manual labor, without any mind or intelligence of their own. The necromancers controlling them, of which there were a few, perhaps three or four controlling around fifty workers. Progress was coming well, and it would be only a few hours before it was functional. At that point, he was certain that every kingdom on the planet would become aware of the emissions of the machine. This was somewhat unfortunate, but he knew that if he took measures to shield it from their vision, and they found it anyways, it would put him in a very awkward position. It would be better to let their eyes be caught, than tell them at least some of what he was doing. Not the entire truth, of course, but enough to sate their curiosity. Yang had not yet been informed about the project, and he would have to rectify that. He would also have to arrange another broadcasted answer. Perhaps not a press conference, but an answer to the question he already knew they would ask.

He turned his gaze to the line of trees, undead eyes piercing through darkness that knit between the thick trees as the light from the sun that made its way through the clouds was blocked by the numerous limbs, leaves, and needles that stood between the treetops and the ground. In it, he saw shifting movement in the shadows. He thought he recognized the shape of the silhouette as a Beowolf. Those standing guard also saw this, and a few readied their weapons.

It had been a long time since Naze had directly killed anything, and it was a feeling that he found himself missing. Perhaps it was some petty result of the unwanted emotions that were returning to his mind. But he was also able to find a logical reason to slay a few of the beasts. If he were to snuff a few of them out himself, he would be able to see just how resilient they were to magic. Some creatures had certain resistances to magic, and they were usually difficult to predict. If he tested a few of them, his understanding of them would be expanded.

Just as he settled on this action, a loud howl echoed out among the trees, sending several flocks of small black birds squawking from the trees. This seemed to act as a signal, sending its owner's pack to attack these new targets. As the first of the Beowolves came charging out of the forest, Naze set a foot off of the metal and onto the cool, wet grass.

Beneath his heel, it died. Not only did the grass wither and blacken, but the necrotic effect that surrounded Naze seeped deeper than that, killing everything within the soil. Every bacteria and microbe in the ground was suddenly dead, and Naze knew that it would be a long time before anything grew there again. While he knew that the area affected was of miniscule consequence, but the implication was not lost on him. He held a great power, and he had always been careful to not misuse it.

As if he had lit up some kind of target on himself, the Beowolf's gaze shot directly to him, and it started bearing down ravenously. The guards standing between Naze and the Grimm started to move to intercept it, but he signaled for them to stand down. Hesitantly, they did so, and the Grimm bore down on their leader, a pure-minded bloodlust firing its eyes. As it came within feet of him, leaping out, reaching its claws towards him in a frenzied attempt to destroy him. From the end of Naze's staff, a sudden burst of energy, green and purple mixing together in a single blast, struck out in a wave at the creature.

Everywhere the energy touched died in a similar way to the grass, simply ceasing all life in the blink of an eye. Unlike the grass, however, these wounds started to fester and rot instantly, flesh turning spongy and bone turning brittle. A physical force accompanied this blast, bringing the creature to a dead stop midair. It thudded to the wet ground, and true to the things that Naze had heard, it still moved to attack him, pushing itself off of the ground, pouncing again at him and raising its claws in another attempt to maul him. Unfortunately for it, the full scope of the damage that had befallen its body seemed to escape its consideration. Beneath the force it used to bound up at him, its weak legs snapped, frail bone shattering and desiccated flesh tearing easily. Its arms were similarly useless, dead muscles not responding to the commands sent from the brain. And so, in this awkward and undesired way, it gained a few more inches towards the lich.

His staff twitched to the side, and an invisible force batted the Beowolf to the side like a sack of bricks, landing with a shallow yelp. The muscles that still functioned writhed in a desperate attempt to right the Grimm, but it was in vain. Naze turned his attention away from the creature. It was clear that it bore no special resistance to his most valued art. The next thing that would be easy to test would be their resistance to pure arcane energy. This would be exceedingly easy to test, as the results would be rather clear cut.

A pure, brilliant, ball of glittering light about the size of a head formed at the tip of the metal spike at the end of his staff, and be brought it to bear on the next Grimm brave enough to charge him. The ball flew straight and true, far more accurately than any physical projectile could have, and struck the Grimm in the center of the chest. For a brief moment, it appeared that its entire body was engulfed by this same light, before both the light and the Grimm died, the corpse thudding the wet ground and skidding for several feet before coming to a rest. They certainly held to resilience to the pure arcane, either. In fact, it seemed that the missile he had shot had acted far more efficiently than it would have on a human, or otherwise similar being.

It was in this fashion that Naze conducted a study of his own, felling beast after beast with varying methods of attack. The bulk of the pack was slain by guards, though this was just fine by Naze. He didn't need to kill many. He just needed a relatively small number in comparison to the rest of the pack.

When it seemed that the last of the Grimm had fallen, disappearing under a furious gout of flame while howling it's hardest, another distant howl answered. It was far off in the forest, but seemed to be rapidly approaching. Naze took this to mean that the leader of the pack was coming, perhaps to avenge the loss that it had suffered. He took a few more steps forward, readying himself for more of a battle. If the beast would be able to put up more of a fight than its smaller relatives. Trees started to shake some distance away, and the guards again readied themselves. Naze didn't stop them. The more individuals between that thing and the machine that was being assembled, the better.

With an earth-spitting roar, the final line of trees between the Grimm and the clearing was bowled over, sending dirt and grass flying. The Beowolf was indeed as large as its roar would've suggested. It was around the same height as the machine, covered in bulging muscle, tough hide, and white plates of bone armor. Its eyes burned with the same red fire that seemed to inhabit all Grimm, and they fixed on Naze quickly as it searched for its prey. Naze felt a slight amusement at this. The leader of one pack had identified another, and it was clear that they both wanted dominance.

With another roar, the Beowolf bounded forward, kicking up large chunks of the clearing ground as it did so. Its speed was greater than Naze had anticipated, and he knew that he would not be able to get any kind of meaningful attack off before it reached him. He could stop its charge, but that seemed rather anti-climactic. Instead, he allowed the Grimm to approach, great claws reaching out to rip and tear what flesh he had.

In the small instant before the claws dug into the wards that protected Naze, he conjured a huge amount of energy around himself and cast it through the body of the creature, stopping it some distance before the tree line. Like a fish swept up in a wave, his physical body was carried along this projection, briefly disappearing with a sharp crack, almost like a gunshot. The wave dissipated as it reached its conclusion, and Naze appeared again behind the Grimm, who now swiped and struck at empty air.

The blink spell was difficult to learn, as it was dangerous for those inexperienced in its execution, and it was difficult to execute, because it requited the almost instantaneous expulsion of amounts of power most people could only dream of. Naze had plenty of practice, though, and power was little limitation on his arcane capabilities.

After pondering briefly to himself what he should do with the beast, he settled on one course. He would kill it, and then immediately bring it back to be studied. There were people who were starting to foam at the mouth for lack of things to study so far, and until the artifact was retrieved, a Grimm pack leader would have to suffice.

The Grimm growled as it realized that its prey had vanished, and turned its nose up to the air, breathing in in an attempt to locate him. It did, and turned, lips lifting threatening as if to threaten him. He brought his empty hand up, pooling arcane energy for an attack that would end the battle quickly. Grimm didn't seemed to like the pure arcane, so that would be what he used. It started to charge again at him, but he made no plan to move this time. While necrotic magic would have require less energy to do the job, it would also cause extensive tissue damage. Unfortunate, but true.

Naze felt the magic build to a level high enough, and made to release it just as the beast came again within striking range. He stretched his fingers, and in a burst of brilliant light, the space in front of him was flooded with arcane power. The Grimm was engulfed, and didn't have time to so much as growl before it died, body falling limp and sliding through the mud. Naze realized that he had erred as the corpse barreled its way towards him. Given the amount of power he had used to kill the beast, he wouldn't be able to blink again before the body collided with him, and his withered form was not capable of leaping out of the way. All he could do was attempt to strengthen the shields that already surrounded him.

The Grimm's cadaver impacted him like a truck, not stopping in the least on its path of destruction. The shield between him and the monster held, keeping him at a constant few inches away. He was almost swept off of his feet, but with an iron focus, was able to steady himself with his magic. The body came skidding to a stop, and Naze stopped with it, heels digging into the ground as he did.

The clearing settled into silence again, with only the soft patter of rain in the ground and the occasional contact between the machine and the tools. The guards all turned their attention back to the forest, watching the shadows carefully. None had anything to say about what had just happened. Naze called several workers over to him with a wave of his hand, and they immediately began hauling the corpse to the rune of translocation. He walked behind it, looking himself over for damage. Nothing had broken, nothing had scratched, and nothing had really even scuffed. The worst that had happened was that he had gotten his robe slightly muddy.

He continued walking, flicking at the intruding muck with a telekinetic force, removing it from his figure. His mind was already elsewhere, plotting and planning for the near future. Yang needed to be alerted as to what she was about to have to do soon. Something needed to happen to make the rescue of Roman Torchwick impossible, while making it clear who was the reason it didn't work. It would make him a few enemies, but also a few friends. It was a trade he was going to have to live with, and he wouldn't get anywhere in the political world without a few living allies. The air snapped again, and he was back in the ziggurat, his trophy being carried off on the backs of the worker ghouls to those who would want it.

* * *

Yang rested on her bed, book in hand but thoughts far away from the subject of necromancy. She was thinking about practice, and how well Ruby had done, now that she had her scythe back. She had fought with a gusto that Yang didn't think that she had seen in a long time. It seemed to bring joy to her sister to be reunited with her instrument of death.

But what about her? She normally tried to be as selfless as possible, but watching everyone get ready for combat like this and not taking part herself was almost painful. It was an itch that she just couldn't scratch, and for good reason. No one had told her that she couldn't participate, that was a self-imposed rule. She thought it best, because she was on a different level than her friends now. There was a good chance that she could seriously injure one of them. She didn't get tired, and her mind had started to work faster than it ever had before, so it was totally possible that she could simply run them into the ground. After causing so much grief already, she wanted to keep everyone as happy as possible for a while.

Still, however, the urge to pick a fight, to feel the rush of a good battle, and to stretch herself to the maximum of her abilities was getting very strong. She wouldn't simply lash out at someone, she was above that, but if anyone presented themselves for a fight, she would have to take it without hesitation. She recalled that they were returning to class tomorrow, and that their team would go to Professor Goodwitch's class. A cocky smile came across her face, and she kicked back a little further in her bed. Yeah, Cardin would get it, if he were there. He and his stupid mace were going down. She would take on his entire team if she had to, and then she would look for whoever was next.

She pulled her left arm up in front of her face, pushing on it with her opposite hand. The flesh connected so seamlessly to the hand, and it was so exact. She was sure that it would give her no problems. Thinking of problems, however, lead her to one of the big ones on her mind. She hadn't tried yet, but what if she couldn't use her aura? What if her semblance really was gone, like Naze had said it would be? She had never liked getting hit, but it would be bad if she couldn't get anything out of it. Without those, was she just some brawler? She shook her head. That couldn't be the case.

Her metal fist tightened, and tendons harder than steel worked in her arm. No, that wouldn't stop her. Even if it was harder to fight, she still had to do it. After all, now she had some perks too. She couldn't tire out, she couldn't feel pain, she was physically stronger, and mentally faster. Cardin wouldn't stand a chance.

It was later in the night that Naze spoke to her, telling her about something he was doing. Apparently a machine had been set up somewhere on Menagerie, and there would be some uproar about it from some of the more paranoid people. It would be her job to address the matter at some point and calm everyone down. She accepted, asking what the machine was for. The response she got was something about some ancient artifact deep in the earth, and that the thing was basically a magical excavator. She thought the idea was kind of cool, but also a bit boring. She agreed to the job without much further thought, than went back to thinking about fighting. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Note:

Ok guys, I fucked up real bad in the early days of this story. I didn't have any end goal or anything, and I feel like the story really suffered because of that. Fortunately, I have one in mind now, and we're going that direction now.

Other than that, I just have the usual begging; review, follow, that stuff. I'd like some input on how Yang came off, because that's important. She's dead now, and I want her fighting style to change accordingly. Also her personality, that's important too.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Tears rolled down her face as she stumbled through the dark alleyways, sobbing softly to herself. How could they do that? How could they even suggest something like that? He was her friend, and she wouldn't turn her back on him. They saw what he had done as harming her somehow, as if it had been painful or somehow detrimental to her health. It made no sense, she felt better than she ever had! Even Ren, her most trusted friend, had sided with Ozpin. Why couldn't he understand, or just accept it? She had done it all for him. Mean thoughts echoed in her mind about what she would like to do to Ozpin for saying something like that, but she kept them down for the most part. And besides, she knew that it hadn't been Ozpin's original idea. He didn't know that much. It had to be Naze's.

Thinking of the boy only made her angrier. There was just so much arrogance about him, like he knew everything. She hated people like that. There was nothing she could do about it though, because Tiny had told her that she wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with him. That's why she was out walking now, in the dead of night. She was looking for a good place to call some of Tiny's friends who would help her beat him. Tiny had told her that she needed a big building, secluded and abandoned, for them. Nora thought that was a little strange, but didn't question it. She had absolute faith in her little buddy.

As she walked, she carried Magnhild by her side in hammer form. She didn't like the dark alleys, even though she could see just fine. There was just something about them that was creepy to her. The night air was cold, making her skin prickle, but she mostly ignored the feeling. With a sigh of frustration, she looked around her again, almost preying to see an abandoned building. None revealed themselves. Her foot hit the ground, sending a few particles of dirt into the air. She had been looking for hours, and still nothing.

Tiny whispered in her ear again, saying "Maybe it's best if we head back. You need your rest, after all." Nora nodded begrudgingly. She didn't want to sleep. She wanted to keep looking. Most of all, she wanted to meet Tiny's friends. Maybe if she got one for Ren, he might be able to see why she liked Tiny so much. That would be good.

Her aura tingled in a peculiar way, and she knew it as meaning that there were eyes on her. She stopped and pivoted around, looking for the unwelcome intruder. At first there was nothing, both ends of the alleyway clear, but then she focused her energy into her aura, enhancing her perception.

Two glittering, floating eyes appeared at the far end of the alleyway, by the street. Nora knew instantly that they had something to do with Naze, and her hands tightened around Magnhild as she got ready to strike out at them. Tiny voiced some objection to what she was about to do, but it was lost in the face of thinking about being watched by Naze. The head of Magnhild flew through the air quickly, sideways so that the eyes would be crushed between it and the wall. The hammer met brick with concussive force, sending a few chunks of material flying in the midst of a cloud from the broken material, and Nora felt a small sense of satisfaction.

Than the dust fell away, and the eyes were still staring at her, undaunted. Nora felt a momentary confusion, not sure how they had avoided her attack without moving. After a few seconds, she realized that one of the eyes was halfway inside the back of Magnhild. She pulled the hammer back, making a note that the eyes were not quite physical. Tiny said "There, see? No harm-"

He was cut off by a single footstep from behind Nora, towards which the girl turned, a harsh scowl on her face. She found Naze standing there, arms behind his back, simply peering at her from behind those fake, dead eyes that she hated. His blade was on his back as it always was, and he had an expectant look on his face. Nora's first instinct was to charge him, but Tiny's voice spoke up again quickly, telling her why that was a bad idea. "He's bound to have a plan. Even if he doesn't, he could outmatch you. You'll look like the aggressor, and if someone is watching, they'll think you're crazy." All of this made sense, and Nora backed herself down, breathing deeply to try and calm herself down.

Naze nodded slightly, as if he had heard Tiny's words, and said in an even voice "Hello Nora. How does this fine night find you?" Nora narrowed her eyes, expecting some kind of trap, but Naze only looked up at the distant moon, hands not moving from behind his back. "It seems you're lucky. I saw a weather report that said it would rain tonight."

Nora wasn't going to play whatever manipulative game he was setting up, and instead spat "What do you want?" in as hostile a voice as she could. Naze looked back at her, tilting his head inquisitively and saying "Want? Why whatever gave you that impression?"

Nora gave an exasperated look before shaking her head and saying disdainfully "You always have something you want. You always have an agenda. I think that's horrible." A wry smile came across Naze's face, and he replied with a sharp edge to his voice "And you don't? I'm afraid I must stop you there, Nora. You have quite a lofty agenda ahead of you; making someone love you is not an easy thing. Nor is it any less subversive than what I do. If anything, you've taken a far more drastic route. You've altered your body, your mind, even your soul has been touched by the filth you've polluted yourself with." These words filled Nora with rage. How could he talk about Tiny like that?

Naze waved a hand dismissively, hand getting tucked behind his back as soon as the gesture was finished. "But that's not what I've come to talk about. In fact, I'm not here to speak with you at all. I'm here to speak with the demon who's taken you as a host. We've some matters to discuss." Nora fixed him with a suspicious stare, but she felt Tiny's curiosity peak. She asked him what he thought would be a good thing to do. Tiny thought for a moment, then started to assert control.

Nora felt her mouth move, and her throat working, making words, and at first she was concerned. After she realized that it was Tiny speaking through her, however, she calmed down. She didn't mind him using her like that. In fact, she thought it felt kind of good. She let him use the muscles in her throat and diaphragm, but the words that he made were low and growling, almost as if he didn't quite know how to use them. "What could you want with me, monster?"

A smile of irony came across the puppet's face, but he ignored the comment and said "I would very much like to know what you plan, demon." He gestured to Nora's body and continued "It's very clear that you are changing the girl, and I want to know for what. Why do you need such a "charismatic" host? And, before you make the inevitable threats or challenges, I would ask you if you really believe that it was chance that the girl wandered here. A wandering mind is easy to lead, and an alley is an excellent place for an ambush."

Nora's eyes flicked around the darkness, but he could tell that it wasn't Nora moving those eyes. They moved a bit too harshly. The girl looked back at him, a lip lifting in annoyance, before growling out "You wouldn't dare."

Naze raised an eyebrow and said in a voice that seemed to call the demon a fool "You doubt the ability of a lich to commit an atrocity like murder? Of all the beings to do that, I didn't think the first would be a demon." It was clear that the demon was starting to become angered, but it smirked with Nora's mouth like it had some secret that Naze didn't. "A real lich, perhaps. But not a flawed one like you. Not the embodiment of a mistake."

Anger was not an emotion that Naze had ever felt in particularly large quantities, he was much more prone to things like paranoia and fear, the things that had dogged him through life, when he felt anything at all. As a result, he was more taken aback that the demon was aware of this flaw, and he immediately began wondering how it might've found out about it. He was careful not to let this show, however, and gestured to the thick shadows that lay around the area. From these emerged two forms, confusing for the eyes to even look at. They had numerous limbs, bright burning eyes, and forms constructed out of a smoke so thick that it almost seemed to be solid. Whether the demon knew what the poltergeists were or not, he couldn't tell, but he knew the important part. They could hurt him. While a poltergeist was little threat for a major demon, Nora was not infected with a major demon. She was controlled by a minor one, bloated on her own power.

"We can continue the childish insults, or we can address our business, and you can be rid of me. It's your choice." The offer was clear, and both Nora and Tiny found it very attractive. The demon croaked through Nora's throat "Very well. Is that your only question, or will you stuff me in a bottle again?" Nora's hands tightened around the handle of the war hammer, but she stayed the strike. Naze shrugged, saying "I would imagine that removing you would take quite a bit of both effort and time now, and I doubt that it would be worth either. Now, the question, if you please."

The poltergeists floated idly, but their eyes seemed to stab into Nora with a vicious intensity, like they were waiting for the moment to pounce. The demon looked from one to the other, as if sizing them up, before giving another small growl and saying "I intend to sway people. Why else would I do what I have?"

Naze pondered what the end goal was. Could it plan to start some kind of cult? That wasn't out of the question, it had happened before. If it set about summoning other demons, than the problem could snowball out of control quickly. He was also slightly annoyed, because he knew that the small, information-less answer was, at least to the demon, a satisfying one. He knew that he wouldn't get much else from it. With one terse gesture towards the alley again, he said "Go, then, parasite. Go back to your schemes, and I shall return to mine."

Nora turned and left without another word. Naze watched her go, mind working to unravel the demon's plan. If it was doing anything, he wanted to know. He started walking back to Beacon, taking a different route so that he didn't run into her again.

* * *

Yang's foot tapped impatiently as she waited for Ms. Goodwitch to finish her lecture. Apparently in her absence, there had been a few accidental injuries during sparring matches. She reminded everyone of the need for proper safety procedures, and of the need to pay attention to your aura in a battle.

She looked over at Cardin, who was kicking back in his seat, talking with his friends, a stupid grin plastered across his face. At least they matched. She felt something shake her shoulder, and turned to find Ruby giving her a somewhat worried look. "Yang, are you alright? You seem really angry, or something."

She shook her head, turning her whole body to face away from Cardin. "No, no, I'm fine. It's just…" her voice trailed off, and she glanced over again at Cardin "…we've seen him bully a lot of people so far, and I think it'd be good to give everyone he did that to a little payback. Plus, you know, I really want to see how I hold up now that I'm-" she put a finger under the collar of her shirt and drew it up, leaning her head to one side and rolling her eyes back, creating the image of a hanged corpse. Ruby giggled, Blake grinned, and Weiss gasped, saying "Yang, don't joke about that!"

Yang laughed and waved a hand dismissively, saying on a joking voice "Relax, Weiss! If I can't joke about that, than what can I joke about?" A look that all three of her team mates recognized came across her face, a dumb smirk crossing her lips. Blake let out a preemptive groan, and Yang delivered the pun that she was so proud of. "Can't you Schnee how important a sense of humor is?" Ruby giggled again, and Weiss let out a long sigh, obviously struggling to keep from becoming upset.

Ms. Goodwitch called for the return of attention, and everyone looked towards her, listening to what she had to say. "Now, with that matter out of the way, it's time to return to our normal activities. So, if I could have a volunteer…" Yang stood, raising her hand up and saying "I'll go!" Glynda fixed her with a questioning gaze before giving a small shrug and saying "Very well, and who would you want to face off against?" Again Yang's answer came quickly, as she pointed at Cardin, a cocky look in her face, and said "Him."

All of team CRDL turned to look at her with somewhat fearful eyes. Normally he would accept the challenge without question, but there had been a few rumors spreading about Yang recently in relation to her resurrection, and most of them had told of a gaining of supernatural abilities. She didn't consider any of them true. Sure, she had learned some magic, but that wasn't really supernatural, it was just something no one else knew how to do. And, on top of that, she didn't know if her aura would still work. She had come up with a few excuses, but if she were to be totally honest with herself, she would say that she was scared to find out the answer to the question "would it still work".

CRDL had little choice other than to accept, which they did, nervous faces following their leader as he walked down into the lowered arena, his massive mace over his shoulder. Yang followed, making sure that the single gauntlet of Ember Celica that she still wore was battle ready. When the two reached the floor, Ms. Goodwitch stepped back, and the lights dimmed, only illuminating the circle that the two combatants would fight in.

They took their positions across from each other, Cardin bringing his mace off of his shoulder and brandishing it at his side while Yang struck her brawling pose, feet spreading and one arm pulling back. Both waited for the call to fight. "Begin!"

As soon as the teacher's voice rang out in the room, Cardin charged, mace raised offensively to one side. Yang gave a few jabs with Ember Celica, sending steaming bolts of dust at him, but they were either dodged or blocked by quick movements of the mace's handle. In seconds, Cardin was within melee range, and clearly intended to continue pushing his advantage. He made a swipe with the head of the mace, which Yang dodged nimbly to the side, than rose it above his head, the look on his face clearly indicating that he was going to bring it crashing down.

Yang was off-balance from her roll, and knew better than to try and roll again. Instead, she braced herself for the hit that would come, years of instinct taking over. She raised her arms and placed them in the path of the strike so that they would bear the brunt of the force. The grey metal arced down towards her, and it occurred to her that this would be a good way to see if her aura still worked or not.

Yang had never heard a sound that really made her stomach turn, or struck her at a basic level, but the sound of bone cracking beneath the mace, muffled by the flesh that protected it from the air, would've been it if she still felt things like that. It echoed off of the walls, and she felt her arm buckle in on itself. The strike stopped when it met her metal arm, and she pushed it away from her, not missing a beat, and throwing a punch with the solid appendage that smashed into Cardin's face, probably much more like a truck than either one suspected.

The force of the blow surprised Yang, but she didn't let that distract her. Cardin was thrown back, tumbling head over heels on the ground as he went, and Yang took the brief respite to examine her flesh-and-bone arm. She held it up, and was quite surprised to find the hand dangling limply, wrist completely shattered beneath Ember Celica's metal. She gave the limb a few experimental shakes, and the digit simply flopped uselessly like a glove filled with gelatin. She tried to move a few fingers specifically, but nothing happened.

The situation was so outlandish, so ridiculous, that she couldn't help but laugh. She knew that she probably looked completely insane, but that didn't really matter to her. The fingers dangled so uselessly that there was just something innately humorous about it. She glanced up at the stands, and what she saw instantly snapped her back to total sobriety. Everyone, including Professor Goodwitch, had a horrified look on their face, but it was her sister's expression that really got to her.

Ruby was covering her mouth with both hands like she was going to be sick, wide eyes affixed on Yang's shattered hand. All color had drained from her face completely, and she was almost ducking completely behind Weiss. Yang changed her entire way of behaving, adopting a more serious approach to the battle. It was clear that her aura didn't protect her, and she hadn't felt her semblance do anything, but she still had tricks up her sleeve. She was out one weapon, but still had another in reserve.

She refocused on Cardin, and saw him finish getting back to his feet, looking dazed. She wasn't about to give him any more time to recover. She pulled feelings of intensity, anger and the want to protect her sister, feeling her soul burn brighter and hotter. Then, using the skill that Naze and his books and taught her, harnessed this power in a physical form, throwing another punch at Cardin.

The fire was also more powerful than she had intended, just like the punch, but she didn't mind either. A quick gout of fire exploded from her metal fist and burned its way to Cardin, making the air pop and crackle with heat. The fireball hit Cardin dead center, knocking him flying again, this time with black scorch marks on his grey armor. He rolled a few more times once he hit the ground, and Yang looked up at the score screen.

Cardin's bar was about a third of the way down, and hers hadn't budged from being full. She smirked. Maybe she could get used to this. It was practically impossible for her to lose. She put a hand on her hip, broken one dangling at her side, and waited for him to get up, doing her best to look both impatient and uninterested. She failed on both accounts, she was sure, but she didn't care about that either. She was having fun. With a few more grunts and groans than were necessary, she was sure. She also saw a thin line of smoke snaking up from his hair, and had to fight the urge to laugh again.

Cardin shook the dazed look off his face, replacing it with one of fury. Yang had always been obnoxious like this. It seemed that dying only made it worse. His fingers tightened again around the handle of his mace, and he let out a roar, charging forward, but paying immense attention to Yang herself. If he let her get something like that off again, he was screwed. What had it even been? Was there dust in that arm? He had never felt a dust attack like that. Not even his aura had really protected him, that was more his armor. He could already feel blisters from the scorching heat forming on his hands. He was lucky that his head had escaped the path of that thing, or else he might have died too.

He shook his head, saying "Focus, Cardin. You have to win this!" to himself under his breath. He strengthened his aura as much as he could, and felt his limbs grow lighter and stronger. His charge quickened, and before her knew it, he was within striking distance. With a grin, now confident that he could land a few more blows, he unleashed a flurry of attacks. First a stab that was meant to displace her, which she sidestepped. Then a swing from the stab, which she ducked under. Then another swing, which she weaved under like a boxer. He caught a glimpse of a radiant smile, and got the distinct feeling that he was being toyed with. He didn't like it.

He felt anger, but he knew better than to let the feeling go to waste. With adrenalin pumping through his veins, he launched into another rapid volley of strikes. Yang ducked, dodged, and sidestepped every one, but he didn't mind. He was setting her up this time.

He feinted a swing at her head, then suddenly changed direction with a turn of the wrist. Yang was fast, but was only able to lift one leg before the metal head of the mace crashed into her other one. Again, the crack of bone rang out through the air, and Yang's eyes widened as she fell to the ground, support being swept out from under her. She caught herself with both hands, broken one only folding uselessly back on her arm, but metal one catching her weight quite well. She looked up, and saw Cardin bringing his mace above his head again, and she knew that if he brought it down, the fight would probably be over.

With a might effort, she conjured fire again, shooting it out at Cardin faster than he could hope to dodge. It was weak in comparison to her last attempt, but was sufficient to make Cardin stumble back, shielding his face with an arm. As soon as he lost the advantage, Yang pushed herself back up, putting most of her weight on her unbroken right leg, using the left one only for balance.

She felt the limb fold slightly, even under only the weight that she used to steady herself. Cardin recovered from her attack, and gave her a look of horror when he saw the cocky grin that was still on her face. His eyes darted quickly from her broken leg to her hand, than to her face again. There was something very disturbing about that look, especially coming from someone as damaged as she was. The match should've ended as soon as he had broken her hand. He hadn't even known that would happen. Why wasn't she using her aura?

Cardin's fingers loosened as he started to become paralyzed with fear. Yang noted this, waiting a few seconds for him to snap out of it. He didn't, and Yang shrugged to herself, figuring that now was the time to end the fight. She took a step towards him, and stumbled as her weight shifted onto the broken leg, which was not able to support her weight correctly. She was just able to get her good leg back under her to prevent taking another tumble. After a few seconds of making sure that she was still able to stand still without falling, she took another tentative step, quickly shifting weight from one leg to the other.

The result was what she imagined to be a somewhat frightening slow shamble, making her look like some kind of zombie, making it very clear that the damage to her physical body was not having any effect on her actual workings. Her foot dragged behind her, making an eerie scraping sound as she continued towards Cardin. This sound seemed to worsen the fear that Cardin felt, making his fingers twitch and take a step back. Suddenly, reason seemed to return to him, and he cried out "I quit! She wins!"

Yang gave him a disappointed look. "Come on, really?" Her voice was a little more mocking and a little less joking than she intended, but she didn't come off as malicious. Cardin only looked back at her with wide eyes before shaking his head and saying "No. That's wrong, and I don't want to see it." He then turned and started to walk back to his seat, dragging his mace on the ground behind him. Yang followed, struggling slightly to make her way back up the stairs and having to pull herself up using the railing. When she retook her seat next to Ruby, she tried to avoid the horrified gazes from her teammates. It was obvious that she wasn't in any pain, but it was also obvious that she should've been on the floor screaming from her injuries.

Finally, the pressure of the looks grew too great, and Yang turned to them. "Look guys, I'm fine, alright? I know this looks really bad, but it's actually not. Naze can fix this in a second, so until then I just need to take it a little easy." Two more duelists were called, and made their way down, bringing the attention of everyone but team RWBY away from Yang and back to the class. Weiss let out an exasperated hiss and said "Yang, "really bad" doesn't even to begin to describe what you look like. How could you let all that happen? Why didn't you really defend yourself, like use your aura?"

Yang looked down, knowing that if her heart still beat her cheeks would be turning a bright red color. "I don't think I can use my aura anymore. I tried out there, and it just didn't work. But I can still fight, though!" she was quick to provide the positive note, not wanting to appear weak. "You saw me out there! I can take anything, just like before. The only difference is that now I can run on full all the time, not just after taking a few hits." Blake and Weiss looked at each other doubtfully, and Ruby was staring silently at the bent leg, and at the limp hand. Yang felt a terrible darkness, a shadow of doubt, pass over her soul. Was she doing more harm than good like this?

She reached out and put her hand on Ruby's shoulder in a comforting manner and said "Hey, Ruby…" the girl continued to only look at the injuries, and Yang moved the hand from Ruby's shoulder to her chin, tilting her head up so she had to look at her. "Ruby, listen." There was a deep, heartfelt quality to her words now. "This-" she gestured to her body "-isn't really me anymore, you know?" A worried expression came across Ruby's face, and she heard Weiss and Blake both start to move behind her. She let her hand fall from her sister's face and held it out, palm open, doing her best to focus as much of her soul in the single area as possible. The cold metal started to glow with a strange, almost faded light. It was unearthly, but held numerous feelings within it. Ruby looked down at the light, and felt that she was looking into her sister's living eyes, and that they were looking back through a thin veil of mist. "That's me."

Ruby reached for her palm, but Yang closed it before she could touch the light. She hardly knew anything about what could happen if her soul was touched, and she didn't particularly want to find out. She pulled Ruby into a one-armed hug, wishing more than anything that her nerves would register warmth and love that stretched beyond the physical sensation that she knew Ruby was giving off.

They didn't.

* * *

Penny walked through the halls of her dwelling, looking for Mr. Ironwood. She wanted to ask him something about what had been going on recently. Everyone seemed on edge, and she wanted to know why. It made her worry when other people worried, and she didn't like feeling worried. She wanted to know if there was anything that she could do to make anyone less worried. She had already looked everywhere that she would normally find him, and all that was left was the room that all of his "important" business went on in.

The door to the room was heavyset, and she had never seen past it. Instead of a lock, a small pad next to the door read biometric signatures from the hand, and was only set to open when Mr. Ironwood put his hand on it. Penny had always wondered what was behind the door, but she knew that it was something strange. Mr. Ironwood handled both a school and a military, so any work that he took on other than those two tasks must have been very important, which was probably why no one else was ever allowed in.

She approached the door somewhat hesitantly. She wasn't really even allowed in the hallway, but the question had been standing out to her all day, and no one else had answered it for her. It was somewhat irritating, but she knew there must've been a good reason.

She stepped slowly and nervously, hands together, trying not to make a sound. The polished tile floor made it difficult to keep the volume of her footsteps down, but if she walked slowly enough, she could do it. As she drew closer to the door, she noticed something that had never happened before. She could hear voices, and it seemed that the door was slightly ajar. An apprehensive feeling deep down made her skittish, but she still persisted. Curiosity won out over caution.

As she came close enough to touch it, she became able to make out Ironwood's voice, saying "…are completely anomalous. No cause can be pinned down, and it's an energy that we've never seen before. It must have something to do with the undead, I know it! I can feel it!" Something thudded against a table hard, making her jump "We have to know what they're planning. If they are preparing some kind of offensive, we have to be prepared. Being taken off guard by them would be nothing less than a death sentence. And, given the enemy, I think that most people would rather not die to them."

Penny looked down as she thought about these words. The undead? That meant Naze. What was he doing?

Ironwood continued speaking after a brief pause filled with another voice too muffled to hear. "Yes, the Shaded Forest in Menagerie. I want the nearest units ready for any engagement, and I want scout teams moving in on the source of that energy. Avoid contact, but if attacked than use of extreme force is authorized. Understood?" There was another muffled crack of a voice, and he finished "Good. Ironwood out."

With that, the other voice vanished, and the clicking of boots started to approach the door swiftly. Penny shuffled to the side quickly, making no noise as she did so, and just before the door, the clicking stopped. Ironwood's voice muttered to itself "Oh, damn…" the door slid open weightily and noiselessly on well-oiled hinges.

Ironwood walked out, and turned to push the door closed. He was halfway finished with his task before he glanced to the side and noticed Penny. He stopped for a brief moment, only glaring at her with an implacable look, than closed the door the rest of the way. After the door shut, and numerous locks clicked into place, he turned to her with a carefully controlled expression and said "Penny, how long have you been standing there?"

Penny's eyes widened as she struggled to find an answer. Was he asking for a specific measurement, or a general one? Should she include now in the count? She became aware of an increasingly impatient look dawning on Ironwood's face, and she said "Not long. Only a few seconds."

He looked at her, as if waiting for something, than nodded. "It's alright Penny, I'm not mad. I just wish you wouldn't eavesdrop like that." He gestured to the hall and started walking. Penny joined him. "Now, since you were here, I assume you must've been looking for me. Is that correct?" Penny nodded and said "Yes sir. I wanted to ask you a question."

The General raised an eyebrow and said "Oh?" in a quizzical voice. This gave penny some encouragement, and she said "Can you explain why everyone seems to be so on edge recently? I think it has something to do with the undead, but I'm not sure why that would make everyone nervous." Ironwood stopped and took a deep breath, a thoughtful look coming across his face. Then he put a hand on Penny's back and continued walking. "People react this way because they are afraid. They might not be afraid of the undead themselves, but more of what they represent. They show, to most people, an impossibly strong, unwavering force that couldn't be diverted or defeated, and that perception is reinforced by them being dead, as death is also an unstoppable force." His eyes went back to the hallway before him. "At least that's how I see it. How do you? What do you think about them?"

After a brief moment of consideration, Penny smiled, remembering the time that Naze had said that they were friends. He had told her that he was undead, and she thought that that meant a lot. "I think that they are trustworthy, and I believe them when they say they want to gather and spread knowledge. I think that that is a goal everyone should support, because it doesn't make any sense not to."

Ironwood continued walking in silence for a few moments before posing the question "Do you think that they've been totally transparent with us? Given us every side of the story?" This question made Penny think for a few more moments before she shook her head, saying "No, I don't think they have, but-" Ironwood cut her off, nodding and saying "Exactly. That is why people fear them. They are making and carrying out plans without making their full intent known. This is a poor way to conduct any relations, and I feel that the only proper way to respond would be in kind. This is understandable, don't you agree?"

She didn't answer. She knew if she did that her hiccup would give her away as being untruthful. Ironwood didn't seem to notice however, and nodded. "Yes, I think that giving them a taste of their own medicine is only fair. Unfortunately, the only way that they've really communicated with us is through that girl. I wish their leader would throw his cowardice aside and talk."

Something seemed to occur to him, and he gave a sidelong glance at the figure to his side. "You haven't spoken to that undead boy since the last time, have you?" The question was asked idly enough, but the hugeness of it was clear and powerful enough. She had been told never to talk to him again, and now she was being asked directly if she had. There was no way out. She had to try and lie.

"N-no, of course n-not." Her diaphragm spasmed, and a small, high pitched sound was forced out of her throat. She had done her best to stop it, but there was nothing she could do. It was completely out of her hands. Her eyes drifted to Ironwood, almost fearful, awaiting a response.

He didn't look at her again for some time, and when he did it was a somewhat tired look. Penny started to get worried, and said "Please don't get mad! I…" she paused, trying to find the words to convey her meaning "I didn't seek him out! He just appeared, and I-" A sharper look from Ironwood told her of her mistake, and her hands flew to her mouth. He asked "Where did this happen?"

Penny wished that she could simply not answer, but it was impossible. "I saw him like a ghost-" she was cut off again by the howl of a siren, and all lighting in the hallway turned a dark red. She knew what that meant. Something was going very, very wrong. Before anything else could happen, Ironwood pulled his scroll from his belt, hitting a single button and holding it out in front of him. There was a short wait before the face of a guard appeared on the screen, and it looked like he was panicking. He barked a few short words to others out of view before Ironwood said commandingly "Report!"

This grabbed the man's attention easily, and he looked back at the scroll. "Yes sir, sorry sir! It appears that the complex is under attack, sir! A corpse has just been discovered, sir, and it's one of ours!" Penny put her hands together and drew them close to her body, hoping that this would bring some kind of comfort. Ironwood instantly launched into delivering a rapid series of commands before turning to Penny and saying "Go to your room! I'll handle this." And looking back to his scroll.

Penny obeyed, setting off down the series of hallways that would take her there. She passed a few soldiers on the way, all of whom were running, weapons drawn, responding to orders sent through their helmets. Penny pressed herself against the wall as best she could, giving them room to pass. She didn't want to interrupt any of their work. It was when she turned the last corner, entering the hallway that would take her to her room, when she ran into something that worried her.

A dark figure, just like the one that Naze had spoken through before, was looking directly at her. She froze, not sure what to do, and it started to move towards her. As it moved, Penny noticed distinct differences between it and the last thing that she had seen like it. This one was more solid looking, and looked far less human. It instead appeared to be a kind of floating torso, with a huge number of arm-like appendages coming from all over its body, both the front and the back.

It spoke, and the voice was much more smooth sounding than the last one, saying "Naze asks for your cooperation." while simultaneously moving slowly towards her. She felt a strong trepidation, but she also wanted to do whatever she could to make the situation better. She decided silently to herself that the least she could do was to hear the strange creature out.

"The criminal held here, Roman Torchwick, will escape unless you intervene. This intervention will not be direct, but rather you will enable forces sufficient to stop this. Are you willing?" Penny was taken somewhat off guard by this. It would depend most on what she had to do, but if she had to give an answer… "Yes, tell me what I have to do."

She expected to be told some action, to be given some directive, but not for the figure to suddenly lurch towards her without stopping. Before she was entirely sure what was going on, her senses started to go haywire, becoming totally alien even to her. Her balance failed her, and she fell to the ground. Immediately she started attempting to right herself, but her movements were made useless by random twitching in her limbs that kept her on the floor. She fought to control the movements, but it soon became clear that there was no way to do so. A cloud of fear settled over her. What had she agreed to?

Her body continued to twitch, but another sensation entirely had begun to grow in her mind. She felt as if her own thoughts were being pushed aside. The feeling frightened her, and she pushed against it with all her might. Just as suddenly as it had started to grow, it dwindled and died, leaving her once again in control of her own faculties. The dark figure drifted out of her body, and its eyes fixed on her like it was annoyed. "You promised cooperation." It spoke with a strange, reverberating quality to its voice.

Penny picked herself up off the ground, pulling her legs back and kicking them up with enough force to take the rest of her with them. "I-I said I'd help you, not whatever that was." Without hesitation, almost like a machine, the thing replied "Than retrieve something to draw with. It is required if you wish to assist."

Penny was confused, but nodded none the less. Whatever it had just tried to do had obviously not worked. She still wanted to help, though, and she trusted that the thing had meant no harm towards her. Her senses returned to her, and there didn't seem to be any long lasting damage, so it was all alright.

She continued to walk down that hall towards her room, motioning for the thing to follow her, saying "I have some things in my room I could use. What do I need to draw, anyways?" The reply to her question came again almost like a machine, saying "You are required to scribe a rune of translocation, allowing soldiers to arrive and provide support, guarding the prisoner, Roman Torchwick. Solders will vacate the premises once the threat is eliminated." It was growing clearer that the thing wasn't exactly an easy thing to communicate. Penny got the feeling that it was merely repeating back things that had been told to it. She didn't particularly care, though, because this gave her the opportunity to show Ironwood that the undead weren't as bad as he thought. Maybe she would even be able to make Ironwood trust them a little. That would be nice if they could get along a little better.

She opened the door and walked into her room, immediately going to her drawing supplies. She got a small bag of colored pencils and walked back out into the hall, finding the ghostly figure still waiting outside. She held the bag up to it, and it turned to the wall, saying "Draw this symbol precisely as indicated." as it said this, the numerous arms started to work, tracing vague lines and shapes. Penny quickly tried to copy them, going as swiftly and carefully as possible. She hoped that she really would be able to show Ironwood that the undead could be trusted.


	26. Chapter 26

Author's Note:

As usual, I'm interested to hear how I did, if everyone is in-character, all that jazz. You know the drill, I beg for reviews, yadda yadda whatever (do it though). Follow, fave, all that crap.

Of particular interest to me is Neo. How am I doing with her?

So thanks for reading, and continuing to do so, you glorious bastards!

* * *

Shrinking in the dark corners of the room, Adam waited for the signal that the coast was clear to move up. While doing this, he had some time to reflect on what he had gotten himself into. He had been promised a "more than competent" assistant from Cinder, and while he couldn't deny that, he could wonder and worry about what she was. If it was even a she, that was. He didn't know of anything, human, Faunus, or Grimm that could change its appearance so completely as that. One minute he had been looking at Neo, the curiously small mute girl that he had rarely seen at all, and then he had been looking at something else. Ironwood, or at least, a perfect imitation. The memory of the popping and creaking sounds as her skeleton had rearranged itself.

He had averted his eyes sometime around when she had started to twitch, and he was glad that he had done so, for if the sounds of the transformation had been so deeply disturbing, he was sure that the visuals would've been much, much worse. And that smile had stayed on her face the entire time as well, he was sure. When the sounds had stopped, he had looked back to find himself staring into the eyes of Ironwood.

The immense sound of an alarm sounding startled him, and a dim red light shattered the darkness that he had concealed himself in. Quickly, he stood up and started off out of the room and back into the hall. It wouldn't matter much now if they were discovered, something betraying their presence had already been uncovered. He wondered what it was. It was probably the corpse that Neo, or whatever had accepted that name, had produced after being questioned by a man who was unfortunately doing his job. His dying was better than them being exposed, but the brutality and the suddenness had taken him completely off guard. One minute he had been asking for an update to his order, and the next, a single well placed blow with an elongated metal rod had pierced his throat and his spine, causing him to crumple instantly with a few muffled gurgles. Neo had instantly moved into action, taking ahold of the corpse and dragging it off into a side room. He had watched him go without much feeling other than surprise.

And now he had to find this psychotic murderer himself, as she was likely the only way that he would be able to open Torchwick's cell. He might be able to blast it open, of course, he had brought explosives, but that ran the risk of injuring the man, and that was something to be avoided if possible. He turned a corner, and found himself face to face with Ironwood again. The man's face was blank, and Adam was startled enough that his hand reached for his blade without consulting his brain first. His arm was about to draw the blade out in a quick, deadly strike when he saw a wry smile come across his face, and he knew that it belonged to his strange companion.

He slid the blade back into its sheath and growled at her. "I could've killed you." The imitation of Ironwood raised an eyebrow and cocked its head questioningly. Even without words, he could tell the mocking intent of the motion. He rolled his eyes from behind his mask and nodded forward. "Is the coast clear? Can we get this pig and get out?" She nodded, and Adam pushed past her. "Good. I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to. Come on."

It was true. Being in the den of the enemy was setting him in edge, and he didn't like it. He wanted to get out as quickly as possible. As she walked behind his, he heard her bones start to pop and shift as they walked, and he felt himself cringe in spite of himself. If she was changing again, she must've thought that the guise of Ironwood wouldn't help her anymore. Whether she was changing back to what he thought was her "normal" form he didn't know, but he didn't want to look back to find out.

He turned another corner, than quickly ducked back behind it, holding out a hand so that Neo also stopped. Peaking around the corner, he listened to the words being spoken down the hall. The voice of Ironwood was easy to hear, bouncing off the walls in a very commanding tone, obviously not very happy. "-did you get in here? Are you responsible for the death that we've discovered?"

A voice that sounded almost mocking replied, saying "If we were, you would know about it. There would be more than one. No, we are here to offer our assistance to you, should you be clear-sighted enough to accept, and keep your prisoner in your possession." Ironwood's eyes narrowed, and he nearly shouted "How do you know what-" his voice was cut off by a particularly loud and painful sounding pop from behind Adam, and he ducked back behind the wall again, looking at Neo with an angry gaze than immediately remembering that there was a very good reason to not look at her. Thankfully enough, it seemed that her transformation had been mostly completed, and that she was not quite the horrifying sight he had been expecting. A few of her bones seemed almost to be dislocated, or otherwise sticking out at odd angles, but she seemed to be reverting back to the form that he had seen before, a short, strangely colored girl.

The mocking voice from before said "There, see? That would be the rats themselves. We could go and capture them, if you wish. Simply give us a chance to prove our goodwill, and we would gladly go." There was a heavy pause, after which Ironwood said in a tried voice "Fine. Go get them, than leave my home. And you'll have to answer how you got in here!" The second voice replied calmly "Of course."

Adam was about to shrink back and find another way to approach the issue, when Neo strutted past him, now looking exactly as she did when he had first seen her. He put a hand out, about to stop her, when he thought better of it. If she thought it was bet to confront them head on, maybe there was something to that. He could try, at least. He stepped around the corner as well, and put both hands on his blade, mentally readying himself for the battle. Maybe he would get the chance to kill Ironwood while he was here. It would certainly do much for his people. Ironwood was the leader and organizer of many teams that had brought Faunus movements down across several kingdoms.

The ones that he was talking to came into view, and Adam had a hard time at first deciphering anything about them at a distance. There were two figures, dark and tall, wearing what looked like heavy armor and having wicked-looking weapons at their sides. What they were, he couldn't tell, but he was sure that he didn't want to come up against them.

The figure in-between them was much easier to make out, not wearing any armor that he could see. Instead, it appeared to be a child, about the age of a student, with a large broadsword on their back. He was confident that he could beat everyone present in a fight, but he didn't know if that was the best way to get this done. Neo, however, seemed fully confident in her ability to defeat them, and continued to strut forward without hesitation.

The group turned to face them, and Ironwood snarled when he saw Adam. "White Fang." He spat the name like a curse, and he looked back to the boy next to him. "Fine. Capture them and we'll work this out later. Do you need any assistance?" The boy smirked and said "What do you take us for? We will handle this."

The two soldiers by his sides stepped forward, positioning themselves in-between the child and his attackers. Neo now broke into a sprint, charging their opponents down. The darkly armored fighters drew their weapons, and the child brought his blade above his head, a pale glow being cast out across the floor in front of him. Instantly Adam felt his limbs grow heavy, and his eyelids start to droop. The fire within his chest started to die down even though he was only seconds from a battle.

He used his aura to defend himself from whatever this attack was, making a shield against it as quickly as he could and resuming his charge.

He was totally unprepared for the second attack that he would come under. With the roar of a massive waterfall, an immense pressure set on his mind, forcing his thoughts down and his actions to become clumsy and weak. It was only four more steps before his body gave out, and he stumbled and fell to the floor, unable to move.

* * *

Naze smirked as the man fell, soul suppressed into inactivity beneath his own willpower alone. Distasteful, certainly, but quite entertaining. His attention turned to the girl, and his eyes narrowed. He knew what she was, but it would be an interesting game to let her know. Perhaps she already knew that he knew, her kind always were difficult to read. Her face only had one expression, a cocked grin and burning eyes, and her soul was alien in comparison to a human's.

The shape shifters known as "changelings" had existed throughout most of human history in what could be considered a symbiotic relationship, wherein humans built settlements, and the changelings lived in them. They were very long lived creatures, and reproduced infrequently, so Naze had assumed that they had all died out in one way or another. Whatever fate they had ultimately met, he was sure that there numbers were fewer now than they had ever been in the past. She posed something of a threat, though not much. They usually were loners, though, which puzzled him. This one seemed to genuinely care about Torchwick, which was a very uncommon thing for them to do. It was possible that it intended to mate with him, if it hadn't already, but that didn't seem particularly likely.

He cleared his thoughts, reminding himself to focus. He would unravel the mysteries of this specific specimen after he had defeated it. It drew within melee range, and he struck out at it.

The blade went straight, but found its way next to its intended target. The woman had moved incrementally to the side, just dodging the strike. She hesitated, waiting for him to try again, but he knew this game better than her. Instead he stepped back, not making any move towards her. Her plastered-on smile thinned slightly, and he said "Yes, I'm afraid there's no fun to be had here. I won't be played with, and nor will my guards. We will not move from this cell until you take your leave, and I'm sure that you'll be surprised by how long we can remain here."

She shook her head, almost jokingly, and brought a parasol out from behind her back. Naze raised an eyebrow, but wasn't too surprised. He had seen stranger weapons in the world of Remnant. With a deft swiftness common among changelings, Neo struck out with it, making a flurry of jabbing motions, all of which were aimed rather suspiciously directly at the center of his chest, precisely where one of the crystals that allowed the control of the body was located.

He was certain that this was not just a manifestation of his growing paranoia. She knew where the weaknesses in the body were. She had to. Else, how would she know just where to place her strikes to do any real damage? The two soldiers sensed his distress, and moved to intervene. With a single step each, they had moved to force Neo back. Their weapons, one long blade and one wrist mounted, claw like series of blades, both with vicious spikes set all along their lengths and glowing with a deep crimson, came down as speeds almost faster than the eye could see, dangerously close to Neo's head. Her eyes widened, and with a nimble cartwheel, she retreated several steps. Naze smiled again, spreading his arms to indicate the two at his sides. "I may not be very good, but I assure you, these two could tear you to shreds instantly. I suggest that you take your leave of this place, before I decide to take you hostage and study you."

A somewhat fearful look came across her face, and Naze smiled again. "Yes, you wouldn't want that, now would you? Run along, little changeling, you'll get your human some other time." His voice was nothing but condescending, but it obviously caused some trepidation in Neo. She glanced behind him briefly towards the cell that held her target. She didn't want to leave him, but she had little other choice.

Naze glanced behind him at the cell, finding Roman pressed against the door of his cell, doing his best to get a glimpse of her. When he saw Naze looking at him, he sat back in the cell, pretending not to care. Naze looked back, and found Neo taking a few steps back. Then, in the blink of an eye, she jumped back and disappeared in a flash of white light.

Ironwood stepped forward, practically shouting "You can't just let her go like that! Come on, what are you doing? Go after her!" and making mad motions with his hands. Naze only returned his agitated gaze with a stone cold one of his own. "What would you have me do? She's gone. And besides…" he gestured to Adam, still unconscious on the ground "…you have him. The leader of the White Fang, right? If that doesn't count for something I've been wasting my time here."

Begrudgingly, Ironwood nodded, saying "I suppose I'm forced to thank you, then. I expect you'll want me to say something about this to the public as well?" Naze nodded, and Ironwood hissed through his teeth. "Very well, but I also expect to hear how you got in here in the first place!"

Naze was about to offer a retort when a small voice, almost a whisper from behind him, spoke up. "P-please Mr. I-Ironwood, don't be mad. I brought them here." Naze stepped aside and looked behind him, finding the ginger-haired, green-eyed golem looking sheepishly up at Ironwood. The man's face softened, and his shoulders fell in an almost defeated sort of way. He sighed, and said "What do you mean, Penny?"

She brought her hands together and held them close to her chest for a brief moment before pulling them apart and wrapping them around her sides nervously. As she did this, she took a few more small steps forward, eventually walking past Naze. "I brought them here, because they said that someone was going to come for Roman, and I knew that you wouldn't want him to get out. N-Naze told me that he could help keep him here. He did, didn't he?"

Naze gave Ironwood an expectant look, a small smile lifting the corners of his lips. Ironwood returned this with a scowl before looking back at Penny and making a visible effort to calm himself down. "Yes, Penny, he did help, and for that I am thankful." He shot a venomous glance over at Naze "I only wish that I had been made aware of the situation." Penny had a hurt look about her, and apologized profusely. "I'm sorry, sir! I'll be certain to tell you in the future, and I'll-" she was cut off when he held up and hand, saying "Penny, we can discuss this later. Go back to your room until I call you again."

She nodded, and started to walk away again slowly. As she went, Naze spoke out, saying "Your assistance has been much appreciated, Penny. I hope we can help each other again in the future." With that, Naze turned to the two soldiers, wordlessly communicating that they could sheath their weapons and be at ease. They didn't like it, that much was obvious, but they did it. Ironwood seemed to relax when the weapons what been stowed away. He turned back to the man, saying "Well, I suppose that it goes without saying that I expect to see some word on this incident very soon. If you don't make an announcement, then I will, and I have evidence of my very own to support me." He turned to leave, but Ironwood spoke up now, saying "And what about the energy on Menagerie? Will you make mention of that too?"

Without missing a beat, Naze turned back to him and nodded, saying "Of course I will. If you want some exclusive information, some word from me, than I will give it. It is an archeological expedition, nothing more. I can promise you that there is no malicious intent behind it." The man was clearly not convinced, and folded his arms, saying "Then you wouldn't mind if I sent down a team to investigate it?"

Naze shrugged his shoulders, the motion appearing awkward for him. "You may, if you wish, but the numbers of Grimm in the area are quite sizeable, and weather unpredictable." The two glared at each other, Ironwood's harsh gaze meeting Naze's neutral one. "I'll send out a team right away." He turned, breaking the conversation off rather informally. Naze watched him go, and over his shoulder, he shouted "And get out of my house!"

This amused Naze somewhat, and he nodded, pulling a small stick of chalk from a pocket and setting about inscribing the rune that would take them back. His hand moved quickly and exactly, but before it could finish, another voice interrupted him. "E-excuse me…" The voice trailed off, and he turned to find Penny, finding her looking around the now nearly empty hall nervously. She saw him looking, and took a few more tentative steps towards him. "Yes, what is it?" he asked.

Penny's hands went together again, dry washing in front of her, and she looked at him with a disturbed look. "Mr. Ironwood wasn't too mad, was he?" The concern in her voice was very genuine, and Naze found that a stark contrast to the usual tone he got from people who weren't undead. He felt some stirring in his soul, and instantly set about smothering it before it grew any larger.

He shook his head, and said "Perhaps, but it matters little. He will do what I need him to, and that's enough." He returned to etching the rune, speaking while he did so. "And speaking of sorry, I must apologize for the behavior of the poltergeist I sent to deliver the message earlier. They are rather simple, and don't quite understand the intricacies of human interaction. Instead of convincing you, it simply tried to make you. I'll be more careful in the future." Penny seemed to think for a moment about what he was talking about before shaking her head. "Oh, no, I don't mind! I'm glad that you trust me enough to have me do that!"

The last line of the rune was finished, and he stood back up. "Well, Penny, I appreciate your help, as I said before, and your concern touches me, but I must be on my way. I've things to do, and delay is…unfortunate." Penny nodded. "I understand." She said in a sympathetic voice. "Mr. Ironwood has that a lot too. Maybe we could meet again some other time!"

He nodded. "Yes, perhaps." In a slow, and generally nonthreatening gesture, Penny put her arms out towards him, and after a few short moments, he realized that she wanted to hug him. The two guards by his side moved almost imperceptibly at this, but it was apparently enough to register to Penny that they didn't want Naze to be touched. In spite of this, she continued moving towards him, confident that he would tell her to stop if he wanted her to. He didn't, and she put her arms around him gently.

It wasn't like hugging Ruby, like she thought it might be. His body was cold and rigid, and he didn't return the gesture. She supposed that she should've been ready for that, but it was simply slightly hurting to feel no response. She broke the contact and put her hands on his shoulders, holding him at arm's length. She looked into his face, and for a brief moment, they seemed to come alive with something. What it was, she didn't know, but his deep eyes sharpened suddenly with an emotion of some kind, followed by the very recognizable look of panic.

With one sudden movement, he jerked back, using one arm to remove her hands as he escaped her reach. The two guards standing by his side again shifted, this time in a much more threatening yet subtle fashion. She knew that she should back off, and she did. She looked at Naze questioningly, feeling slightly hurt by this. He looked back, and whatever echo of emotion that had resided in his eyes faded completely. "My apologies. I would explain, but I haven't the time. Goodbye."

With a sudden flash of light, all three of them were gone. She looked to the floor, and saw that the chalk markings were scuffed and blurred. There was a deep emptiness inside of her now, she could feel it. That had been bad. She had offended him somehow. She wished that she could talk to him again, to find out what she had done wrong, but he was gone.

* * *

The bell rang, and the students stood up to leave. Yang did so slightly hesitantly, as she did not want to tumble over just from walking. Ruby stood next to her, offering her shoulder for support, but Yang shook her head and waved Ruby forward. "No, you go, I got this."

Her steps bent her leg further and further out of shape, and she was sure that she could feel a bone poking against the skin, but she wanted to so this herself. She was perfectly capable, and there was nothing to hold her back. She didn't need help.

After taking a few lurching steps, a voice from down at the center of the arena called out "Miss Xiao Long!" Her team mates looked back at her with wide eyes, and she winced, thinking that the tone fairly obviously meant that she was in trouble. She turned slowly, and faced Professor Goodwitch, saying "Yeah? Do you want me to stay?"

The teacher nodded, and waved a hand. "Your team can go. I only want to speak with you." Yang turned to look back at her friends, who all had expressions of both worry and confusion on their faces. In the best response to their unasked questions she could muster, she shrugged. "I don't know. Just get going, you shouldn't be late for the next class."

Hesitantly, they did as she said, and made their way out of the room. Yang now turned back to the Professor and asked "So what's up? Am I in trouble or something?" Ms. Goodwitch shook her head before tersely saying "No, now please accompany me to my office." She walked off to the side of the ring, and Yang heard a door open. She had forgotten that there were teacher-only passages in the school, and had a bad feeling about being invited down one. She had never heard of anyone else who had been.

With slow and deliberate movements, she descended the stairs, keeping weight off of her bad leg and arm. When she finally reached the bottom, she found the Professor standing, arms crossed, waiting in the doorway, foot tapping impatiently. Yang made the conscious effort to speed her movements, and was surprised at how quickly she could shamble with a teacher glairing daggers at her like that. Without another word, Goodwitch turned and started to make her way down the sterile looking hall. It was small in comparison to the ones above, but there were much fewer teachers than there were students.

Goodwitch walked, heels clicking on the floor, and Yang wasn't far behind. They walked for roughly a minute, passing many doors that Yang didn't recognize before stopping at one in particular that Ms. Goodwitch opened, revealing a small set of stairs leading upwards. She climbed the stairs without word, and Yang followed again.

When they reached the top, Yang stopped to take in her surroundings while Ms. Goodwitch took a seat behind her desk, shuffling a few papers before pushing her glasses up on her face and saying "Now then, I would like to ask you a few questions."

Yang nodded, taking a seat across from the desk, taking weight off of her broken leg and glancing down at it briefly before looking back at the Professor. "Ms. Goodwitch, If we could hurry this along, that'd be great, because I really kind of need to get my leg fixed, and if I'm late to my next class-" Glynda cut her off, saying "I will excuse any absence, and I assure you that I have set my share of bones in my time. Now, if you would kindly obey your teacher…"

Yang looked down to the ground, knowing that if she were still alive her cheeks would be red. "Yeah, alright." She had seen the woman assemble whole tables from splinters and broken planks, a bone couldn't be too different, right? "Good, now…" she knit her fingers together and leaned forward on the desk. "I want you to tell me about what you did in that ring. The fire that you threw was unlike anything I've seen before. Certainly, fireballs are not uncommon, but those were different. How were you able to create them?"

Yang sat back against the chair and thought for a moment before saying "Well, it wasn't dust, which is probably why it stood out. That was magic that you saw me use, and I'm not even joking. I learned some magic before I got brought back, and that was the first time I got to try it out. Pretty cool, huh?" Glynda simply stared back at her blankly for moment before saying "Magic? What exactly is "magic"? And why were you taught this?"

Yang sighed, saying "Uh, well, there are a whole lot to it, but the way magic was explained to me was that it's an outward manifestation of someone's soul. Like, uh, well…" she tried to think of an example. "Someone's semblance is magic, basically. It's a manifestation of a person's natural soul shape and disposition. When I died, my soul kind of… well, loosened up is a good way to put it, I guess. So after that, it was a lot easier to learn magic. There are a lot of different types of magic, and not everyone can learn it, but I can now." She gave a small chuckle "All I had to do was die!"

Glynda did not seem amused. She leaned lightly more forward and said "What other kinds of magics are there?" Yang felt the intensity of her gaze, but didn't feel as uncomfortable as she thought she would. "Well, there's necromancy…" she gestured to herself "…obviously. Then there's other stuff, like elemental magic, physical magics, that kind of stuff." Glynda nodded, then said "And the fire that you used? That was…" her voice trailed off, and Yang picked it up. "Pyromancy. It's fire, basically. They taught me it because fire was the one that I relate to the most, I guess. Feelings and emotions are really important to me, so it seemed like the most obvious choice."

Again, Glynda nodded before asking "What other kinds of elemental magics are there?" Yang let out another sigh, saying "Oh, geez, uh…" after another brief moment of thinking, she continued "There's stuff like geomancy, cryomancy, basically everything that exists, there's a classification for. I didn't get too far into it, but apparently they get really specific, like people who use magic to forge metal really well, or to grow lots of crops. Magic can really be used for anything, as long as you can figure out how to apply it."

Glynda sat still for a moment, eyes unfocusing as she thought. She was brought back to the present when Yang's metal fingers snapped loudly. She was startled, and said "Oh! My apologies, I was simply thinking…" her mind started to gravitate towards the effects that magic could have on the world again, but she made a conscious effort to pull away from that train of thought. She cleared her throat and said "Anyways, would you like me to fix your injuries now? I can do it quickly, and you may return to your class afterwards."

Yang nodded and said "Sure, yeah, go ahead." With that, Glynda stood up, pushing her chair back and walking around her desk. Yang made to stand as well, but Glynda motioned for her to stay, instead pulling a second chair from a corner of the room and sliding it next to Yang. She looked curiously at the teacher for a moment before Goodwitch said "Put your leg up on the chair."

Yang raised an eyebrow, but did as the teacher asked. Ms. Goodwitch grabbed her weapon, a simple riding crop, and held it out straight as Yang picked up her leg and placed it on the cushioned seat, flat. She was about to ask if she needed to remove her boots when a purplish glow started to grow around the implement, and a matching glow seemed to appear below Yang's skin. It was a few seconds before she felt the different fragments of bone shifting below her skin, moving past the tendons that needed bone to function. The fragments met and fused together, than muscle reattached to the bone, restoring her ability to move it. She wiggled her toes inside of her shoes, than smiled at Goodwitch. "It feels good."

She smiled, and nodded. "Good, I'm glad that I still have that touch. Now, before you go, I'd like to ask you one last thing." She held her hand out for Yang's arm, and she gave it to her, saying "Go ahead, shoot."

Glynda gave her a dry, serious look before saying "Why are you here? I don't mean here, in this office, I mean at all. Why were you brought back, really? Are there purposes other than being a simple ambassador?" The glow encased her wrist, and the bones realigned themselves, making her fingers twitch slightly as the muscles were jostled by the moving shards.

"No, not really. I mean, if he needs me to do something else, I'll probably do it, but I have that choice. He doesn't force me to do anything." Her bones fused back together, and she moved her fingers around, opening and closing her hand. "Yeah, that's good. Thanks." She gave a smile to the teacher, who nodded and pushed her glasses back up on her face. "Thank you, Ms. Xiao Long. I believe the pleasure was all mine."

She got up from the seat and walked towards the door, opening it and taking a few steps out. She felt good. Everything seemed to be going well somehow, and she wasn't exactly sure why she felt this, but she did. She was happy. As the door fell closed behind her, she started walking off to get to her next class, even looking forward to it.

* * *

Pyrrha, Jaune, Ren, and Nora all walked out of the classroom as the bell rang. Nora was practically glued to Ren's arm, looking up at his face, a look that seemed to have lost nearly all control on her face. Her eyes went up at Ren's like she was looking at the starry sky, and she held him like he was her one and only link to being alive.

Pyrrha and Jaune walked behind them, talking worriedly to one another about the two. "Jaune, we have to do something! This is just… she's out of control. What did Ren say about it?" Jaune sighed, than told her "Ren said that him, Ozpin, and Naze all met to talk about that. Apparently the only way that Nora could get "fixed" is by some really dangerous operation that could wind up doing permanent damage to her soul. It's either that, or let this thing take control of her." He sighed again, gazing forlornly at the reverent girl. "There's no way she would ever agree. We both know it. The only way to get it done would be to force her to, and I don't think we can just do that."

Pyrrha thought for a moment before saying "Well, it really seems like this thing has control of her already. You're sure that there aren't any other options?" Jaune replied in a quick, angered tone. It was one that Pyrrha had never heard him use before, let alone at her. "I don't know! I don't know anything about what's going on, and the only one who does is a million years old and dead! I just… damn…" his voice trailed off, and he clenched his fists as hard as he could. Pyrrha saw a tear roll down his face, and fall to the floor. She hated seeing him like this.

She put a hand on Jaune's back and rubbed it gently, trying to set him at ease. "It's alright, we are all frustrated. Maybe there's something that Naze hasn't said, like something he doesn't know about. If we can find that, we might save Nora."

Jaune looked sidelong at her, an incredulous look on his face. "Something he doesn't know about?" his voice was bitter "Pyrrha, I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't think that there's anything like that on the planet we could have a prayer of finding." She took her hand away, taken aback. This wasn't like Jaune. "I was only suggesting that we try." she replied solemnly.

Jaune closed his eyes, and stopped walking. Pyrrha could do nothing but stop and wait. Jaune was shaking, with tears starting to roll from his eyes. Pyrrha took a few quick steps over to him, saying "Jaune! Jaune, are you alright?" She took ahold of his hand, getting worried and meaning to check for anything the matter. As soon as her fingers touched his, his moved, wrapping around hers tightly. She was about to try and pry them out, as it was starting to grow painful, when Jaune pulled her close, putting his arms around her and squeezing tightly. "I just want to help, and I can't do anything!"

His voice was little more than a horse whisper, but delivered directly into Pyrrha's ear, it was louder than a shout. She hugged him back, trying to make him feel better. "We all want to help, but you can't shoulder this alone! I want to help, Ren wants to help, and even Ozpin wants to help! We aren't alone in this!" Jaune's arms loosened, and Pyrrha looked up from behind him, seeing the sun. The light burned her eyes for a moment, but the warmth and the light gave her an idea.

"What about the Paladin?" The question seemed to hang in the air for a moment, before Jaune broke the hug and took a step back, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "The paladin? W-what about him?" his voice was still shaky, but it was clear that he was getting better. Pyrrha smiled when she saw this, and said "Yes, remember the speech he gave about what the Paladins did? He said that they were focused primarily on the purity of the human soul. It sounds like just what we need!"

A small smile lifted the sides of Jaune's mouth, and he asked "Do you really think that he would help?" Pyrrha smiled confidently, doing her best to inspire the feeling in Jaune. "Yes, of course I do! He wants to help everyone, just like us, and he is far older than us. He's got to have some knowledge that we don't!" Jaune sniffled, wiped his nose again, than nodded, saying "Okay, how do we get ahold of him?"

Pyrrha felt very glad that he had accepted it as a possibility, at least. It seemed obvious, but the two events had simply seemed so disconnected that she hadn't put them together. "I don't know, but it can't be too hard. We can ask Ozpin to get in touch, or we can try to find ourselves. I think that asking Ozpin would be faster, but if we do it ourselves…" it was her turn to trail off. She didn't know where she was going with that. Asking Ozpin was really the only viable solution.

Jaune seemed to understand this, and nodded, saying "I could do that now, and I could probably even just get excused from class. But what do we do about them?" His eyes pointed towards Ren and Nora. They couldn't separate them, and not for lack of trying. Pyrrha had tried to take Nora out to Vale, or to get her to tag along talking to teachers, but she simply refused to leave Ren's sight. Ren was no better. If anything, Ren's behavior was even more worrying. Whereas before he had tried to avert or keep his distance from Nora, now he seemed to be trying to stay close. When he was with her, his eyes went blank, and a dull smile came across his face. Both Pyrrha and Jaune had agreed that Nora was affecting him, like some kind of drug. The thought was scary, to say the least. To think that their feelings could be so twisted was uncomfortable.

If they were somehow able to get Ren away from her, he would snap out of it, and return to his normal self. That much they knew. It was another thing that Jaune was going to speak to Ozpin about. Although he didn't want to admit it, Jaune had felt the feeling too. Nora's scent was simply so sweet, and her body so perfect…

He shook his head, violently dispelling the thoughts. If he started thinking like that, than he would be just as pacified as Ren. He couldn't leave Pyrrha to deal with this on her own. It wouldn't be fair. And if he threw away the order of the team like that, than what kind of leader would he be? A poor one, to say the least.

The warning bell sounded, indicating that it was only minutes before class started. This snapped Jaune out of thought, and he looked to Pyrrha, saying "I'm going to go to Ozpin. Just tell Professor Port something like that, or that I'm caught in the bathroom, or whatever." Pyrrha giggled slightly at this, and nodded. "I'll do my best to keep any more accidents from happening with those two." It had certainly been a long, weird day. Jaune nodded, said "Wish me luck!" and took off towards the office tower.

The jog there was easy, and halfway he heard the bell ring, meaning that class had started. It was of little importance, but he read into it, and seemed to find some finality in it. He was going to get help, and nothing would stop him. No matter what he had to do, he would save Nora.

The automatic doors slid open, and he slowed to a walk. The receptionist behind the desk looked up and said "Hello! Do you have an appointment?" in a chipper voice that didn't seem to fit the somewhat desperate mood that Jaune found himself in. He looked for the confidence that Pyrrha had given him, and when he recalled her sure smile, it seemed to cast some of the doubt away. "No" he answered "but I really need to get up to see him. If you could call him now, I think he would-"

Before he could finish his thought, the elevators dinged, and Ozpin himself stepped out. Jaune had never rode in the elevator before, but he knew that the ride from the top to the ground had to be longer than that. He hadn't just come down to see him. This was further evidenced by the surprised look and raised eyebrow on Ozpin's face. He turned away from the secretary, who was now forgotten, and said "Sir, we need to talk. I-it's about Nora."

Ozpin's eyebrow went higher, and he said "Oh? Then I had better see to it before I go out to lunch." He stepped back into the elevator, and gestured for Jaune to do the same. He did, and the doors soon slid closed, and the elevator glided up the shaft, pulleys and cables dragging it on its way. Jaune shuffled awkwardly next to the man. He couldn't help it. How could he not be nervous? Ozpin was one of the most prominent members of society, and Jaune was just a kid. A kid who was in the man's school illegally.

At that thought occurred to him, he felt himself shrink away from the man in spite of himself. He seemed so big and ominous that Jaune could hardly do anything else. He quickly stole a glance at the man's face, and found his brown eyes staring piercingly over the rims of his half-moon glasses at him. He jerked his head back to the smooth door, not wanting to make it seem like he was staring.

He tensed up when the man's voice came out, saying "You know, there really is no need to be worried. At least with talking to me. I think that both of our experiences would be bettered if you would take a moment to collect yourself." This advice seemed very applicable, and Jaune did just that, breathing in deeply and then letting the air escape his lungs slowly, bringing his thoughts into focus. He needed to talk about Nora, and about finding Solace. Those were the two things that they needed to discuss. If he didn't say anything about his transcripts, then Ozpin wouldn't think about it at all.

His own mental voice didn't seem terribly confident, so he imagined Pyrrha saying it. This worked much better, and he felt himself relax a little. If he didn't say anything, Ozpin wouldn't either. It was that simple.

The doors slid open again and Ozpin walked out into his office, towards a large desk that had papers strewn in a somewhat orderly fashion across its surface. Jaune followed, taking note of the many gears that rotated softly against each other, and wondering if all of this machinery was simply to power the clock on the exterior of the window.

Ozpin took a seat, and gestured at Jaune to do the same. He did, and without hesitation launched into discussing the issue at hand. "Alright, sir, I know you've been talking with Ren and Naze about all this, but there has to be another way to do this. This "ripping Nora's soul apart" thing is just not going to work! I mean, you can't really expect her to agree with that, even if she was able to make that decision, and you can't expect us to make that decision for her."

Ozpin knit his fingers together carefully and leaned forward. "Mr. Arc, I can promise you that I dislike that option every bit as much as you do. The implications of it are far-reaching, and the potential for failure is much too great to be comfortable with." Jaune nodded, but Ozpin continued. "However, one cannot forgo taking a medicine simply because it is unpalatable. We may have no other choice, as it had been made clear to me that should Ms. Valkyrie be allowed to continue on this path that she is taking, the consequences would be catastrophic. I wish I could set your fears to rest, but I believe that I can only make them worse."

Jaune held up a hand, not meaning any disrespect, but as a sign he was eager to share. "But, what if you hadn't looked at all the options? I mean, I know that you probably trust Naze, but what if there's something that he didn't think of? Or didn't want to think of?" A slight widening of Ozpin's eyes betrayed that he might have already come to the conclusion that Jaune was leading to, but he didn't let that deter him. "What about the Paladins? That guy, Solace, said that their main concern was the purity of the human soul, right? Well this seems to fit as an issue with that. Maybe he had some way to just filter this thing out or Nora, rather than ripping it out!" He realized that he was almost shouting, and that he had almost risen out of his seat. He sat back down, and made a conscious effort to lower his voice. "If he can do that, then maybe it's a lot safer than what Naze wants to do."

Ozpin leaned back, considering for a moment. As the seconds dragged by, Jaune felt eagerness start to build inside him like a balloon about to burst. He felt his nerves start to prickle with worry and fear. Why was he taking this long to give a determination? The answer should've been immediate.

After a period of time only determinable as "painful", Ozpin nodded, saying "I think that investigating this possibility would be an excellent idea. I will send for Mr. Lah at the soonest opportunity." Jaune smiled wide, and said "Thank you, sir. That's very good to hear." Ozpin nodded again, taking stock of his desk for a moment before saying "Mr. Arc, I'm exceedingly pleased that you brought this to my attention. I know many of my students would have simply accepted the determination of treatment, and moved on. You did not, and showed considerable initiative in coming to me directly. I think you'll make a fine Huntsman one day."

Jaune was grateful, but rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Thank you sir, but it wasn't really my idea. Pyrrha's the one who came up with it, not me. If I'm perfectly honest, I was about to give up on the whole thing. It's just been a lot of stress, you know?"

Ozpin shook his head, saying in a somewhat matter-of-fact voice "No, I don't think I could. The stress that you've been put under as a team leader in such a situation is certainly a heavy burden, and I'm sure that very few would bear it as well as you." He separated his hands, making a gesture of capitulation "But, if you insist in depraving yourself of that credit, than at least take pride in your team, and in your partner. I get the feeling that you lead Ms. Nikos to that idea, whether you know it or not."

Jaune didn't answer, but nonetheless felt some pride bud up in his chest. It was much, certainly not enough to remove the apprehension about Nora, but it was something, at least. The two rose from their chairs, shaking hands over the desk and saying their goodbyes before Jaune turned and walked into the elevator. Once inside, he held the door for a few moments, waiting for Ozpin to join him. The white-haired man looked up from his desk and waved Jaune on, saying "I think I've lost my appetite. Go to class, I will arrange for your tardiness to be excused."

With that, Jaune bid another farewell, and the doors slid shut again. Ozpin was left alone in his office, not a sound disturbing the air other than the quiet grinding of gears. He took a moment to think.

There was no chance that Naze had simply forgotten to mention that possibility. Were he a mortal man, perhaps, but he was not. No, there was something more sinister about that small blunder. Perhaps it was more intentional than it seemed. There was little that he could do about it, though. He would discuss the matter the next time the two met, and he would see if he was provided with a satisfactory answer. If not, he would be forced to reevaluate the agreements that he had come to.

* * *

Heels clicked hollowly against the paved sidewalk, and eyes darted from side to side as Neo walked down the street. She tried to keep as constant vision on everything that she could. Her eyes lingered on every face that she passed, but only for a moment before she moved to the next one.

Her mind shifted its concerns, and she started to think about Roman. He had gotten himself captured, and now she had to get him out. One way or another, she would need to spring him from that cell. Not only did she like him, but Cinder would want him soon as well. Taking Adam had probably been a good call, though. He had distracted that creation long enough for her to close distance, and she would've been able to damage the crystals keeping it functional, had it not been for those two soldiers.

They had made sense, reanimated fighters, she could feel their souls, and thus could predict their actions to a limited degree. Although she hadn't been able to predict the other one, it had been slow, and was obviously not experienced to the degree the others had been. It had known this, too, and taunted her about it. "I may not be very good, but I assure you, these two could tear you to shreds…" and "before I decide to take you hostage and study you." Both were significant threats, and it made her think that he had been the one in charge, but she hadn't been able to get any read off of him.

His movements all had a rigid, robotic quality to them, as if her were making them out of careful consideration. There had been no secondary muscular movement, or even brain activity. She could feel the neurons firing in other's brains, it was what allowed her to toy with them so much, and to imitate others so well. Whereas the other two guards had not had any brain activity either, their souls were fairly plain and easy to predict. The thing that made them dangerous was that they were outright faster than her. Her swift reaction times, much faster than a human's, had saved her from their blades, but she also got the feeling that they had not intended to actually catch her with them.

Wheels in her head started to turn, and in the changeling fashion, she started to regard the unknown with a high degree of both caution and interest. It was beneficial to know everything about a person, and she was accustomed to finding this out an instant after meeting them. By learning their thought patterns, she could anticipate any action, imitate any mannerism, and impersonate any person flawlessly. Unfortunately, she had inherited her mother's traits, and as a result her actual shape shifting abilities were somewhat diluted. She couldn't maintain a form that wasn't her own for long without hurting. It was something like pulling a muscle, but in every nerve of her body.

She shook her head. Roman. Roman was what she should be thinking about. It was her instinct to seek information on individuals she didn't know, but she needed to think of a way to get Roman out. She would return to Cinder, than see if she could get any other help in the matter. If not, than she would do it herself.

She blinked, and a nearly involuntary change happened. Her eyes shifted from brown to one brown one pink. This was, like a dog snarling to show its teeth, an indicator of aggressive thoughts.

If those two guards hadn't been there, she would have destroyed that thing, and sprung Roman from his imprisonment. If she could find that thing again, than she might be able to learn more about it, and maybe even find a way to defeat it more quickly. That would require finding it, though, and that would not be an easy task with the little information that she had.

Her heels clicked on the pavement as she walked, heading back towards the warehouse that Cinder had been as a base of operations. She had passed into a seedier part of town, and there was not a soul around to see her. Her body relaxed in situations like this. While she herself didn't have any particular fear of being found out as what she was, it was a changeling instinct to avoid that at all costs, not dissimilar to a human's trepidation at jumping from a cliff. The only person who really did know was Roman. She had changed in front of Adam, of course, but that had given her a thrill like bungee jumping or skydiving, simply taking a risk.

The empty streets seemed to tense, and she pulled herself together tightly, reasserting her careful control over her body. She was being watched. She could feel it. She didn't know from where, or by who, but there were eyes boring into her from somewhere.

She turned quickly, eyes scanning for anything that her extra senses might miss. The only thing that she was able to make out was the brief flicker of a thin shadow at the far end of the street before it disappeared down a storm grate. The feeling of being watched left, and she resumed her path, not letting herself relax again. She didn't know if it had anything to do with the thing she had fought that looked like a child, but it seemed fairly likely.


	27. Chapter 27

Author's note:

Things are progressing now even more. And what's this? Salvation for someone? Could it be?  
Probably not.

tell me how I did with the big parts in this one. You'll know them.

* * *

A blue glow arced between the pylons of the machine, making the air around them hum with arcane energy as the object deep below the surface of the earth was dredged up. Those working the machine had had brief fears that the powers would have some kind of adverse effect on the artifact, but they had found that the thing was actually quite resistant to the arcane. They had even had to increase the amount of power being used to pull the thing up. Apparently it was much more stuck in the molten soup of the planet than they had thought.

Most of the mindless zombies had been transported back to the ziggurat, their manual labor being no longer required. It was now much more sparsely populated, both by the undead and the Grimm. There had been many attacks, but all had failed spectacularly, most of the Grimm never even came within a hundred feet of the machine, let alone the mechanics or mages who were regulating its functions.

The progress of the retrieval was coming along fairly well, but the fluid of the mantle beneath the crust, in which the artifact was buried, was unpredictable, and required diligent monitoring to avoid dragging the mysterious object through any pockets of greater heat or pressure where it might become damaged. Chances of that were fairly low, but it was always better to err on the side of caution.

One problem that had arisen was of the local population becoming increasingly curious of what they were doing there. The most adventurous of the population were starting to creep closer, observed by shades the entire way. Most were driven back to their homes by the Grimm population, but as that had been thinning out as well, more and more ran the risk of getting through. Naze had decided to do nothing about this. If they saw the operation, no action was to be taken. If they made to approach, however, they would be stopped, and instructed to return to whence they came.

If still they persisted, more drastic measures would be taken. What those measures were had not yet been specified.

Of the large organizations to take interest in his operation, the two largest were the White Fang, stinging from the loss of their most prominent leader, and Ironwood's collection of individuals from both his army and his academy. Both seemed to have been probing the area cautiously, Ironwood's airships making their way slowly towards the site, and members of the White Fang creeping through the forest floor, scoping the area out.

Naze was sure that the White Fang would seek to disrupt what he was doing, no matter what it was, so he had made no attempt to grow relations with them. Instead, he merely let them convene and plot against him, keeping an ear on them the whole time.

The faction that he was more concerned about was Ironwood's people. The man himself was coming on his airships, and there was something of an uproar from the native Faunus population, more specifically the White Fang. He had not yet said anything to the public about Naze's roll in the capture of Adam Taurus, but he would soon. As a consequence to his not announcing the selfless act of the undead, Naze had not instructed Yang to make any sort of address about the operation. The people of Menagerie stewed in growing fear of what the undead were planning, and Naze felt no obligation yet to tell them.

* * *

Yang sat in her seat, an empty sheet of paper on her desk and a blackboard full of notes ahead of her. She had been too distracted to take them, though. She had the strangest feeling of apprehension, and of what was almost a fear. Something big was coming, but she just didn't know what.

A pencil hit the floor behind her, and her head whipped around fast enough to make the bones of her neck pop. She looked for the source of the noise, and found it to be one of Cardin's team mates. He had been twirling the pencil in his fingers, and it had slipped out. She let her head turn slowly back to the board, feeling no relief from knowing the source of the sound. That hadn't been it. Something was still coming, just around the corner, she knew it. She could feel it.

Something touched her arm, and she almost jumped out of her seat when she felt it. Instead, she wiped her head around again, finding Ruby giving her a concerned look. "Yang, are you alright?" Her sister's voice was concerned, but there was an undertone of something else. A malicious something. She didn't want to believe it, but the certain indescribably edge in her sister's voice was undeniable. Whatever was about to happen, her own sister was a part of.

She put on a fake smile and said "Yeah, of course! Why, what's up?" The question was sincere, although she knew she wouldn't get a good answer. Her sister would lie to her straight to her face, and she wouldn't even bat an eye. She knew it. Ruby gave her a furtive look, then said "You've seemed nervous and jumpy all day. Why? Is there something wrong with Naze, or anything big coming up, or-" Her innocent-seeming questions were cut off when Yang said rather loudly "I don't know, is there something coming up?" The words were confrontational, and her tone reflected that.

Ruby looked immediately taken aback, and Yang felt regret at using such harsh language with her dear sister. A cough came from the front of the room, and Yang turned to see Professor Oobleck staring at her over the edge of a coffee mug. "If you ladies have something to discuss, I would recommend that you do it outside of class, and avoid wasting my and your classmates' time." Ruby bowed her head, nodding and saying "Yes sir." Yang, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at the teacher. It might've been her imagination, but she could've sworn she had heard something in his voice as well.

"Now, back to the lesson. The effects of the…" Yes, there was definitely been something in his voice as well. Her eyes widened, and she looked around at all the faces in the class. They all looked away from her as soon as she tried to see them. Some looked back at her, confused or concerned expressions on their faces, but Yang knew better than to trust them. They were all in on it. Every single one.

She looked back over to her sister, and saw the same thing. Everyone around her was aware, and probably cooperating with whatever this looming terrible event was. She tried to remain calm. If she were alive, her breathing would've quickened, and she would've started sweating buckets. But, as it was, she sat there, stock-still, trying to control the raging emotion that was making her soul quiver. She failed.

Yang pushed herself out of the seat, sending her chair toppling and nearly upending the desk that she was seated at. Eyes all around the room went to her, but she knew that they had been watching all along. She felt a huge pressure, like a wave was crashing down on her, and knew that she wouldn't be able to deal with it. Without saying a word, she started walking towards the door. Oobleck called out to her, saying "Ms. Xiao Long, please get back in your seat!" but she ignored him. She had to get out, before whatever was going to happen happened, and she would be completely overtaken by it.

Another voice rang out, and this one was far more difficult to ignore. Ruby cried "Yang, come back!" but without pause, she kept on walking. She had to clench her fists closed to keep from turning back, but she continued to walk. The door hung open behind her as she walked into the hall, feeling an immense sensation of relief. She was away from them, and their lying, and their plotting. Without knowing where she was going, she started to walk. She made her way down the hall, enjoying the feeling of being alone, before Ruby's voice came again, worried and almost desperate. "Yang, just talk to us!"

At first she thought the voice was in her head, nothing more than her imagination, but the series of footsteps echoing off the walls of the well-furnished halls told her otherwise. She turned, and found not only Ruby, but Blake and Weiss running towards her as well. Some part of her wanted to take confidence seeing them like that, concerned for her wellbeing, but that part was powerless against the vast majority of her brain that screamed they meant her harm somehow. None of them had their typical weapons on them, that was clear, but they could still have other armaments stashed away in pockets or up sleeves.

She took a few involuntary steps back as they grew closer, and wrestled with the urge to run. She was utterly torn. One part insisted the only way to be safe was to flee, and the other that they wanted to help. Both parts however, were overshadowed by the looming threat of whatever was to come. That horrific, imperceptible event that would bring an end to everything. It was clear from the glint in her teammate's eyes that they knew what was coming, and that they were even ushering it forth.

Her heels braced against the floor, and she stood her ground. She was going to get to the bottom of this, no matter what. There had to be something going on. Ruby was the first to meet her sister, and looked up into her suspicious eyes with nothing but concern. "What's wrong? Please, just tell us! We can help you!"

Yang blinked. The signal in her eyes was gone, as was the edge to her voice. She was her sister, innocent and pure as the driven snow. But that was impossible. She couldn't possibly have imagined the whole thing, could she? Certainly there would've been some hint that none of it was real. She took a step back, and her eyes unfocused as she turned her attention away from her friends as she felt the air around her for that looming threat. It was still there, but somehow different, like it had been lessened.

Blake stepped over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and saying "Yang, please, just talk to us. We're all worried about you. Just tell us what's the matter." Her words seemed sincere at the surface level, but below that, the malicious edge was clear. Yang could practically feel the knife in her back already. She didn't know what anybody was planning, but she knew that Blake did.

With one move of her arm, she batted Blake's hand away, sending her slightly off balance. After that, with another, more aggressive move, she lurched forward, grabbing two fistfuls of the girl's shirt and pushing her back so that she thudded against the wall. Then, with little exertion, she lifted the girl off the ground so that her feet weren't even able to touch the ground. The startled cries of her friends were drown out by the sound of her own yelling. "What's going on, Blake? What are you going to do?" It was clear by the look on her friend's face that she didn't know how to react. Yang felt some confidence from this, knowing that she had caught the conspirator off guard. Blake started to speak, saying "Yang, I don't know what you're-" but Yang cut her off by bringing her off the wall towards her and slamming her into it again. It wasn't hard, but it was enough to wind the Faunus. "Answer me! Come on!"

Ruby and Weiss started to pull at her arms, and she suddenly felt a shift in the air. The encroaching threat seemed to disappear, and she was suddenly shocked at what she was doing. Stepping back, she dropped Blake back to the ground before tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground on her back. Blake's eyes were locked with her own, even more shocked than Yang was. Weiss was trying to help Yang up, and Weiss was looking at Yang with an expression that was too chaotic to place. It certainly seemed that there was blame in there, though.

Blake was picked up off the floor again, much more gently this time, and once she was back on her feet, she looked down at Yang, who hadn't tried to get up yet. Her eyes were a mix of many things, like Weiss's, but the most obvious was pain. "Why… why did you do that?" she asked, her voice almost breaking.

Yang's mouth worked, but no words came forth. She was ashamed, and she had no answer. She had thought that Blake was going to do something. That was all there was to it. "I thought… I felt…" She tried to explain herself, but she couldn't. The shame, embarrassment, and worry were all too much. With slow, deliberate movements, she dragged herself up off of the floor and to her feet. "I need to go." She mumbled almost too softly for them to hear. Ruby's face became even more confused, and she started to follow. "Yang, no! You have to tell us-" Her voice stopped, and Yang knew that Blake had put stopped her, she could hear her clothes rustling.

Yang plodded off, still aimless, but now with a goal. She thought hard, and contacted Naze with some difficulty. When she finally did, she didn't get the response that she had expected.

* * *

Naze finally managed to wrestle his paranoia out of his mind, and reestablish dominance over himself. It had been most of the day that he had struggled with it, not a large expanse of time for a lich. The effects of this could be felt throughout his organization, though. Work had slowed, and the ever-present thrum of activity that only the most sensitive were really aware of had faded considerably. All of his minions with enough intelligence to have feelings had been aware of his issue. The backlash from it was great, sharing some small part of his overpowering fear with all of them.

He had tried to mitigate the effect, but not all of his people had been saved. As soon as he had regained the full usage of his faculties, he had set about taking stock of the damage. As many of his people were in the ziggurat, most of his assets had remained unharmed. Those who were operating the extractor had been shielded from the effects of the surge. And, though she likely didn't consider it so, Yang had remained on the outskirts of the telepathic wave on account of her distance. She had even received the effect on a considerable delay. While it might've been better if she had been affected when her friends asleep, she had done next to no real damage. Certainly she had damaged her relationships with her friends, but that was inconsequential in comparison to the things that she could've done.

What she could've done was actually attack someone, which would create a kind of stigma against the undead. He had to make sure to shield her from the effects of the control loss in the future. Of all the people who needed to keep their wits about them in order for the living to not see them as monsters, Yang was one of the most important for that.

Her voice rejoined into the chorus of many that always spoke in his head, and she asked him "What the hell just happened?" Her thoughts were muddied and unclear, making somewhat difficult to understand, but he was able to divine them fairly easily. He responded by saying "An unfortunate mistake. I erred long ago, and you felt the ripple of that. There was no real danger, at least that you could detect. Think of it no more, I will attempt to protect you from it in the future. Your classes are done now, correct?" She replied with an affirmative "Yes." And Naze gave her another directive. "Come back to the ziggurat, there's another ambassadorial function for you to fulfill."

There was a short pause in which her thoughts were to herself, then, slightly annoyed, she replied "Alright, what is it?" Naze noted the annoyance, but didn't mind. So long as she fulfilled her duty, he didn't care. "Ironwood is coming to the excavation site, and I want you to be there. You will explain to him anything that he inquires about, as well as ensure that he doesn't tamper with the process. If he does attempt to interfere, then you will have the backing of the guards present and the mages who are handling the procedures. If possible, avoid killing him, and make sure that it is in undeniable defense. Is all of this understood?"

Yang understood, and said as much, and started to make her way to the puppet's room where a rune of translocation would take her back to the ziggurat, and from there she would go to Menagerie in the fastest semblance of public transport she had ever experienced. She had to leave her team mates first, though, and given their concern for her, it would be somewhat tricky for her to get away. Ironwood was approaching slowly, though, giving them plenty of time. She could take her time, if she wished, but if she waited too long, he would be forced to intervene.

A slight noise from his orb of control distracted his attention from his planning, and he looked to the orb, taking his focus to the puppet body.

The dead muscles cracked back into motion as he moved to open the door that a knock had just come through. He took a few stiff steps before opening the door, and finding Pyrrha outside the door, arms at her side awkwardly as if she didn't know what to do with them. He raised an eyebrow at her and said "Well, Pyrrha, this is a surprise. Do you want something?"

Pyrrha looked slightly taken aback by the direct way he spoke. "Oh, uh, yes, I would." Naze raised an eyebrow, waiting a brief moment before saying "Well? What is it?"

Pyrrha looked around the hall, first down one side, then down the other, making sure that there was nobody coming, then took a tentative step forward. "I think we should talk about this in private." Her voice seemed to suggest that she was worried, and her rat-like movements seemed to reinforce this. Naze raised an eyebrow again, and looked back into his own room. Did she mean to go into his room, or did she mean hers? His confusion was answered when she took a step towards her own room, motioning for him to follow.

He did, and as he stepped in, he found much of the room still in disorder from the tantrum that Nora had thrown, somewhat surprised that they had not cleaned much of it. Pyrrha walked to the middle of the room, than turned to Naze, saying "Close the door." He did so, and almost immediately Pyrrha turned on him, her demeanor changed. "Why did you leave out Solace in the discussion about Nora?"

It was clear that she was mad. Her brow had furrowed, and her nose flared as her eyes burned into his face. If she was expecting some reaction, however, she wouldn't get it. Naze just gazed back at her, his lips even curling into a small smile. "There are many reasons, girl. I wouldn't expect you to understand them, of course. I will tell you this; I have my reasons. It's a complex thing, balancing relations like this. I'm forced to say some things, and withhold others. It's all for the greater good, though. If I'm forced into a war because of this Paladin, I'll be forced to kill many people. If that happens, I won't have the slightest prayer of establishing peaceful relations again. If that happens, your Paladin friend will feel emboldened and justified in leading the living against me. Then I would become the most powerful threat that humanity has faced in recent history, and I know that I would be unable to shake that title. Do you understand my reasons now?"

Pyrrha blinked. She had not expected so much information. It made sense, but she didn't want to admit it. Something else came to her, and it made her even angrier. "Don't you care about Nora? Did you ever consider what would be better for her?" She spoke from the fierce defensiveness of looking out for her friend. She wanted to see Nora well again, and Naze had actively tried to stop that from happening.

Naze returned her gaze with his cold eyes. "No, I can't say that I do. It's funny how the eons do that, make you realize how most people are simply dust in the wind. I can't be troubled with the fate of one girl. Perhaps if you saw civilizations rise and fall, than you would understand."

Pyrrha gave him a funny look, then said "You seemed to care about Yang when she died. What's your explanation for that one?" Naze gave her a small smirk, and replied "She's useful to me. She serves a purpose. I wouldn't buy a tool if I didn't intend to use it." A worried expression stared to come across the girl's face, but before she could say anything about it, Naze held a hand up again "Of course, I wouldn't alter or mistreat a tool either. Such would be a very poor investment."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed, and she fixed him with a wary eye. "Then why are you here? If you don't want to help anyone, and you already know as much as you do, than isn't being here just a waste of time?" Naze shook his head stiffly and said "No, I think being here has been quite useful. I've gotten a better feel for the people of this world, and that will make relations between our people far easier."

He put his gestured with a hand, as if indicating the things that he had told her. "You see? Everything I do has a reason. If you want to go to the Paladin, I can't stop you, but consider my words. Is the life of the one girl worth even the risk of that war? The war that you have no hope of winning?" Pyrrha looked back at him, wheels turning in her head as she considered what to say next. Naze waited, taking the time to check the progress of Ironwood towards the machine. He was still moving at the slow speed he had been the last time he had checked, about half an hour out.

Pyrrha spoke again, pulling him back to the conversation. "Well, maybe it does all have a reason, but I don't think that that's the way that diplomacy should be conducted. You're trying to gain standing by pulling strings. That's dishonest."

"I have trouble believing that you are that naïve." This response made Pyrrha feel taken aback. "All of politics is underhanded negotiating. Since entering the playing field, two separate individuals have tried to blackmail me into doing something they want. I dislike this, but I've tolerated it, and not actively searched for a way to get them back. I simply even the odds between us."

Pyrrha looked like she was struggling now to come up with valid reasons to distrust him. It amused him that she was still trying, and he decided to cut to the heart of the issue. "Why beat around the bush, though? It's clear enough that, on some level, you want to distrust me. I've seen it before. The fact that I'm dead disturbs you."

Pyrrha tried briefly to find another way to put it, then said "No, it's not that you're dead, it's that you bring others back. Death should be…" her voice trailed off, and she came up with another word "…peaceful. The rest earned at the end of a tired life. It seems like you disturb that, waking them back up, and making them continue what they did in life. It just seems wrong. They had their time."

Naze raised an eyebrow. "Really? "A rest earned at the end of a tired life"? What of a mass murderer? I don't mean to spill the secrets of the afterlife, but they get the same as everyone else. Do they deserve that rest? Many would say no, but I would say that that is completely fair. I would guess that you disagree. But my question would be; why? And what is the alternative? Someone sift through the billions upon billions who have died, and judge them? To what standards? I bring back those useful to me, and who would serve me. I force no one to work. If Yang wished to fade back into the void, I would allow her. The same right goes to all of my people. The only one who doesn't get that right, ironically enough, is me. But that is the price I paid to become a lich."

Pyrrha didn't know what to say now. She gave Naze an implacable look, mouth working a few times in an attempt to speak, but nothing came of it. Naze took this as a fairly reliable sigh that their conversation was over, and turned to walk away. Pyrrha made no attempt to stop him, and he exited the room he pulled the door closed, leaving the girl to stew in her own thoughts. Maybe she would consider his point of view a little more thoroughly from now on, and wouldn't regard him with such disdain. He knew this was unlikely, though. She had the soul of a Paladin, whether she knew it or not. If Solace didn't make a grab at her, than he was even more of a fool than Naze had initially thought.

He shook his head to himself, walking back into his room. It was probably a lost cause, trying to make the living understand his motives and methods. If there was anyone to understand, it wasn't Pyrrha. He needed more people like Ozpin in the population, people who would objectively look at each side of the situation. Ozpin was a good man, if ever there was such a thing. He was intelligent, at least, and fair.

Naze turned his attention back to Yang, letting the puppet fall stiff once it was in the room. Whatever Pyrrha chose to do with herself, he didn't care. Paladin or not, she wouldn't stand a chance against him if she got in his way.

* * *

Yang nodded, trying to set her sister at ease. "Yeah, it was something that I didn't have any control over. Naze promised that he would keep it from happening again, though." She turned to Blake, not able to look the Faunus square in the face. "I'm really sorry about that, Blake. I just couldn't…" her voice trailed off, and she shook her head, looking down at the floor.

Blake put a hand on her shoulder and said as comfortingly as she could "It's alright. You didn't mean to, and I'm sure that if you had been able to fight it, you would've. I don't blame you." Yang looked up, smiling. "Thanks. That…" She paused for a moment, collecting herself. "That means a lot." Her eyes flicked to the clock hanging on the wall, and she was reminded of her deadline to get to the site and deal with Ironwood. She didn't want to, but she had to leave. It was her job, and she had to do it.

She stood back up, rubbing the top of Ruby's head with an expression of regret. "I've got to go now, guys. I know, I have some homework piling up, and I would really, really love it if I could keep talking, but I've got a little work to do for Naze. I'm really sorry, but I have to get this done."

All of her friends gave her worried, somewhat regretful looks, but they all let her go. She hesitated on the threshold of the door, casting one glance back behind her and waving. They waved back, and Yang walked out, closing the door behind her. The walk across the hall was brief, just as it always was, and she found the door unlocked for her, as usual. She walked into the room, observing the stark change in tone from the hall. Naze's room was always dark, and the numerous bottles of chemicals seemed to give off a strange glow. But that wasn't what she was here for. She was here for the mark on the wall.

The chalk circles wove intractably in-between each other in a fashion that she knew was far too exact for her to ever reproduce, at least without some serious practice. She put a hand up against the symbol and started to reach out with her aura towards it. It was somewhat hard for her to activate the rune herself, but she could do it just fine, given a little time. She just had to find the correct wavelength.

After a few seconds, the energy from her surged into the rune, and space was torn apart momentarily, revealing the large chamber that Naze spent the majority of his time in. Yang took a quick step through, not wanting the portal to close on her. She didn't know what would happen if it did, but she had no desire to find out. Once she was through, the rift closed, and her eyes were drawn to Naze. He was sitting on a large throne-like chair, eyes fixed on the orb in his left hand. She didn't want to disturb him, and she was sure that he was aware of her presence already.

Instead, she simply walked towards the exit. She already knew how to get where she was going, and what she was supposed to do. In the halls she passed a few ghouls who were carrying massive stacks of books and scrolls, a few of which made greeting gestures or noises as they passed. Yang nodded to them as she walked passed, wondering who they were, and if she had spoken to them already. She didn't recognize them, but there was a chance that she had.

After turning a few corners, she found her way to the correct room, and indicated to the mage standing by the runes where she wanted to go. He nodded, then, with a loud crack, Yang found herself surrounded by tall trees, a heavy vibrating in her ears. She looked around, finding the workers of the extraction site all around. Grimm corpses of varying sizes were scattered around the clearing in various states of decay, the accelerated process making their bodies evaporate into the air around them. A few groups of zombies were hauling several of the corpses towards the rune that Yang was standing on, and Yang walked towards them, looking at the cadavers on their shoulders. The largest was a deathstalker, a single spot on its armor where it looked like a blade had been driven through, the hole surrounded by cracks. Its soft flesh beneath the armored shell was already starting to wither away.

She turned her attention away from this, and looked instead for someone who she might talk to in order to organize a welcoming party for Ironwood. There were not many undead in the area. Only ten or so guards, and a few mages to ensure the extractor was functioning, and the hauling teams. Deciding that it would be best to come off as capable, but not too freighting, Yang chose to get a few of the less powerful guards to accompany her. She imagined Ironwood walking down a ramp from his airship, and meeting her, with two guards standing at her sides. This mental image made her smile.

Thinking of his airship, she looked to the sky, and spied the large contraption suspended there, drawing closer at a very slow pace. She wondered what he was doing, taking so long, but shrugged it off. She would have extra time, then.

The two guards that Yang spoke to were happy to do as she asked, one of them even making a few lighthearted comments about the situation, and how he hoped that all their efforts would pay off. Yang agreed, and even felt her own heart lighten a little. It was strange how upbeat and positive the man was, considering his position. Yang reminded herself that the same could be said for her, and tried to get rid of the preconceptions of the guards that she had formed by watching them train.

With her assistants recruited, there wasn't an awful lot else to do. She had never been good at simply waiting, and death had not improved that deficit much. She paced back and forth, thinking to herself about the many things that permeated her mind. There was the recent incident with Blake, of course, but there was other stuff too. She had schoolwork to do, she wanted to find some way to make up her outburst, she wanted to try and learn a few new tricks with her budding magical abilities, and she wanted to speak to Naze about the combat situation she was in. She couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

When finally a call did raise from one of the guards "Something's coming down!" Yang looked up at the airship in surprise. It had drawn considerably closer, but it wasn't the ship itself that was docking. Instead, two Bullheads were descending towards them. She had her cohorts walked out away from the machine, hoping to indicate where they should land, and their efforts proved to succeed when both of the airborne vehicles touched down onto the soft grass around a hundred feet away from them. The hull doors opened, and Ironwood stepped out, followed by two kids who looked around her age.

Out of the second Bullhead came a group of people who looked like reporters, cameras and notepads in hand, looking around at everything around them with awe. Yang took a few steps towards them, saying loud enough to he heard over the engines "Hey there! Glad you could make it!"

The noise of the engine died down, and the small party reformed into one, the reporters sticking close to Ironwood and the two students at his side. Yang could tell that the cameras were already rolling, and put on her best public speaking face. She was sure that if they weren't going to every television in Remnant live already, than it would only be a few hours until it did. She took a few more steps, closing the distance between them, and held out a hand to Ironwood, saying "Hey! So, you want to be shown around, right? And I see you brought a few friends." She nodded to the cameras "Well come on, follow me, and I'll show you what's going on."

Ironwood took her hand somewhat hesitantly, then said "Yes, I am accompanied. If you don't, mind, I'd like to get straight to the reason I'm here, and simply skip the formalities." Yang nodded, saying "No problem, just follow me and we'll get started."

She started to walk back away from the Bullheads, towards the extractor and the guards. When she reached them, they joined her in step, and looked just as menacing as ever, as if daring Ironwood to try anything, even facing away from him. Yang trued around, walking backwards now, and started to talk to the group, saying the things that had been running through her head the past couple of minutes. "So, we have a fairly basic operation going here, not too complicated, so here's a quick summary." She pointed to the machine "That's the extractor. Like the name suggests, it's extracting something. The glow that it produces is arcane power, and it essentially shoots that way down into the earth, wraps it around the thing it wants, and pulls it back up."

Ironwood spoke up now, asking "What is it that you are extracting here, if I may ask?" Without missing a beat, Yang replied "We don't know yet. That's kind of why we're so interested in it, because it's going to come up to the surface anyways, we're just speeding it on its way. Once we have it, it will be taken and thoroughly researched. After that, it will probably be stored away."

Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "You have no idea what it is? None? Then how do you know how to get it, or what it will do when you do retrieve it?" Again, without missing a beat, Yang said "Well, we do know a few things about it, but nothing that could really help us get it out. All we know is that it's really powerful, and that it'll be a few days before we can get it out."

Instead of Ironwood, the next question came from one of the men holding a camera. He asked "How is this machine powered? You said something about "arcane power", but what is that?" This question did give Yang some pause. The concept of magic was a difficult thing to explain overall, let alone a specific one like arcane. "Arcane magic is… well…" She knew that she was flubbing, and looked to one of the mages working the machine for help. Even though there was still a considerable distance between them, he started to make his way over, shambling on top of old legs that hardly worked. "Arcane magic" he cried out in a husky voice "is essentially one of the most pure kinds of magic. It is made by everything, in small amounts, and can be focused to achieve a certain effect. While it's simple, it's also very hard to control. If you ever see someone using pure arcane magic, then they are a mage of considerable power."

Ironwood, and the reporters as well, seemed somewhat taken aback by this intrusion. None said anything, though, and allowed the old mage to continue talking. "This young one-" he indicated Yang "-could hardly be expected to understand well enough to explain. I'll come with you, and help her out, eh?" Yang nodded thankfully, and said "Yeah, thanks."

With that, the group started to walk around the machine, receiving information about various parts and functions of it. In the end, the sun was dipping down below the horizon before Ironwood was satisfied.

* * *

Cinder looked at the White Fang leaders as the broadcast ended. They had come to her as soon as Adam was gone, they had come crawling back to her, just as she knew they would. She was happy to accept them, provided that they pledge themselves to her again. No one dared speak, for none knew what to say. Cinder was the one to break the silence. "Well, that's interesting, isn't it? An operation on Menagerie, the center of the Faunus population. That seems a little convenient, doesn't it?"

The fear that came across their faces was obvious, and they all looked at her with suspicion. "What do you mean? Do you know something that we don't?" The woman who asked had a rather large pair of antlers emerging from her forehead, and two long ears on the upper sides of her head. Cinder looked at her with a simpering expression. "I can't say anything on the topic now. What I can say, however, is that it might be in your best interests to not allow them to get what they're digging for."

In truth, she didn't know what the object was, or what it would do, but if Naze wanted it, than she wanted it too. It had to be an item of immense power, and it there was power involved, cinder wanted it. She wondered what she would be able to do with it. Certainly it would serve her well.

The Faunus around the room shuffled uncomfortably, considering the idea of the undead setting up a device at their homeland was not one that they found very enjoyable. Their fear would be easy to make use of, and she fully intended to do so. She spoke again, making sure that her voice was as smooth and comforting as possible. "But take heart! I know a way that you could get rid of this installment, and get your beloved Adam back, all in one stroke. All you need is a little patience."

It was clear that she held the attention of everyone in the room with a vicelike grip, and it made her happy to do so. "If we wait just until this mystery object is uncovered, than there will be a brief moment in which we can strike. It will require all of your strength, but I believe that we can snatch that artifact out from under their noses. What do you say?"

The offer was risky, and they all felt nervous about making an outright enemy of the undead, but they needed Adam back, and they had fought too long without progress. If attacking the undead was what it would take to advance their cause, they would do it.

One by one, the Faunus around the room nodded, indicating that they supported this plan of action. A curling smile came across her face as she watched them. They would do well as her followers. And they would follow her. If they didn't, than they forfeited Adam, and she knew that none of them were willing to abandon their faithful leader. He was far too important to them in both a morale and a leadership role. They needed him, and she could use them. Maybe she could even gain a little power over Naze. The thought brought a larger smile to her face. She could hardly wait.

* * *

Pyrrha walked next to Jaune and Ren, lost in thought. She looked forward to talking to the Paladin. It seemed that he was much more forthcoming with information. She wanted Nora to be better, and for Solace to get more popular. If he did, than his goals of selfless sacrifice would become more common. Naze's words echoed through her head again, warning her about the war that could result. She wished that she could forget them, but she simply couldn't. She would ask Solace about it. At least with him she was confident that she wasn't being manipulated.

She looked over at Jaune. He had a determined look on his face, and it gave her comfort to see it. She took resolve from his confidence. She looked to her other side, at Ren. He had a blank, absent minded look about him, and Pyrrha felt her spirits drop again. Whatever was wrong with Ren was because of Nora. Jaune had confided in Pyrrha that Nora's effect was acting on him too, almost intoxicating him when she was around. As a result, he had been careful to keep his distance from her, and Pyrrha was always sure to enforce this.

It had been a nightmare getting Ren away from Nora as it was, and had required a huge amount of ingenuity and luck from both Jaune and Pyrrha. Their intricate plan to get Ren out of her arms had worked, though, and now they were heading, with Ozpin's blessing, walking through the streets to find Solace. They had been instructed to go to one building in particular, an old warehouse that had been rented out to the budding group. As the three of them came into view of it, Jaune stopped to take in the sight. Even with its run down exterior, it seemed to radiate something special. It was filled with hope, and warmth. How, none of them knew, but they could all feel it. Jaune looked over at Pyrrha, than nodded towards the building. "Well, let's go."

They all started walking again, crossing the street with brisk movements. It was seconds before they found the door to the building, and read a sign inlaid on the door. It said, in large, golden letters "Order of the Holy Light."

All of them drew some comfort from the name, for some reason. It just seemed welcoming. Any trepidation that Pyrrha felt about talking to Solace faded as Jaune pushed the door open and walked through.

The interior was less run-down than the outside had been, but it still did not look like a place that would be very fun to live in. All around the ceiling, bright lights shined down, illuminating racks of what looked like training weapons, most of which had very basic designs, and were made of wood. At the center of the room, the tall and immensely muscled figure of who was unmistakably Solace stood, a thick leather-bound book in his hands, reading quietly to himself. He looked like he didn't want to be disturbed, but there was also an inviting air around him.

Jaune called out, and Solace looked up from his book, a wide smile on his face. "Ah, you've arrived! Good, good." He motioned for them to come over to him, and they did. He led them to a table near the corner of the spacious room with several candles lit on it. The table was long, and there were enough chairs for twenty people. "Sit, and tell me what brings you here. Ozpin gave me a general outline, but not specifics."

Jaune proceeded to explain the situation, using Ren as an example the whole while. As he spoke, Solace's face gradually grew more grim, and it wasn't long before his chin was resting on his knuckles, shaking his head. Pyrrha also told him of the talk that she had had with Naze, and this made his face grow even darker.

"This is bad." He said in a heavy tone. "I should've expected deception like this from a beast like him." He leaned back, and thought for a moment. "Yes, I think I could purify your friend, but I will require time to prepare. As for the boy's plight with the girl, he is welcome to stay here, if he wishes. She will not find him here." He looked to Ren to see if this was agreeable. Ren nodded limply, his eyes unfocused. "Good, you're welcome to anything I have. It's not quite the monastery that I was raised in, but it will do. Humble beginnings."

Jaune got up, looking at the time on his scroll. "Oh, Pyrrha, we have to get back soon! Nora will probably be going berserk by now." Pyrrha got up to follow, but then stopped, saying Jaune "Why don't you go on ahead. I'd like to discuss a few more things with Solace. Wait for me by the entrance to Beacon, would you?" Jaune raised an eyebrow, than sighed, saying "Alright, but I don't know if I can handle it if I get caught again."

He started to walk towards the door, and Pyrrha turned to Solace again. "So, about the war that Naze told me about…" her voice trailed off as she worked to isolate the part that she wanted to know the most. "Would that really happen? Would you lead humanity against him like that?"

Solace sighed, than stood, turning away. He remained that way for a long time, barely even breathing, before turning and saying "If only you could understand the depths of depravity that he had reached to." Pyrrha cocked her head questioningly, and Solace continued. "He is a lich, and a lich is the worst kind of monster. He was a human, once. I don't know this through any personal knowledge, but I know it in the same way that I know once you were a crying baby. It is the only explanation. Anyways, my order stands to defend the natural purity of the human soul. He took that purity, and sacrificed it for power, and for life everlasting. But he gave up his humanity in the process, leaving him devoid of feeling. Now he is a husk, his breast as cold as ice. It is not only because of this, but also that he could bring this horrible fate to others, that I wish him destroyed. I will not sleep soundly until this happens, for I know that he has some insidious plan."

Pyrrha spoke up, saying "But he said that he wanted peace, and that he didn't-" Solace cut her off, speaking over her "Of course he did. He would have no reservation for lying! Nothing he says can be trusted, and none of those twisted by his ruinous grip can be trusted."

Solace sighed, then sat back down, waving towards the door. "Go, please. Bring me Nora in three days, I should be ready by then."

Pyrrha bit her lip. She had many things that she still wanted to ask him about, but he looked exhausted. She did as he asked, said goodbye to Ren, and found Jaune waiting outside of the door, arms folded. The two retuned to Beacon, not speaking the entire way. They didn't know if they could handle Nora for three days.


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Note:

Lot's of other people in this chapter, and I always want to know how I'm doing with blokes like Torchwick, Penny, Neo, and Roman. So tell me.

If you are so inclined, follow the story! I like it!

Thanks for reading.

* * *

Nora sat on top of her bed, fidgeting and fighting to remain still. It was taking every ounce of her willpower, but she was willing to do it. She had been promised that Ren would be returned swiftly if she was good. Every ounce of her strength had gone into staying in control, and she was finally starting to crack. She had stolen Ren's pillow again, and was hugging it tightly, eyes fixed on the door, waiting for him to come back. She wondered how long she had been staring at the door, but dared not take her eyes off of the door. If Ren came through the door, and she wasn't looking, she wouldn't forgive herself.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, her eyes finally started to rift over towards the digital clock on her bed stand. It had only been ten minutes since the last time she had looked. A frustrated noise somewhere between a sigh and a growl left her throat, and she slid her tongue over her teeth. When would he come back? She needed him.

At long last, a floorboard creaked outside, and Nora sat up like an alerted dog. That had to be someone out there. She hoped desperately that it was Ren. The lock on the door clicked open, and Jaune walked in, followed quickly by Pyrrha, who closed the door behind her. Nora looked between the two, confused for a moment, before pulling her face up away from the pillow and asking "Where's Ren?" in a worried voice. Jaune stopped briefly, visibly trying to avoid looking at her, before Pyrrha stepped forward between them, saying "Nora, I think we need to have a little talk."

Jaune turned away from them as Pyrrha began to explain that Ren had been drawn away by urgent family business, and wouldn't be back for a few days. He knew that if his gaze lingered on Nora for too long, he wouldn't be able to pull it away. He remembered Ren's face, absently smiling and clouded over, not a single large thought in his head. It was scary to think that Nora had done that to him, but it was the reality of the situation. Even looking at her could be a hazard, and he definitely didn't want her to get too close; she had started to give off this smell, totally unlike anything that he had ever smelled before. The only word that he could really assign it was "seductive". When he caught the odd whiff of whatever smell it was, he felt him mind numb and simply slip into a much more relaxed state. He stopped caring about everything around him, and he wanted to continue feeling that way.

That was why he had to keep his distance. It was of the utmost importance that he remain in control of himself. If he lost his control, than the team would lose their leadership, and Pyrrha would have to fend for herself. He couldn't let that happen. He had to stay strong.

Pyrrha finished explaining why Ren wouldn't be present for a few days, and Nora started to breathe more heavily, signaling that she was about to start crying. With a few hurried steps Jaune got to the door to the bathroom, throwing it open and dashing inside as quickly as his legs would let him. If Nora started to cry, he would be tempted to look at her, and to feel sorry for her. As terrible as it felt to admit, pity was a luxury that he couldn't afford Nora. Whether or not she intended to, that was how she would manipulate him, and drive him to the brink of awareness, so that he would be trapped in a waking dream like Ren.

The door shut behind him, and Jaune was alone again. On the other side of the door he could hear Nora start to bawl. She drew infrequent, spastic breath, and expelled it just as infrequently. He could also hear Pyrrha trying to comfort her, but it was likely to be to no avail. She was inconsolable, except by Ren. Nevertheless, Jaune felt a strong pull to go to her, and help her. It would be bad, though, and it took him immense strength of will to stay behind that door. He knew it would be a rough three days, but he would have to sweat it out. At least it wouldn't get any worse.

* * *

The extractor continued to pull at the object, but it soon neared a shift. Word had been sent to Naze that the artifact would soon break out of the molten soup of the mantel, and into the crust of the planet. When it did so, it would become much easier to divine its purpose and function, as well as any potential risk. Naze had made the decision to be present during this event. As it was, he was standing in the middle of a large patch of dead ground, waiting for the moment.

He didn't have to wait long, as though he could not see it, he could very much feel the change in the air. The artifact exploded into the solid earth, and the change was immediate. The very air seemed to spark and burn with ozone and brimstone. A wave seemed to ripple out of the extractor, and leave a deep worry in its place. Far off among the trees, creatures of Grimm howled and yelped, running in the opposite direction. The wizards who kept the extractor faltered, only for a second, before resuming their work, casting anxious looks at Naze.

Their leader stood still for a moment, contemplating. It was an energy he hadn't felt for a long time, but its corrosive touch was unmistakable. That was the feel of demonic energy.

So it was a demonic artifact. There was no doubt about it now. He knew that he had to keep it very safe now. Not his own sake, but for that of the rest of the world. He could feel the barrier between Hell and the world weakening. Demons were just behind that now relatively thin veil, waiting for their chance to pounce out at the souls that awaited on the other side. Delicious nutrients to them, and nothing more. Naze would be spared their consumption, even if they did overtake the earth, but his subordinates, and all of those still living would not be so lucky.

His eyes turned out to the forest, penetrating through the thick lines of trees. No White Fang had yet ventured close enough to be considered threats, but they were certainly approaching the point. They were massing numbers and arms, as well as a willingness to attack. Cinder had been riling them up towards them, and he knew that she was just waiting for the artifact to be revealed. He couldn't simply let it sit in the earth, either, as it would surely start to corrupt the very land, and everything on it. While he was curious what a demon corrupted Grimm would look like, or act as, he didn't anticipate this curiosity being shared. No, he had to ensure that the artifact fell into his hands alone. There was also the concern of Nora, and the demon that had taken up residence in her soul to worry about. If she found her way to it, things would take a very bad turn, without a doubt.

In any case, the artifact would be unearthed soon, and it was clear that there would be significant issue in getting it back to the ziggurat safely, without issue. Perhaps he could call in some assistance, and attempt to improve relations with the larger factions of the living. Ironwood didn't trust him, but maybe this was just the thing that would give their relations the little push that they needed to be more trusting. Naze didn't know how Ironwood would react, however. He seemed like a hard man, but he also didn't seem like a fool. Even if he hated Naze simply for the fact that he was undead, he had to see the reason of only letting the one who knew how to contain the danger the artifact could cause possess the artifact. If the White Fang were somehow successful in taking it, they would all become possessed, likely the same as Nora. And if Nora was allowed to access the artifact with as advanced a state of possession as she was in, it would be astounding if she didn't try to open some kind of portal.

He started to make his way back to the rune that would take him back to his home. Issues would require attention eventually, but he was not yet required to do anything.

* * *

The moon hung over the streets, lazily floating across the sky, but not even that great white eye, fragmented as it was, could tell what the thing was that walked in another's skin. Neo crossed the streets, confident that this time she would be able to free Roman, and maybe she would even do a favor for Adam as well. If he was on the way, she might as well.

It had been days since she saw him last, and she was starting to fear that he was being mistreated in the small cell that they had confined him to. Certainly it had all the things required, but she knew Roman better than anyone, and she knew that he hated being cooped up more than anything. Just as the large complex that she had already tried once, unsuccessfully, to infiltrate came into view, she pictured Ironwood in her head. Every small nuance of his body, facial structure, hair style, no detail was too small to escape her memory. She let off a small hiss as her body started to shift and change, bones and tendons growing as needed. In what seemed like a very short amount of time, she was an identical copy of Ironwood.

She needed to be fast if she was to get the job done in a clandestine manner. The last time she had botched the job, gotten ahead of herself, and set off an alarm. She had to be more careful this time. It hadn't really been her fault, regardless. If Adam hadn't been making so much noise, that guard never would have known that they were there.

She was alone now, and felt much better for it. Cinder had already condoned a second try, and Neo wasn't about to wait around for her to organize another team. She wanted Roman, and she wanted him now. A cloud passed aver the moon, and a strange breeze blew across the street as Neo grew closer to the gate. She tilted her head slightly, trying to get a read on the wind and determine what made it feel that way, but she couldn't. It simply felt wrong, with no rhyme or reason. It was starting to get on her nerves, but there was nothing that could be done. The feeling of wrongness had started to permeate the air a few hours ago, sometime after the broadcast from Ironwood about the undead operation in Menagerie, and she knew that the two things were connected. She couldn't say how she knew this, she simply chalked it up to changeling intuition. She approached the gate on foot, and was greeted by a guard standing in the post that controlled the gate, who was understandably confused.

Ironwood was still away in an airship, so his being here was very strange. Neo knew that it wouldn't cause too much trouble though, and greeted the man with a very small smile and a wave of the hand, indicating that the gate should be opened. The man's years of military training took over, and he did so without question. As she walked away, she could feel the man's confusion, but she also knew that he wouldn't call for anyone. It was a puzzling occurrence, but not worth the disciplinary punishment for calling a higher up for nothing.

She continued to walk, making her way to the structure that held prisoners. The guards outside of this would be dealt with much like the first, and would likely be even less prone to call anyone else. She allowed her mind to wander as she made her way towards them.

Cinder wanted Roman because he was powerful, but still capable of being a pawn in a greater scheme, without knowing the full plan. Ironwood wanted Roman because he was a threat, charismatic and somewhat psychotic, willing to do anything if his reasons were good enough. And that thing that had called itself "Naze" didn't seem to have any interest in Roman himself, but simply in showing up to stop them. She wondered if there wasn't more to this game than she thought.

She was snapped back to her present situation when her body almost automatically repeated the signals it had given the gate guard. They looked at each other briefly, but allowed her through. She walked in the door, and found herself in a long hall, many cells inlaid on the wall. She had seen this hall once before, but it had been a secondary detail in the face of the battle she had fought. Now she was here alone. She started to walk down the row, her memory flawlessly telling her which cell contained Roman. She also started to feel her body start to turn back to its natural state, and put more effort into remaining Ironwood. If nothing else, she needed to keep the form until she opened Roman's cell.

She knew that security cameras were gazing upon her from all angles, and that thought sped her feet along. She came to Roman's cell in seconds, and gazed in eagerly, despite of herself.

Roman was asleep in a sitting position. He didn't have his hat, and was missing his cane, but other than that he seemed to be in well enough health. Neo felt his thoughts for a moment before realizing that he was dreaming deeply. She respected Roman, and normally gave him a good deal of privacy, but she was very curious to learn what he was dreaming about now. She took a step closer to the clear glasslike material that separated them, and focused in on his thoughts.

They were active, and he was thinking about someone he knew, but beyond that it was impossible to tell. Reading dreams always had been like trying to translate another language. She dismissed the thought as a wave of discomfort shot through her, and she reminded herself that she was on a clock. She placed her (or Ironwood's) hand on the biometric lock, and the door slid open immediately. This caused Roman to jerk hard, hitting his head on the wall with a resounding thud, accompanied by an indignant "Ouch!"

He sat up and turned to face the now open door, saying "Ugh, what time is it? Don't you people have any idea how…" his eyes traced up the figure of Ironwood, starting at the boots and working their way up. When they reached his face, Roman leaned back and said in a challenging voice "Oh, it's you, is it? What's in store for me this time? Another round of questioning? I've already told you: I won't say a word."

Neo simply stood there, unmoving, looking at him. He didn't know it, but it was a little game that she liked to play with him. If ever she was in another form around him, she liked to simply stare him down. It was rather amusing to see how paranoid he got about it. He had called her out on it a few times in the past, but never been angry.

He sat up now, and even got to his feet, saying "What's up with you? Are you sleepwalking or something? Because if you are-" His voice was cut off when Neo blinked, and one of her eyes tuned a silvery grey. This was usually because she was feeling some emotion, and she certainly was at that moment. Roman looked taken aback for a moment, taking a cautionary step away, before narrowing his eyes and leaning towards him. "Wait, you're not…" His voice trailed off, and a smile came across his face.

"Neo! Oh, you magnificent little monster, I knew you'd bust me out sooner or later!" He reached out with both arms, wrapping them around her in a brief hug before breaking away and stepping out of the cell just as quickly. She wished that he hadn't, he didn't touch her often, and she rather liked the feeling.

"Alright, which way to get out of this dump?" He asked the question in a hushed voice, but the excitement in his voice was clear. Neo smiled again, and motioned for him to follow her, starting to let herself change back into her regular self. On the way, she passed Adam's cell, but her hands were already in the process of changing back, and she didn't want to use the energy to keep them transformed any longer. He was out of luck. Maybe if Cinder told Neo to get him out get him out specifically she would, but she doubted that Cinder wanted that to happen. She had just been put in control of the White Fang, there was no way that their getting their natural leader back would make Cinder too happy.

She walked towards the door again, letting herself slip back into the small form that she was used to. A few cracks and pops later, she was back to the almost childlike stature she normally had, the clothes that Ironwood wore melding back into the ones that always clung to Neo's body. Even though Roman was watching her, she didn't mind. As she did this, she could feel Roman's thoughts changing. She became more familiar, and the few emotions that Roman did have became much warmer towards her, and more attracted.

She couldn't help but smile a little wider at this. It made her happy to feel his… it wasn't quite love, but it was probably the closest that he could manage. She felt the distinct sensation of a pair of people drawing closer. She knew that if they were seen, it wouldn't be good, and she also knew that they were probably being sent because of the security cameras.

Without waiting to inform Roman of what was going on, she stopped. Roman collided with her back, his feet skidding on the floor as he tried to stop, almost toppling both of them. Luckily Neo braced herself, and was able to stay upright. Roman cried out "What the fu-" before Neo turned and grabbed a hold on his wrist, giving him a reassuring smile. He realized a second before in happened what she was going to do, and gave her a cocky grin. "I love it when you play dirty."

In a sudden flash of light the both of them vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of their presence behind. The two men who had been called to investigate the disturbances found nothing out of the ordinary, and soon went to return to their posts.

* * *

When Penny's eye flicked open and her mind rose back to the surface shrugging off the sleep that she had spent her night exploring. She didn't think that she dreamed quite like everyone else, but she did dream, at least in some respect. She didn't know how it compared to the nighttime experiences of others, but she was more than happy to keep to her own adventures.

But the sleep that she had been given was not quite the sleep that she was used to. The sleep she was used to was that of the mechanical parts of her body, and of the processors that she used to think. It was the computer sleep, which saved her current state and nearly shut down, running on minimal power only. She didn't dream when she did that, she only went to sleep, and woke up when the sleep ended. She had recently been given real dreams, or, at least, mimicked real dreams. It was a program designed to imitate the brain activity of a sleeping human, and she had accepted it eagerly. She had always wondered what dreaming really felt like, and even if she couldn't feel the real thing, an imitation was better than nothing.

The scientists also stood to gain from this, studying the effect of the new program on the aura that they had made for Penny. Overall, there seemed to be a positive effect, with her mood improving and even showing an increase of power generated. In an odd way, she was more alive than she had ever been.

This wasn't what she was thinking about, though. What she was thinking about was the dream she had had in which Ruby and Yang had both been crying over a tombstone. It was a very emotional experience, and Penny had to continually remind herself that it had only been a dream to keep from feeling sad. It worked to some extent, but there was also another thing that was making her feel down.

Something oppressive in the air, unquantifiable by any scale she had access to, was doing something akin to scrambling her thoughts. It couldn't quite be pinned down, and the confusing effect was barely noticeable, but if she tried hard, she could feel her thoughts being shunted slightly to the side. It only manifested when she tried to create a complex, multi-level thought, like planning a large event as well as different outcomes for different occurrences involved, but the errors were easily fixed. It had her more puzzled than worried.

And her dream had inspired a new question in her, one that she had not considered before. The foundations of this question had been laid when she had heard that Yang had died, but had not grown much since then. What was death? And how did it relate to her? She could think, feel, and act. She could dream, and want. But could she die? The more she thought about the question, the more the answer was clearly going to elude her. She decided that she would ask Ironwood. The topic of dead things seemed to be on his mind to a lot lately. She hoped that he wouldn't get angry when she asked.

She walked out of her room, making her way to find Ironwood herself. Technically she was supposed to go to the labs every morning so that they could collect data on her dreams, but she wanted to address the question first. She would go to them afterword.

It was a few minutes of walking before she found Ironwood successfully, and when she did she found him sitting at the large table of his private quarters, hands knit together, fingers interlaces, forehead resting on the sides of his hands. He looked like he was seething with rage, barely containing it. Penny's step faltered, and she started to rethink asking the question today. It wouldn't be too bad if she had to wait, she wouldn't mine.

Just as she started to edge towards the exit again, Ironwood looked up and let out a heavy sigh. "What is it, Penny?" She stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh, uh, never mind. I'll just-"

Ironwood cut her off again, saying "Penny, come here. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad about something else. Please, sit." He indicated a chair next to him, and Penny hesitantly obeyed. As she sat, she asked "What went wrong?" in an innocent voice. She didn't want him to get madder, but now she was genuinely curious. She thought that she would have heard about anything bad happening, but there were some things that she wouldn't be roused for.

"Torchwick escaped last night. Apparently the infiltrator from last night took my form again, and freed that bastard without opposition." His voice was bitter, and it made Penny even more hesitant to ask. "Oh." She didn't want to ask, but she had to. "That's a shame. Anyways, I wanted to ask you something." Ironwood looked up from his hands, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Penny responded slowly, saying "Well, I've been thinking a lot about it, and I've been hearing a lot about it too, but I just can't seem to figure it out. What is death?"

A silence hung in the air for a few moments before Ironwood looked up at her, a confused look on her his face. "Penny, why are you thinking about that? You shouldn't worry about-" it was hard, but Penny worked up the courage to interrupt him. "Sir, One of my friends died, and one of my friends was dead when I met them. I'm only curious. Please, can you just tell me what death is?"

Ironwood let out another large sigh and lead back, saying "Penny, that's a question I don't think anyone can answer. I don't think that even Naze could answer that. He might act like he knows everything, but no one person can know so much." He shook his head "Stop worrying about this. It hurts me to see you thinking about things like this. Please, drop it."

His last words were more heartfelt than Ironwood almost ever got, and Penny felt herself start to well with emotions. If it really made Ironwood feel that bad, she would stop. She didn't want to cause him any unnecessary pain. He had done so much for her, and despite how he acted in some situations, he loved her. Ironwood sighed and stood from the table, his appetite having been lost. "Go on and get to the lab." He said softly. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

Penny nodded and turned, standing and walking towards the exit. Ironwood watched her go, feeling his heartstrings pull back and forth. She was so little, and so innocent. She shouldn't have to think about death. It was hardly fair, but he'd come to expect that in his life. Before, he had rose to the challenge, but now there was nothing he could do. He couldn't answer Penny's questions, and he couldn't help the feeling that he had towards her. As she rounded a corner and walked out of sight, Ironwood sighed, reflecting on what he had agreed to when he had assumed responsibility for her. He had promised himself that he wouldn't become emotionally entangled. It was easy at first, but in those days he saw her only as a machine. It made him sick to think about, but he had treated her like equipment. But it wasn't long before the visage and the personality of a young girl had wormed its way into the depths of his heart.

He almost considered her a daughter. It was impossible not to, after the things that she asked him, and the moments that they had shared. He'd never had children of his own, but if he did, he was confident that if they turned out like Penny, he would be a proud father. He took pride in Penny, too, but sometimes her naïveté was the cause of more problems than he could handle.

But her questions did help his thoughts along, instead of just distracting him. She brought his attention back to Naze. Why hadn't he intervened this time? Was this his plan all along? If so, what was Torchwick doing in return to receive this service? The one who had freed him had been the same one who had attacked when Naze was defending, but that only made it more suspicious. He had let her get away, which seemed to suggest that they were working together. His eyes widened as the web of possible deceptions widened. There was any number of people that Naze could be working with, and any number of goals he could be working to achieve. These could include attacking or damaging the kingdoms. These goals could also include teaching magic, like he said, but somehow Ironwood doubted it.

He shook his head to himself. Today was going to be a long day, he could already tell. Between concerns over Penny and trying to divine Naze's intentions, he was liable to have some kind of heart palpitation or brain aneurism. He shook his head again. Why was did all of these things have to happen today?

* * *

Yang laid over the top of her bed, focused entirely on the center of her metal hand. A small ember, barely the size of a fingernail, was hovering a few inches above her palm, her fingers curled around it in a cage-like fashion. It was a struggle to keep the flame at the small strength it was at. She couldn't feed it too much power, or else it would grow into a strong blaze and burn itself out, and she couldn't underfeed it, or it would simply sputter out and die.

Her eyes narrowed on the little light as it started to fade, and she said in a hushed voice, careful not to wake her teammates "Don't do it! Don't do it, you little –" she couldn't increase the amount of power she fed it without burning it out, and it was already dying. She knew that if she tried to increase how much she was letting dribble into the magic, than it would surge, and the ball would die.

As the last of the heat from the fire died, and her fingers closed around the now empty air. As her metal skin slid across itself, her temper got the better of her, and she let the pulse of energy that had been building up within her for the past few hours slip into a flame, causing a blinding flash and a sudden wave of fire to spin out around her. Nothing caught fire, and the flame didn't travel far enough to endanger any of the others in the room. They did roll past Yang, licking the walls and creating black soot marks.

Yang was quick to clench back down on the power, preventing any further accidents. She also looked across the room at Weiss and Ruby, trying to tell if they had been disturbed by the blast. Neither appeared to have been, and she could hear no stirring from the bunk above her, so she assumed that Blake hadn't been awoken either. That was good, because she would feel somewhat guilty of she had awoken any of them. She let herself relax again, feeling good that she had at least been able to contain the damage that much. She had been lucky the blast had been mostly silent, though.

As she relaxed, she started to notice that her temper wasn't usually that bad. She was normally fairly chill about everything. While it was possible that it was interference from Naze again, he had said that he would shield her from that in the future, and it seemed that he was more fearful than angry when his humanity took hold. Yang didn't think that it was from Naze, though. There was something the air that seemed to have changed. Things had felt strange ever since sometime late in the afternoon of yesterday. It hadn't been too bad, but it was still noteworthy. She had almost asked Naze about it when she recalled that he had said something about being busy with "other things" and not wanting to be distracted.

Yang sighed to herself before opening her hand again and re-summoning the small burning ember. She would hold this for as long as she could, it was what she had been doing almost all night. She thought that she was getting better, too, because even if she was still failing, she was getting better at controlling small flows of power. She knew from her reading that if she wanted to do anything really special with her magic, she would have to hone that ability to a razor's edge. Still, she didn't know if she had the patience for that now.

The ember sparked to life, and she started to regulate the flow of power to it. At first she started off a bit too heavy, and the ember burned bright for a few seconds before she slowly and carefully edged off the power so that the change didn't come too quickly. If nothing else, this was teaching her some degree of restraint. In her duel with Cardin, she had held nothing back, and as a result her attacks at been very powerful, but also unfocused, wasting a lot of energy. If she had been more careful with the power she'd used and how she used it, she could've used many more attacks like that. The effectiveness of her magic had been clear, of course, but she knew that she could've been much more efficient and deadly of she had a little more of an idea what really good magic was. If she ever wanted to move on to something more advanced than Pyromancy, she would have to learn to use a magic that wasn't almost entirely emotion based.

Her fingers tightened around the ember, and it shrank, glowing brighter the smaller it got. This was a more difficult for of the exercise, the smaller ember burning through power faster, requiring more control over the flow and making any mistake snuff the ember out almost instantly.

She couldn't just focus on her offense, either. She needed to find some way to defend herself. With her aura out of the picture, her ability to take damage without her performance suffering was almost nothing. She could wear armor, but that would inhibit her mobility more than she was willing to sacrifice. She wanted to ask Naze about the possibilities of a different method of defense, but given that he didn't want to be disturbed, she hadn't asked yet. She had considered the possibility that she could go to the ziggurat and ask someone there, but she knew that it was too close to the start of the day to do that. There was no way she would be back in time to make it to class. The sun was up outside the window, but the shades blocked it out well.

It was another half an hour before Ruby's alarm went off, causing the girls around the room to finally stir. When it did, Yang jumped in surprise, and the flame in her hand blazed worryingly hard for a second before she clenched her fist closed, killing the light completely. Ruby pulled herself off to the side of her bed, and sluggishly beat an open palm against her alarm clock.

Yang watched as her sister rolled over in her bed, face towards the ceiling, and stared blankly ahead for a few moments before kicking the covers off of herself and sliding to the ground. "Come on guys, time to get ready. Come on." She shook Weiss's shoulder, speaking to her more directly now. "Yang, could you get Blake up?" She nodded, and Ruby went back to shaking Weiss, who was starting to voice objections. Yang got up from the bed and peeked over the edge of Blake's bed, poking her softly in the head and saying "Blake, time to get up! Come on kitty, we have to go to classes."

Blake's eyes opened, and she rubbed them softly with her knuckles. "Ugh, fine, I'm getting up." Yang smiled as she was reminded of how she used to act when she had to get up in the mornings.

She sat back down on her bed, hearing Blake start to move above her. Around her, her friends started to get ready for the day to come, classes and eventually lending a hand to team JNPR with their little problem. Yang could still hardly believe what they had said about Nora. But apparently Naze had offered to do something to help her. They didn't want Naze's help, though, and wanted to take Nora elsewhere. Yang didn't know that she agreed, but she understood the want. If a Paladin could help, than they should let him do it, even if Yang didn't necessarily trust him.

She shook her head to herself as she thought. She had died, but she hoped that she was the only one who would meet a messy end. It might have been more of the emotion from Naze himself, but she thought that she would be a little more insulated than to feel just a little bit of trepidation like that. She wondered if dying could simply make her depressed. She didn't feel particularly depressed, but would she really know what that felt like? Maybe dying was a little more of a shock than she had initially thought.

* * *

Jaune woke up, and as soon as his eyes opened, he started to regret it. It was a difficult prospect to wake up to, lying to one of your closest friends and trying to trick them into undergoing what amounted to a spiritual surgery. But that was still two days away, and he didn't know if he could handle it on his own. Luckily enough, he wasn't on his own. He had Pyrrha to lean on, and other friends that he could turn to. Team RWBY had agreed to help with his problem after classes, which was good, because he didn't know how much more of dealing with Nora he could take.

It made him feel a little more respect for Ren. How he had been able to resist the focused attention of Nora for so long, even if she wasn't quite to the level of attractiveness that she was now, he didn't think he would ever know. It certainly gave him a new perspective on things, though.

The reason that he had asked team RWBY for help was simple: because women didn't seem to be affected in the same way that man were. Even during classes, people had started to simply stare of Nora, and not pay any attention to the classes that they were at. It was a problem that Jaune knew everyone else, even teachers were starting to notice. He was worried that if things went on like this, there might be enough men under Nora's thrall to put up some resistance to getting her to Solace. If any of the professors were to fall under her spell, things would get a lot more complex. He himself had come close to losing himself in her eyes, or her smell, or her increasingly curvy figure…

He shook his head, warding off the thoughts. No, he wouldn't allow himself to think that. He had seen Ren, and he didn't want to become like that. He wondered how Ren was doing now. He had to show some improvement after a night of fresh air and distance, right? It would be very bad if there wasn't. But Solace was strong, and Jaune was sure that he would find a way to help him. He felt the urge to call his friend, but he knew that Ren didn't have his scroll on him. After Nora had learned that Ren wasn't coming back anytime soon, she had practically ransacked his belongings, finding his scroll among the rest of his things. She had tried to find out where Pyrrha and Jaune had taken him, but they didn't say a thing, instead insisting that she go to sleep. After a while, she had, and only then did Jaune allow himself to loosen up.

Now he slid out from behind his covers, walking to the bathroom and taking a shower. Pyrrha already had bathed, and Nora was likely not going to. She didn't need to anyways, filth and grime seemed unable to stick to her skin. Her skin, so smooth, wasn't able to be smudged. The water, cold at first, as it always was in the dorm house, snapped him out of these thoughts. He resumed washing himself, hoping that Pyrrha would know enough to distract Nora from him when he came out.

He stepped out of the shower and dried off with a towel, dressing in the bathroom to avoid contact with Nora. When he finally did leave the room, He tried to avoid looking at her. He looked at the time on his scroll, and was somewhat surprised when he found that they were late. "Oh crap, come on guys, we have to go!"

Pyrrha looked up, then said "Yes, you were sleeping very well, and I didn't want to wake you, so…" her voice trailed off, and he rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I should've woken you." Jaune shook his head, saying "No, no, I appreciate it. Thanks. I think I needed a little extra rest. But I'm up now, so let's just get going." Pyrrha nodded.

Nora spoke up now, saying "When will Ren be back? I know you said in a few days, but have you heard anything else from wherever he is? I'm sorry, I really don't want to be a bother about this, but I just really want to know." Jaune felt the words tug at his heartstrings, but he took a deep breath and steeled himself, getting ready to lie through his teeth again. "No, I'm sorry Nora, but there's been nothing else though. He's doing alright though, and he's getting better. We still don't know much about what's going on or when he'll be back. We just need you to be patient."

Nora sighed and looked down at her feet, nodding. Jaune walked towards the door, giving Pyrrha an uncomfortable look as he passed her. She joined right next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder as he opened the door. "Jaune, it's going to be alright. We can handle this until Solace gets ready. After that, everything goes back to normal. We just need to last that long, right?"

Jaune nodded, closing his fists tightly. "Yeah, just that long." It was obvious that he wasn't very confident, but he needed to continue to look forward. He would get through the day, and then he could get the help of RWBY. He just needed to last long enough.


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Note:

As always, I am happy to bring you what the voices in my head tell me to write. So tell them what you thought, and I'll relay the message. That means leave a review. So follow if you like this, and I think it should be fairly clear that a climax of some sort is drawing near. This are going to escalate, and I can barely contain my joy. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Ironwood put his fingers to his temples, massaging the headache that was starting to brew behind his eyes. When he saw on his schedule that he had an appointment with "Naze the Eternal" he was sure that there had been some manipulating of his personal documents. Nevertheless, it did mean that a particularly powerful someone was seeking an audience with him, and was not simply showing up at his door. It was a small thing, but he felt some significance from it. It meant that he was not forcing his company on him, but requesting it in a strange, roundabout way. He could simply not keep his appointment, but he somehow felt that wouldn't be a good idea.

He hoisted himself from his desk and walked out of his office, intending to keep the appointment that was mysteriously made. There was no subject written down, so what he was walking into he didn't know. He opened the door and stepped out into the lobby, in which he found the young looking boy whom had come to represent the undead in his mind even more than Yang. He was peering down at the floor with a blank look, as if its eyes had glassed over. Ironwood pulled his watch up to his face, comparing the current time to the time the schedule had said. There was a small, one minute difference between the two. He wondered if the dead man was simply going to wait.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence. The secretary who oversaw the waiting room looked over at him, a questioning look on their face, but he ignored them. His eyes were fixed on Naze already, and he didn't want them to slip.

The clock on the wall ticked its minute hand over one space, and as soon as it did, Naze looked up, body sparked back into action. He looked towards Ironwood with an expressionless face before standing and giving a small bow, saying "I'm glad that you decided to hear me out." In a voice that was disconcertingly deadpan. He nodded and motioned towards his office, saying awkwardly "Come in, and we'll see what you have to say."

Naze walked in, and Ironwood took note of the large sword on his back. He didn't like those who came to see him bearing weapons, but he suspected that to threaten was not his intent. Naze walked in past him, and Ironwood shut the door behind him, strolling in as leisurely a fashion as he could back towards his desk and taking a seat behind it before indicating a chair on the opposite side, saying "Please, take a seat."

Naze did so, and Ironwood sat forward, bringing his hands together on top of his desk and saying "Now, to what do I owe this…" the words eluded him for a brief moment "…unexpected pleasure?" A small smile curled the corners of the boy's mouth, and he said in a tone matching Ironwood's "You've no need to lie, Sir. I am aware that I've somewhat trodden on my welcome within these halls, if there ever was one. You don't trust me, but that is something that I might hope to rectify." Ironwood raised an eyebrow at this, but found himself irresistibly interested. "Oh? I'm listening."

Without hesitation, Naze started to explain. "The extractor that you so recently visited has revealed some rather interesting information. The artifact to be retrieved is demonic in nature, and potential damage wrought by any party coming into possession of this artifact without sufficient knowledge of how to contain its destructive potential." He sat back, as if it was a simple thing to talk about. "Now, what I propose is not that you take the artifact into your own custody, as I'm sure that would result in disaster. What I propose is a joint effort in the defense of the artifact as it is extracted. White Fang forces have been amassing in the forest around the site, and I'm sure that you would like to have a firsthand element of denying them such a dangerous object instead of entrusting this entirely to me."

This caught Ironwood somewhat off-guard, and he raised an eyebrow again. "You want my help? So you aren't powerful enough to repel their forces on your own?" There was a heavy moment of silence during which Ironwood waited for an answer eagerly. After what seemed like minutes, but in reality was barely more than a second, Naze spoke again, sounding almost amused now. "Do not misunderstand me. I have sufficient forces not only to repel the White Fang in any assault they might mount, but to erase them from the face of the planet. My request is little more than an invitation, an event by which I hope to inspire more trust between us. If you wish to remain in the fearful distrust that you currently hold, than you are welcome to decline."

Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "What role would we be fulfilling, if you already possess such magnificent power?" Naze considered the question again briefly before saying "Ranged support. If you are able to fulfil this role, I can guarantee you insignificant losses. It would surprise me greatly if even one of your people were to sustain an injury of any kind." Ironwood's fingers knit together again, and he thought deeply. "No risk, you say?"

Naze nodded. "Dust rounds can be deflected by shields and wards, and my knights can guarantee that none will get close enough to strike physically." That was good. If there was any risk of loss of life, he wouldn't be nearly as likely to do it. Though, it was clear from the way that Naze spoke that it would be a very bad thing if the White Fang did get their hands on it. "When would this take place?" He asked the question cautiously. He didn't know what sort of timescale the dead operated on. It was conceivable that they would not be needed for years.

Naze answered quickly again, in a very matter-of-fact manner. "Estimates are indicating within one to two days, with strong inclinations towards two. I'm afraid that I am to blame for the short notice, but you were not considered until fairly late in the planning process. My apologies on that."

Ironwood wasn't quite sure how to respond. He hadn't anticipated being apologized to. During his hesitation, Naze continued. "I hope that this does not deter you, however, and that you may still choose to join us. I'll assume you can take care of your own transportation, of course, and will send you bi-hourly reports on the extraction, as well as the White Fang in the area." He stood from his chair, indicating that he had addressed everything he had come to. "That's everything I had, if you-"

Ironwood cut him off, the headache of dealing with certain recent events still pounding persistently behind his eyes. "Torchwick." The single word left a bitter taste in his mouth, be he spoke it with a zeal that his recent anger had given him. "You are aware that Torchwick escaped, aren't you?" Naze gave a single solitary nod. Ironwood felt his fists close tightly and his lips lift just a little. "Why didn't you do anything to stop this?"

Naze returned Ironwood's increasingly agitated gaze with a dull, unchanging one of his own. "It was not my responsibility. I assume that you don't want to shoulder the burden of security to your own prisoners off to me. It would, perhaps, be a good idea to not simply expect the intervention of a Good Samaritan in all matters. I cannot and will not resolve issues of such a small matter without significant reason."

His comments made Ironwood's blood start to boil, but he tried to quell the storm. How could he regard Roman Torchwick as a minor issue? He took a deep breath, pushing the feeling back down. Anger would solve nothing, at least with the undead. "I will speak to my subordinates about the matter. I'll push for us to assist in the defense, but the decision will not be mine alone."

Naze nodded and said "Good, I expect that all might desire being on more even ground." Naze glanced back towards the door and said "I believe that concludes our business here. I bid you a good day, and-" Ironwood cut him off again, this time a more concerned look on his face, almost jumping out of his seat. "Have you spoken about this to Penny?"

Naze raised an eyebrow, and shook his head. "No, I've not contacted her since the night Taurus was captured. Do you desire me to?" Ironwood shook his head quickly, saying "No, no, I'll do it myself." Naze nodded again, saying "A good day to you, then."

Without another word, Naze walked from the office.

* * *

When Penny was disconnected from the machine after what seemed like a very long time, she let out a satisfied sigh. She had never liked uploading her memories to the system, but it was a necessary process. If she was damaged somehow and her data was lost, she would have a backup. Essentially, the way it had been explained to her, she wouldn't die. Thinking of it brought her thoughts back around to death, and what it was. Apparently she wouldn't experience it, because of her backups. But what if those were destroyed as well? It made her head sting, but she wanted to focus on it more.

The focus of the men and women who would look through her memory record would be on her dreams, to asses if the program was doing a good job performing its function, and to make sure that it wasn't going to harm her. She understood the need, but it was a slightly irritating process to go through every morning. She would have much preferred to simply get out and move along with her day.

The man in charge of the multitude of wires and devices that were interfacing with the back of her head leaned over her shoulder and said "Get ready for a small pinch." In a gentle voice. Penny nodded softly, and flinched as the connections with the mainframe were severed. It was a feeling that she never seemed to get used to. Some of the researchers had asked her what it felt like, but she had no way to describe it. Humans had no comparable function, and there was no way to convey the sensation that they would understand.

The man behind her made a small grunting noise before saying "Alright, you're good to go." This prompted her to jump from her seat and stand, taking a brief glance up and back at the massive computer that housed her backups. It was easily as large as a truck, and gave off a constant thrum as hundreds of cooling systems worked at once to keep the huge device functioning. Penny had been told once that her brain was like that, only much smaller, and much more advanced. At first she hadn't believed it, but she had since looked at her own diagrams and schematics, learning things about herself that she hadn't even known.

Her fingers went up to the back of her head, gently pushing the access panel shut, her hair seamlessly covering the disturbance and hiding the abnormality from the world. As she walked towards the exit to the lab, her reflection in a large pane of glass caught her eye, and she stopped to look at it.

She looked exactly like a person. It was remarkable, really, that such a feat had been accomplished. To any sensor system, no matter how advanced, she would appear as if a normal girl. But she wasn't. That was one thing that she had been told she shouldn't tell anyone, except those she trusted most. People could be afraid of her, or could want to take her. She was aware of the danger, but she didn't want to think about it. She wasn't really any different from anyone else. At least, not really. The words of Ruby echoed through her head again, as they often did. "You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?"

She closed her eyes and whispered to herself "You've got a heart, and a soul. I can feel it." Ruby had had a huge impact on her life. She had given her a kind of social confidence that she had never really known before, and for that alone she was forever grateful. She hated to ask anything else of her best friend, but there was one question that she felt had started to burn with frightening intensity that she simply needed the answer to. She opened her eyes again, and started to walk towards the elevator. She hoped that her friend wouldn't be too disturbed by the question.

The trip to Beacon didn't take long at all, and she reached the campus in about half an hour. When she did get there, she wasn't entirely sure what to do. Classes had not let out for the day, and she was left on the nearly barren grounds to simply wander. She did just that for a while, walking aimlessly around the paved ground, taking in the sights of the school. Large buildings and many windows made it easy to spend time examining. She peered in through a few windows, observing various classes in progress. She was careful to keep from disrupting them, though, and ducked out of sight before anyone could see.

It was a while before the bell did ring to dismiss the students, and when it did, Penny found herself with a new problem. She didn't know what class Ruby was in, or where her dorm was. She gave a few worried looks around at the forming crowds of students, then resolved to herself that she could find her friend. She started to walk among the crowds, eyes darting from one figure to the next, only taking enough time to confirm that none were her friend before moving to the next one. She continued this for roughly five minutes before spying her walking with her other friends.

Immediately Penny started making her way towards them, not wanting to call out for fear of someone else thinking that she was talking to them. When she did reach her friend, she tapped her on the shoulder and said "Excuse me, Ruby?"

When her finger landed on Ruby's shoulder, the girl jumped, giving off a small yelp. However, when she turned to face the source of this scare, her face lit up and a smile came across her face as she put her arms out and cried "Penny!" Penny felt Ruby's arms around her, and returned the gesture. A muffled choking sound alerted her to the fact that she was squeezing just a little too hard, and she let her friend go. Ruby fell back to the ground, panting as if grateful for every particle of oxygen, and her other friends turned to look at the scene.

All of them smiled as well, and Yang asked "Hey Penny! What are you doing here?" Penny looked back at Yang, saying "I wanted to ask Ruby a question. It's kind of a big one, so I don't know if she can really answer it for me." Yang waved a hand dismissively, saying "A question my sister can't answer? Ha! I don't think such a thing exists."

Penny smiled at Yang again, then turned her attention back to Ruby, who appeared to have caught her breath. "Ruby, are you ready?" The girl in the cape held a finger up, took a few more deep breaths, and then looked back up, nodding. "Yes Penny, what is it?"

"Ruby, what is death?" For a few seconds, there was no reaction, like the question had simply gone unspoken. As time dragged on past that small point, Ruby's smile slowly faded, mirroring the other expressions around the group of friends. She began to feel like she had done something wrong, like bringing up some kind of taboo. It was several more seconds before anyone spoke again, and when they did, it was Ruby, saying "Maybe you should come inside with us."

She nodded, and was led inside of the large building promptly, soon finding herself inside a small, cozy room with two bunk beds, which were actually two sets of two beds haphazardly and dangerously stack on top of one another. She was ushered towards one of the beds, and took a seat. Ruby sat next to her, and looked into her eyes deeper than she usually did, as if looking for something hidden beneath them.

Ruby said, in a very worried voice "Penny, why are you asking this? Did someone…" she hesitated for a moment "Did someone die?" Penny gave her a confused look, than glanced over at Yang, who was leaning against the bed above Penny, then looked back at Ruby. "Well, yes, but not someone I knew very well."

Yang looked from Penny to Ruby, then nudged Ruby's shoulder. "She's talking about me." Ruby looked over to Yang, peering at her for a moment before saying "Oh." in a very hard to place voice. Then she looked to Penny, saying in a more forced voice "Oh! Yeah, well, Yang isn't really dead. She's-" Yang put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, speaking to Penny directly. "Actually, I am dead. It's just that I got brought back, and kind of powered up so that I could keep going."

Penny shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. I want to know what death is. I understand that it is the end of life, but I can't understand what that means. What happens to your aura? Do you just stop existing? What is it like? Is…" she stopped talking when she saw the looks that Yang and Ruby were giving each other. They looked overwhelmed.

Blake didn't normally speak to people she wasn't very familiar with, but now from the bunk above them, it seemed that her normal reservation were gone. "Penny, what's making you so curious?" her head poked down from the bed above, hovering there. Penny looked up at her and said "Well, I had a dream where Ruby was crying over a grave, and it got me interested in the subject. I started to think about if I would die, and what that would be like. I couldn't come up with an answer, but I was hoping that someone else could help me. Mr. Ironwood didn't want me to think about all this, but I want to think about it. If I'm going to die, I want to know. I mean, you…" She seemed to stop herself, as if she didn't want to offend anyone.

Ruby nodded towards her encouragingly, saying "Come on, you can say it!" Penny shook her head, saying "I don't know, Ruby, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Yang rolled her eyes and said "You aren't going to make us uncomfortable, Penny. Just come out and say it!"

Penny closed her eyes and brought her hands close to her chest, saying as she did so "You guys know that you will die! Humans can't live forever, but I potentially could! And humans have real souls that occur on their own. I don't. I don't know what would happen to me if I died."

There was a somewhat stunned silence in the room after she finished saying this. Her eyes cracked open to see the faces around her looking at one another with surprised expressions. She knew that asking would be a bad idea. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" her voice trailed off as Yang started to laugh, making the others look at her, startled. In-between laughs, Yang managed to say "Oh Penny, you really shouldn't worry about that."

Penny tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner and asked "Why not? And what's so funny?" Yang put a hand to her face, gradually getting her laughter under control, than saying "Look, I'll tell you what it was like for me to die if it'll make you feel better, and if you're really worried about this then you could always ask Naze. He knows a lot about dying, so he's probably the best one you could talk to about it." She looked at Penny with a knowing smile. Penny nodded, then said "What was it like?" in a voice that was about half wonder and half fear.

Yang gestured for Ruby to get up off of the bed, sitting in her place next to Penny, even scooting a little closer in an attempt to make her more comfortable. "It was…" she stopped for a moment, and thought before continuing "It was nice, I think. I didn't really know what was going on, so when it happened I was more surprised than anything. And of course, I had my friends all around, so it would've been tough to be scared. Naze made the offer for me to work for him pretty much right after that, so yeah. I'd say it's nothing to worry about. But hey, I'm not the necromancer who's been doing nothing but learning for millions of years. If you want some real advice, or the truth, go to Naze."

Weiss and Blake seemed to look at Yang with surprise, but Ruby just nodded. Penny took a moment to internalize what they had said. "Talk to Naze about what will happen?" Yang nodded, and Penny stood up. "Alright, I'll go do that. Thank you for your advice, friends."

Penny hugged Ruby, shook Yang's hand, then said "Where can I find Naze?" Ruby accompanied her out into the hall, pointing out Naze's room. Penny thanked her again, and gave her another nearly bone-crushing hug before promising that she would be back soon, and closing the door. Now alone in the hall, Penny walked to Naze's door, thinking about what Yang had said. "Nice" and "surprise" echoed though her head, and she hoped that she was right.

Her knuckles only ended up hitting the door one before it swung open, and Naze stepped out, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Can I help you?" he asked, monotone as ever. Penny didn't feel taken aback by this, instead having come to expect it from him. "Yes, you can, if it isn't too much trouble." Naze gestured for her to present her issue, and she said "Could you explain death to me?"

There was a brief moment of silence during which Naze pondered the question. Eventually, he came up with the counter question "Do you mean in general, or how it relates to you specifically?" This gave Penny some pause, and after another shot pause, she said "Myself. I don't want to appear selfish, but that's what's troubling me."

Naze nodded, showing that he didn't perceive it as conceitedness. "Of course. You have every right to be troubled. Death is a very difficult thing to understand. Your curiosity is to be expected, warranted really." A hopeful smile came across Penny's face, and she said "So you'll tell me?"

Naze gave a solitary nod, and said "As best I can, yes. Perhaps you should come inside." He stepped back into his room and indicated the door. Penny stepped inside without hesitation, and instantly found herself assailed by smells that she had never encountered before. Pungent rot combined with sweet sugary odors to create an aroma that Penny didn't know whether to feel enticed or repulsed at. Once the door closed behind her, Naze started to speak again.

"Now then, you are a golem, android, whatever term you prefer, you have a soul. Most creations of your type either are sustained on the energy of who created them, or given the soul of another creature. You are unique in that you have your own self-sustained soul. That presents a rather odd question; will that soul continue to exist after whatever powers it fades? The simple, logical answer would be no. I will spare you the necromancer's answer that would take hours to explain, and give you a human's. You might not like it, but your time is finite. When you die, you will cease to exist in a way that no human could comprehend." Penny's eyes widened in horror as one of her worst fears were confirmed. "Yes, your fate is rather sealed in that regard, but you also have an advantage that humans do not. A human's soul will degrade with time, eventually weathering down until their personality and mind are lost, leaving only minute traces of what they once were. You can back yours up, preserving it in a more reliable way than any magic could do to a human soul. So, in a less winded explanation, you could blink out of existence, or you could never truly cease to be. It's dependent on how well you back secure your soul. You could even have a self-contained device for such a purpose, if you don't already."

Penny had never quite considered how hyperventilating felt, but if ever she could feel an equivalent, she was sure that this was it. Her mind reeled in an attempt to come to grips with this news. What would being nothing feel like? Had she already been nothing, and simply not been able to remember? Certainly she did not exist forever, so she must not have existed at some point. Why couldn't she remember it? Her brain desperately clawed for data that didn't exist, memories that did not or could not have possibly formed. Her body started to react to these impossible demands, her hands clasping tightly to her opposite arms, her back hunching, and her eyes starting to dart around the room erratically, as if in her search for memories she was tearing herself apart.

Naze raised an eyebrow and took a step towards her, reaching out a hand slowly to test how she would react. As he did this, Penny put her hands on her head, tilting it slightly to look at him. Her eyes only lingered on him for half a second before she put her shaking fingers over them, holding them shut. Her entire body was twitching, and Naze didn't know enough about her construction or design to offer any assistance. Instead, he simply put a hand on her shoulder, measuring her reaction. She shrugged the shoulder in a weak attempt to remove the hand, but failed. Her mouth, twitching just as violently as the rest of her body, managed to force out the words "P-p-p-please h-help m-me."

Again Naze raised an eyebrow, unclear as to how he could accomplish such a thing. He voiced this, and Penny's response was "T-t-take me t-to Mr. I-I-I-Ironw-wood." Naze nodded, than considered the fastest way to reach the man. He could translocate her through the ziggurat, but letting outsiders into his den was something that he was very sensitive about. The obvious solution was to take her himself, but there was no guarantee that she would remain docile the whole time. He decided that he would contact Ironwood himself, and allow him to handle the situation as he saw fit. It was a swift message through poltergeist that spurred the man at the fastest speeds possible to beacon.

* * *

He wasn't sure what to feel first, worry, anger, or confusion. James Ironwood tightly gripped the sides of his seat at the Bullhead flew through the air towards the school. Penny was injured somehow, or malfunctioning, and Naze had something to do with it. There was a part of his brain that questioned if the undead leader really meant anything that he had said before about building trust. If the current was anything to go by, it seemed more likely that it was a trap.

But there was also a part of him that had faith in the girl. She wouldn't have gotten herself into a situation where she was injured, she was far too smart for that. No, it had to have been an accident. Naze's involvement was simply a coincidence. Maybe it was really blessing. After all, the ghostly form that had delivered the message to him had reached its destination faster than any other method would have.

But both these parts faded in comparison to the worry. The overwhelming, creeping fear that was starting to push down on every corner of his mind. He was a hardened man, but if there was ever something that might crack him, this was it. He used all his years of Huntsman and military experience to keep himself under control. If she were to be damaged irreparably, he would never forgive himself, he was sure. There was no way that he could. She was his responsibility, his and his alone. He was like a father. And he had failed. Somehow, some way, he had failed. He should've been stricter, limited her contact with Naze, something! Anything! But he had not, and now she was in danger.

He felt the familiar sensation of landing gear hitting solid ground, and threw the doors open without a second thought. The exhaust from the engines created a burning sensation on his shoulder as he passed them, but he paid the feeling no mind. It didn't matter. When he came to the door of the dormitory building that he had been told, he found Naze, the one who might've been responsible for it all, simply standing there, arms folded and a bored look on his face. It took significant willpower to keep from lashing out at him immediately, but he was able to hold the wave of rage back.

As he approached the door, Naze opened it before starting to walk, talking over his shoulder as he did so. "It appeared at first to be some kind of mental breakdown, but soon after that symptoms began to resemble that of a seizure. It all happened when we were talking. I said something, and she didn't appear to be able to comprehend it." The pieces all clicked together in Ironwood's mind, and he almost stopped ascending the stairs for a moment. "She asked you about dying, didn't she?"

Naze nodded over his shoulder and said "Funny, how you living can simply push the fact that you will die out of your mind the way you do. I would assume that she is unable to do so, given her reaction. I would imagine that you will have to wipe her memory, or something to that effect." Ironwood was about to question how he knew that that could be done before he reminded himself that Naze probably had ways of knowing everything. His thoughts were distracted anyways when they turned off of the stairs and started to walk towards a door. He felt his anticipation grow exponentially, and before he knew it, he was practically running towards it. Shouldering his way through, he found it dark, and he was barely able to see. He saw all he needed to though, the slightly luminescent lines of Penny's clothing, as well as her eyes.

He moved so fast that he himself barely had time to register his new position, but even in the dark, he knew Penny's dimensions well enough to put a hand under her head and try to say a few words. If a tide of pent up emotions was released, it took him completely by surprise. Tears started to roll down his face, and he hesitated a moment before picking her up, feeling her body give a few weak spasms as he turned to leave. Naze was standing by the door, giving Ironwood an expectant look, as if waiting for him to say something. Ironwood ignored this, and dashed quickly out of the building.

The interior of the Bullhead offered a promise of safety and wellbeing that the dorm building did not, and he was quick to shout at the pilot to "Get this thing into the air, now!"

The engines wined, put under greater stress than they usually were, and the Bullhead was lifted back up into the sky, its engines turned towards home. On the prickling of the back of his head, he took a glance back at the building that was now fading into the distance. A girl, one he recognized, having seen her before in his dealings with Ozpin, was looking out the window towards him, a mortified look on her face, one hand on the window. That was just before the doors automatically slid shut, leaving him alone, trapped with his worst nightmare. Penny wasn't breathing, and her body was barely twitching now. Only small bursts of movement in the tips of her fingers and the fluttering of her eyelids betrayed the fact that she was still functioning.

He whispered to her, stroking her hair and resting her head on his lap, about how everything was going to be alright, and how he knew that she could be fixed. None of it was true, though. He didn't know, not for sure. It was all he could do to keep himself from breaking down.

When the hull door opened again, he was snapped back into his usual, commanding manner, and a medical team was already standing by. He handed Penny over to them, and she was placed on a stretcher, then rushed inside the facility. It wasn't even a full minute before Penny was back in the chair that she had been seated in earlier that day, and several of the lab technicians were staring at the screen's readout intently, searching for whatever the error was.

One of them spoke sideways to Ironwood, explaining the situation to him. Apparently, some kind of data loop had formed, gradually overloading and incapacitating all of Penny's regular thought patterns. It wasn't dissimilar to a seizure, as Naze had said before. Ironwood wondered if he had known that what he said was so close to the truth or not. Probably so.

When he asked what it was she was thinking about, the man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, it could be anything. Her thoughts are too corrupted to tell now, anyways. Did she talk to you about anything recently, or seem to be acting strange?" Ironwood responded, feeling his heart weigh down as he lied. "No."

The man shook his head. "I don't know then. Well, the good news is that we can fix it, the bad news is that we're going to have to give her a reset. She won't remember the last few hours, but she'll be conscious again. It'd help if you were around for that. You know, calm her down and whatnot." Ironwood nodded mutely, and the man continued to talk. "Good. After that we can start sifting through this-" he motioned to the jumbled code that flashed past the screen as it downloaded "-and see what's the matter."

Ironwood nodded again. "Good, When do you think you'll… you'll do the…" He was unable to finish the sentence, but the man replied, tactfully avoiding the subject. "We'll get that done in a few minutes, after this crap finishes downloading. After that we'll do a complete system wipe, and give her back the files we got this morning." He patted Ironwood on the back. "Relax, Sir. We got this handled. It's a good thing you found out when you did, though, because a few of her physical systems were on the verge of a meltdown. That'd be a lot harder to fix."

A few minutes later, at his request, he was brought a mug of coffee. He found that his hand was still shaking enough to make drinking it difficult, and knew that the caffeine would probably not do him any favors in that regard. It was a few minutes after that that he was told Penny would be revived soon. He had tried to avoid looking at her for as long as he could, but finally his eyes slipped, and he caught a glimpse of her. She sat in the chair, limp. One eye seemed to have drifted lazily up towards the ceiling, the other remained closed. A few of the frenzied lab workers called out to each other from across the room, giving various signals, and the man who had spoken to Ironwood before looked to him again, saying "Ready Sir?"

He wanted to shake his head, but before he could do so, the word "Yes." escaped his lips, and the man turned back to his console, giving a hand signal before setting his fingers rapidly dancing across the keyboard. Without so much as a beep or buzz of fanfare, Penny's eyes realigned and opened slowly.

"What…" She seemed to realize where she was, and her eyes widened. Immediately she attempted to get out of the chair. Ironwood quickly stepped over to her, kneeling down next to her and putting one hand on hers, using the other to gently push her back down into the seat. "Penny, please, try and calm down. There was an accident. You malfunctioned, but you're better now."

She gave him a confused look, than tried to get up again, saying "No, I'm fine!" Again Ironwood kept her in the chair, saying "Please Penny, just sit. They still need to run a few tests to make sure that you're alright." Penny relaxed back seeming to accept that she needed to sit, but still voiced more objections and concerns. "I'm fine, really! You don't need to do any tests! Please, just let me go!"

Ironwood bowed his head, clutching Penny's hand tightly, saying "Please, just… just tolerate this. I know it's frightening, but I'm here, and I won't leave you! I'm here for you."

Another span of time passed during which it was very difficult for Ironwood to keep in control of himself. He had to try very hard to keep face, but he had to do it in front of his people. If they started to think down on him, he wouldn't be able to tolerate the loss of respect. But he also wanted to maintain his sympathetic relationship with Penny. It was a difficult balance to maintain, and the entire time that he was doing this, he was also thinking about Naze's invitation to go to the unveiling of the artifact. If it was as dangerous as he said, it was his duty to help defend it. Not only for his sake, but for all of Remnant's. If the White Fang were to get their hands on such a dangerous item, they would become a far greater threat than they were before. He couldn't allow that to happen.

* * *

Roman Torchwick swatted at one of the insects that had been circling his head for some time now, and smiled when he looked down at its smeared remains on his glove. "Finally! Maybe you should've picked one of the actual animals around here rather than me." His triumphant speech to the dead insect was cut short when another source of buzzed started to circle his head again, and he let out a defeated sigh. "What does Cinder want us here for, anyways? If I wanted fleas, I could've just stayed at Vale. Plenty of people there with them." His voice trailed off as his eyes started to track the small insect.

Almost as fast as a bolt of lightning, Neo's small hand shot out and grabbed the thing just before it landed on his nose, crushing it completely. He quickly drew his head back, acting purely on reaction, an indignant cry coming from his mouth and echoing out among the trees, sending a small flock of birds panicking away. Neo tilted her head, giving him a smile and taking a step back.

"Damn Neo, give me a heart attack why don't you?" His voice was saturated completely in sarcasm, but he knew that he wouldn't offend Neo. As far as he could tell, nothing could really offend Neo. She simply shrugged it off, smiling. He shook his head. "You're one weird little girl, you know that?"

She gave a small curtsy, never taking her eyes off of him. When she straightened back up, he put a hand on her head, rubbing it affectionately. "But that's why I like you. And besides, you like me too, right?" Neo gave a nod while simultaneously leaning into his hand like a cat, encouraging him to pet her more. "Good, because you've got smashed up bug in your hair now, and that's a little nasty."

As he drew his hand back, Neo looked at his glove. Indeed, it appeared that the crushed insect matter had been smeared across something. She didn't mind too much. She actually found it rather amusing. Whether Roman had done that on purpose or not, she couldn't tell, but that was one of the things she liked about him. She was never too sure of what he would do, or why. His hand reached into his coat pocket, drawing out a thick cigar and an ornate lighter. With a single deft movement, he placed the cigar in his mouth, flicked the lid of the lighter back, lit the lighter, and held it up to the end of the cigar. Neo got the distinct impression he had used a significant portion of his time in the cell devising that move.

The dust inside the lighter started to trickle out and burn, lighting the cigar and sending a small stream of smoke into the leaves above. He puffed on the cigar for a few seconds before replacing the lighter in his pocket and saying "When are we going to move in on this place, anyways? We've been here for days now. About time we got to stealing, isn't it?"

Neo couldn't help but agree. Initially she had thought that the "excavation site" would be easy prey, with only ten or so guards stationed to keep it safe. After reminding herself that those guards were the same kind as she had fought on her initial attempt to free Roman, however, she realized that those ten guards would probably rip through the White Fang like tissue paper, even with the hundreds that had already been assembled. They were starting to get access to much more powerful equipment, though, Atlesian Paladins and military grade arms and armament. They would help, certainly, but she didn't know it they would be enough to give any real advantage over those guards. Even if they did, and all ten were totally destroyed, there was still the possibility that there were more. Occasionally, they walked over to a rune inscribed on a sheet of metal that had been inlaid in the ground and disappeared in a flash or light, either returning moments later or being replaced. There had been word that Ironwood's men would be coming soon, as well. She didn't know how the dead had gotten him to trust them, or what their presence would accomplish, but it would be an inconvenience.

She also wondered if Cinder was planning on being present for the battle. There was so much riding on it that she couldn't simple leave it for those distant from her, right? She had too much at stake in this battle to simply not attend.

* * *

Jaune's eyes widened in horror as Nora lunged towards him. The look on her face was one of near absolute rage, and he froze like an animal in the headlights of a truck. Pyrrha was moving to stop Nora, but there was no way she could reach the two before Nora made contact. Jaune cursed himself for letting slip that he knew where Ren was. If he hadn't, Nora wouldn't have flown into a rage.

In a shrill, almost earsplitting voice, Nora shouted "Where is he? Tell me where Ren is!" Her fingers closed on his shirt, and he felt himself yanked violently towards her. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but take a glance down at her figure. He put his hands up, trying to pry her fingers off. Muscle denser than what it should have been held her fingers in place, and she obviously didn't take kindly to his attempt to escape. His eyes flicked back up to Nora's face, and he saw the rage boiling behind them.

Her mouth opened, and Jaune got a good look at the two rows of teeth that looked sharper than razors. His skin paled, and if it wasn't already, his mind went numb. He recognized the feeling as how he had reacted to Grimm at first, nothing but fear. He tried to pull himself out of it, but nothing happened. "Where is he?" Her mouth was barely an inch from his face, and he felt flecks of spit spatter across his skin. Where the saliva fell, his flesh tingled briefly before becoming totally numb. Even with Nora threatening to literally bite his face off, his thoughts wandered. How had Ren even been able to stand up with stuff like this being shoved down his throat? He was sure that nothing good would happen if he swallowed it, and snapped his mouth shut quickly.

Nora prepared to shout again, but Pyrrha had finally reached the two. She put her hands on Jaune and Nora's shoulder, starting to push them apart. "Nora stop! He doesn't know where he is! We already told you, Ren is sick!"

Nora's head snapped to the side as she looked at Pyrrha. There was a dangerous, animalistic spark in her eyes. Pyrrha was startled by this, but she didn't let that dull her efforts. Putting more weight in her efforts, she peeled them apart, a large length of fabric remaining between her fingers. Jaune looked down at his ripped shirt with a shocked expression.

Pyrrha then put her full effort to containing Nora, placing herself between the two and placing both hands on her shoulders, holding her back. "Nora, calm down!" The usually calm girl let out a sound that resembled the cry of a Grimm, and tried to leap through Pyrrha, throwing her whole weight against the girl with a shoulder, eyes going to Jaune again. "He knows! He knows!"

Pyrrha was thrown off of her feet, and Jaune let out a panicked shout. If Pyrrha had been knocked down, he was likely to be crushed. Nora took a few stumbling steps towards him, still at a very fast pace, and Jaune flattened himself against the wall, trying to give himself as much room as possible away from Nora. Her strides lengthened, and her charge seemed to increase in speed. As she sped towards him, the door to the room was suddenly blown off its hinges, slamming against the floor loudly. Jaune looked over at it, and found team RWBY funneling through the new hole in the wall. An immense relief flooded his system. He had asked them to be ready for anything tonight, it was the last before Solace would "exercise" the demon out of Nora. He had had a very distinct feeling that things would go badly as the deadline drew closer.

He just saw Ruby take stock of the room, the situation, and say something to her friends as Nora closed the distance and collided with him. His head involuntarily turned to face the impact, and he found it not at all what he had been expecting. Her mouth impacted with his hard enough that he thought he felt a few of his teeth loosen, and her tongue slipped into his mouth sneakily. In the next iota of time, the rest of her charge carried through, and she embraced him in a rib-cracking hug, binding his arms at his side. Immediately, he worked to free himself, but it was soon clear that his struggles were totally in vain. Nora's tongue, long and double-headed, slithered further inside his mouth, finding their way down his throat. He found himself totally unable to even attempt to move the muscles that would normally stop such an intrusion.

He heard the footsteps of team RWBY as they drew closer, but even with a shorter space between them, they seemed more distant now. An overpowering calm settled over his body as he felt some degree of fluid trickling down his esophagus and into his stomach. His eyes, which had been riveted wide open, started to flutter and droop. Why had he been fighting against this? It felt good.

He let himself go limp, ceasing all attempts to escape. Both he and Nora fell to the floor, and Nora was quick to place herself on top of him as she withdrew her tongue from his throat. "Jaune, you need to tell me where Ren is! Please, I can't help him if I don't know where he is!" The words seemed echo-y and distant, but he was able to divine their meaning well enough. "Ren? Oh, Ren is…" his brow furrowed, and he thought as hard as he could. "Ren is… uh…" Other figures entered his field of view, but Nora's face was as far as he could focus his eyes. Everything beyond her was blurred beyond belief. Then, the answer occurred to him, and a dull smile came across his face. "Oh! He's just over by-"

Jaune's voice was cut off as a metal hand wrapped around the back of Nora's neck, pulling her away, and a foot came solidly down on his trachea. He didn't feel it too much, but it certainly did stop him from talking. He had to try harder to draw in breaths now, but the sound of a scuffle somewhere nearby attracted his attention. The foot lifted off of him now, and he leaned up slightly to see Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss all engaging Nora at once, trying to get her under control. He didn't want his effort of thinking about where Ren was, so he started to speak. "Ren is at the lower-"

This time, the strike that silenced him was not as merciful as before. Ruby's boot contacted him in the temple, and he slumped to the floor again, unconscious. His last thought before letting himself fade into sleep was about Ren, and how he was doing. He hoped that his friend recovered from whatever it had been that got him into trouble.


	30. Chapter 30

Author's Note:

Oh geeze, oh man, things are getting intense now. I sure hope nobody dies...

So as always, I would love to hear what everybody thinks, especially now in this "rising action" type of thing. Follow, fave, do all that stuff to show support.

There's something else that occurred to me recently; do any girls read this? Its a weird question, but it never occurred to me before. Do girls read this? Are girls watching? Everything is worth doing if girls are watching.

* * *

Nora's howl rang off the walls, but was able to travel no further. The enchantments on the walls were more than enough to halt the girl's desperate cries, pleas, and threats, though. Naze looked on as she struggled against the luminescent shackles that bound her to the wall. Naze looked on, interested, trying to analyze what he could of the girl before her appointment with the Paladin in the morning. He didn't know if the Paladin would be able to do as he said, but he would be standing by in case he could not, ready to slice the demon out of her. At this point he wasn't sure the analogy of amputating a limb to stop an infection was accurate anymore. It seemed that Nora was almost entirely consumed by the demon now.

She was in his room because of Yang, mostly. She had half bargained, half begged that he contain her until it was time for the appointment. The begging was for the saving of a friend, and the bargaining was that with her incapacitated, Naze could conduct whatever minor experiments he wanted. Neither Pyrrha nor Jaune had been happy about the idea of Nora being "tested", but it was the only option for them other than finding a way to contain the raging girl themselves. And so it was that Naze had removed the burden from their shoulders.

His findings thus far were fairly typical of what demonically possessed individuals experienced; heightened physical strength and resilience, immensely improved senses, physical regeneration that outstripped the best that non-demonic life could offer, and near instantaneous mood swings. If she didn't regenerate so fast, she probably would've been able to free herself from the brightly glowing circles of arcane energy that held her in place by tearing her own hands or feet off.

There had been brief periods where she gave up her struggles, and seemed to accept that she would lose whatever battle she was fighting, but those periods were short lived, and quickly gave in to the mad ravings about Ren, and why she needed to find him. Naze had listened intently for a while, but she started to repeat herself, and the extent of tests that he could do without risking permanent damage to the girl had been mostly exhausted, so he let his attention slip. Of much greater importance was the artifact, and the fact that the White Fang had brought enough supplies to lay siege to a small city. It made him glad to see that they were sparing no expense on the attack they would soon carry out, but woeful that so many were going to be injured, and possibly killed, in vain. It would give him a good supply of corpses though, as he had no intention of returning them if they were requested. They would be a kind of compensation for the inconveniences that the White Fang had caused him. Ironwood's men were en route, and would spend whatever time before the attack that remained entrenching themselves close to the extractor.

He had already organized more teams of his own soldiers, as well as a large number of mages who would be more than capable of defending the artifact once it was vulnerable, and a large enough means of retrieving the artifact once it was fully excavated had already been set in place. A rune of translocation that large would take several minutes to be adequately activated, and would likely take a large portion of the surrounding landscape with it. Collateral losses deemed acceptable, though, for once they had come into possession of the artifact there would be plenty of research to do. Every facet of the thing was going to be recorded with meticulous detail, than picked apart piece by piece until ever secret was revealed. A judgment would be made at that point about whether it would be kept at that point.

Nora flung another slurry of insults and pleas at him, which was promptly ignored. It was tempting to simply remove the demon now, instead of giving the Paladin the glory of it. The less that was thought of them, the better. Their numbers had grown recently, but it was still a negligible force. Naze wondered if letting the man go to form his Order had been a mistake. Certainly, no one was paying a great deal of attention to them, but that could all change very quickly on account of the media. He held this urge in close check, remaining vigilant in not acting upon it. A promise to one of his servants was as good as a contract, and Yang had made him promise.

He continued to think, and to plot, staring blankly at Nora as she struggled against her bonds. Things had been prepared as well as they could be, and now all that was left to do was wait. Wait for someone else to make a move, and to provoke an attack. He looked forward to the White Fang attack, in a way. It would give a perfect avenue to display the power that the undead held for the living, while it could also simultaneously say that they had been holding back, and were continuing to do so. He recalled the face and the voice of Cinder as she had made her offer to him that he could be put in a position of power behind the scenes. She had been so confident, and so seductive…

Or had tried to be seductive, at least. She tried to take advantage of organs that no longer functioned. He only hoped that he would see her face when the forces that she had pulled together for such a glorious plan were broken and driven before her. The men and women of the White Fang were no professional soldiers, and thus Naze expected that their morale would be broken easily. If not, it would be because of their nearing religious devotion to their cause. That too could be broken, if they saw enough that they were fighting a hopeless battle. He didn't expect a great deal of resistance. He might even attend the battle himself.

* * *

When the morning finally came, Pyrrha sat up from her bed and looked over at Jaune's bed. She felt like she hadn't got so much of a blink of sleep. How could she? After seeing what Nora had done to Jaune, she felt like she would never sleep again. The image of his body relaxing, and him tiredly trying to say where Ren was located. He knew how important it was that Ren stay secret, so the fact that Nora could so completely bend him to her will was nothing short of disturbing.

And she had been so strong, Pyrrha had been taken totally off-guard. Nora generally wasn't large enough to have any large amount of muscle, but it had simply been as if she were a solid wall. Her arms still hurt from pulling Nora and Jaune apart, and she was afraid that she had actually managed to damage it. She felt bad for being concerned for herself, the one that she should've been worried about was Jaune. He was still lying in bed, and had no issue sleeping through the night. Pyrrha had checked up on him several times through the night, and he appeared to be fine. Naze had assured her that the effects of Nora's saliva would wear with time. The best thing that he could do was sleep. She hated to wake him, but he had to be present when she took Nora in. She doubted that she could do it without his help.

With slow, careful movements, Pyrrha crept across the floor and put a hand on Jaune's shoulder, shaking him lightly. "Jaune, get up. We have to go." The blonde let off a small groan before sliding deeper under his covers and mumbling "No, I need to sleep."

Pyrrha heaved a heavy sigh before sitting on the edge of Jaune's bed and starting to remove the covers herself. "Jaune, you know we can't delay any longer. Do you want Nora to stay how she is now? If you stay in bed, she won't get fixed." This opened Jaune's eyes at least, which slid to look at Pyrrha slowly. "Fix Nora?"

Pyrrha nodded solemnly. "Yes, fix Nora. Remember when we took Ren to Solace, and he said that he would take the demon out of her? That's today, so we have to go." She pulled the covers completely off of him, and shook him again. "Come on Jaune, get ready to go." Her efforts finally paid off, and with another groan, Jaune sat up and started to get ready to go. Pyrrha hoped that he wouldn't be as groggy as he seemed all day, because it would be much harder to manage Nora if he was. Team RWBY had agreed to accompany her on the way to Solace, which was a good thing, because given what had happened last night, she doubted that her and Jaune alone could manage the burden of Nora.

By the time Jaune had showered and readied himself, Pyrrha had dressed fully in her battle gear, and urged Jaune to do the same. This seemed to set the tone for the day. A cautious, regretful tone that was just waiting for something to break and go wrong. Both of them could feel it in the air. There was a tension of disaster, but neither could tell just yet what it was, or how they could stop it.

When they walked across the hall and knocked on team RWBY's door, they found them all in similar conditions, all looking very on edge. When Pyrrha indicated that it was time for them to go and get Nora, none seemed particularly pleased. Of all the looks, Ruby's was the most fearful. As the group passed through the door, Pyrrha dropped back, wanting to talk. "What's the matter?"

Ruby gave Pyrrha an incredulous look before rolling her eyes and saying "Oh, I don't know, there's just something about one of my friends going crazy that I find slightly worrying." Her sarcasm was clear, but so was her worry. Pyrrha decided that it would be a wise move to try and calm her down, and but a hand gently on her shoulder. "We're all worried. But Nora is going to be alright. We have to believe that, right?" Ruby gave a grim nod, and Pyrrha gave the younger girl a hopeful smile, even though she didn't feel much hope herself. While she did this, she thought to herself about hope, trying to feel more of it. Jaune was drugged, Yang was dead, and she was starting to lose faith in herself. It wasn't the best team for the job, probably, but it was all she had. They could make it work, she was sure of it.

As they neared the door to Naze's room, she felt her trepidation lessen slightly. It was quiet, which she took as a good sign. If Nora was being quiet, than it meant that she had settled down. Jaune wrapped his knuckles against the wooden door, then stepped back, waiting. Several seconds later, the door opened, and for a brief moment, the loudest screaming they had ever heard split their ears, making all of them put their hands to their heads in an attempt to block out the offending noise. The noise was cut short, however, and Naze quickly stepped into the doorway, dragging along with him Nora, who was struggling with all her might against translucent bands that seemed to be keeping her ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows tightly together. The last piece, presumably what had silenced her, was a filthy looking rag that had been forcefully stuffed into her mouth, past her teeth, and almost halfway down her throat. She didn't gag. Instead, she appeared to be trying to shout past the rather disgusting piece of fabric, her eyes darting erratically from one face to another.

All of them were shocked by this, but Naze seemed to regard her as if this was normal behavior. With one hand gripping her arm like a vice, he pushed her out, forcing her to hop on her artificially single leg. In doing this, she almost toppled herself, but Jaune reacted fast enough to catch her. As soon as he did, it was clear that he realized his mistake of getting close to her, and dropped her again, wiping his hands off on his clothes to avoid any possible contamination. Pyrrha was glad to see that he was on his toes, but the sight and sound of Nora hitting the floor and floundering like a fish out of water was nothing if not disheartening. She quickly made to pick Nora up, taking one arm in one hand and the opposite shoulder in the other, pulling her back upright. Naze crossed his arms and eyed the group before saying "Well, quite the motley crew you've assembled. Are you certain you can get the girl to her destination without issue?"

Pyrrha looked to the faces that would help her accomplish this. What she saw didn't fire any confidence in her soul. They looked scared, and they looked confused. They looked about how she felt. But they had to pull together to do this. Although she didn't want to admit it, maybe Naze coming along wouldn't hurt, just in case something happened. She looked back to Naze and said "I think it would be good if you came along, in case we fail to take something into consideration."

Naze nodded. "A wise choice. I will be preoccupied with other matters however, and will not be taking an active role in events happening. I'll just be trailing behind." Pyrrha replied with a nod, saying "That's good. Should we head out now, or wait?" Naze responded by raising an eyebrow and saying "Why wait? She isn't going to calm down, she did this for almost the entire night. You may as well go now. And I suggest sticking to alleyways and backstreets. If someone were to see you dragging a girl all bound up like that, they might have a few questions."

Pyrrha sighed. That was true. She hadn't considered how they were actually going to get Nora down to Solace without arousing suspicion. It was a detail that had simply slipped her mind. She made to pick Nora up, but Yang stopped her, saying "Hey, I'll take this. I'd be easier for me to take her. And besides, I'm immune to all her weird effects completely, right? She can't numb me or anything." Pyrrha glanced back at Nora, and found that her saliva was starting to soak through the rag that blocked her mouth. Instantly seeing how that could pose a problem to anyone but Yang, she nodded. "Perhaps you should take her."

Yang gave her a confident smile and said "Don't worry Pyrrha, we got this! And besides, even if Solace can't do this, we still have to back up plan of Naze's." Pyrrha smiled, trying to look reassured. That plan didn't sound very safe, or very reliable. She hoped more than anything that it wouldn't come down to that.

* * *

With the puppet body now already in use, Naze decided to appear at the extractor himself. The White Fang were bared for an attack, waiting for the slightest signal that the artifact was vulnerable. Tension was in the air, clear as the sky above. Airships had arrived a few hours earlier, and Ironwood's men were now dug in, circling around the extractor with weapons ready and piles of ammunition ready for firing. All of them were twitchy, and ready for action. They could feel the eyes of the White Fang upon them, and felt somewhat uncomfortable with all the undead around.

Ironwood walked among his men, performing equipment checks and attempting to bolster the spirits of his men. He insisted that the undead could be trusted, and that he and met with their leader, ironing out the details of the engagement. That wasn't necessarily true, he hadn't spoken about many of the details, but he had been told by one of the corpses working the machine that they were to defend to "Establish sufficient defenses to keep your own men safe, and stay out of our way."

He had taken this to mean that their presence wouldn't mean an awful lot in the grand scheme of this battle. It made sense, their participation was optional. Naze didn't need them there at all. He and his hundred-fifty men and women were ready to fight, though, and would as hard as they needed to.

He continued to prepare his men until the rune that several guards had appeared from already, and could immediately feel a horrible perversion in the air. Something was very wrong, and he knew it. His men all shuffled uncomfortably, and he knew that they felt it too. He shouted out to them, instructing them to keep their eyes of the trees, looking for any signs of White Fang, than turned to face the source of the disturbance himself.

He had reviewed the footage of Yang being resurrected numerous times, trying to learn anything that he could about Naze the Eternal, but nothing had prepared him for what he looked like up close. Withered flesh and old robes clung to the skeletal frame of the lich, and an otherworldly power seemed to radiate off of him, sending every one of Ironwood's nerves into a spiral of worry, threatening to send him into a spiral of panic. He did everything that he could to keep from giving in to the feeling, but knew that he was teetering very close to losing his composure. In an attempt to reestablish his own control, he put his hands behind his back and said "Ah, I've been expecting you." The effort to make his voice normalized was obvious, and mostly wasted. He ended up sounding just as frightened as he really was

If an ancient corpse could smile, he was sure that Naze was doing it. "I assure you general, I have no intention of hurting you." His voice sounded like a ghostly whisper on the wind, and like two pieces of metal rending each other apart. Ironwood grit his teeth and tightened his grip on his own feelings. "Yes, I am aware. It is simply that-" Naze cut him off, holding up a hand and saying "Yes, I am aware of my natural effects on the living. I must complement your willpower, being able to resist it so well. Very few are able to do so."

Ironwood nodded, then turned to look out at the woods again. "If you don't mind my asking, how long might it be until this artifact is revealed? I'm sure you can imagine how eager everyone is to see it." Naze turned his head to the trees, joints creaking as he did so, making Ironwood's skin crawl. "It should be very soon. I would estimate within the hour. Keep your men alert and ready, I'm sure the White Fang will waste no time in throwing themselves away to us."

The man nodded. That was one feeling that they could both agree on. The White Fang were tough opponents to beat, but that was because they often had a hometown advantage, and could simply remove their masks and join into a crowd. Now he had the advantage. Now they would have to come to him. There was no way to disguise oneself when charging into a battle.

Naze started to walk away, and Ironwood let out a sigh of relief. Naze was not at all what Ironwood had expected him to be in person. He seemed to radiate fear and death. He had spoken of the Paladins thinking that he was a monster, and now Ironwood could see very well why. It was easy to want to lash out at him, and Ironwood was sure that all of his own men were simply waiting for the opportunity to turn around and start shooting the lich. It would be very important to keep a tight hold on his men. If anything bad or unexpected happened, he would have to be in the most control possible. He had no doubt that the soldiers Naze had would be more than capable of remaining safe themselves, but they were dead, and practically nothing could touch them. His own men were still flesh and blood, with beating hearts in their chests, and families at home. Wives and children. He had been forced to notify families of casualties in the past, and that was a bitter duty that he had no desire to repeat. He would do everything he could to avoid it. He had to.

* * *

Naze's advice regarding back roads, alleyways, and out of sight movement proved to be very true, as before they were able to get to any of these, the group was fairly sure that they had the police called on them. Once they had seen the people pointing, staring, and pulling out their scrolls, they had decided that it was time to run. It had been a few minutes since then, and they had only slowed to a jog, Yang taking the head of the group, Nora still slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

It appeared that Nora had stopped struggling, and instead taken to glaring daggers of hate at those who had once been her friends, bouncing up and down with each of Yang's steps. Each person her eyes fell on found themselves feeling incredibly guilty, and tried to avoid her gaze. Her jaw and tongue worked as well, trying to dislodge the rag that had been placed there, but to no avail. The rag was now soaked almost completely through with her saliva, and all of them were careful to avoid any that happened to drip off and through.

The one who felt guiltiest, as well as the one she stared at the most, was Jaune. It made him very uncomfortable to think about what had happened last night. She had almost gotten him to reveal something he knew specifically to make sure she didn't find out. It had all been so easy for her. If Pyrrha hadn't been there, he didn't know what he would've done. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that he had liked it. The worst part was that some portion of his mind, no matter how small, wanted it to happen again. It desired the release from thought. How easy it would be, and how happy he would become if Nora simply did that again, and he followed her for the rest of his days.

He shook his head, realizing that he had been getting lost in her eyes. "Get a grip Jaune, don't go crazy on me now." The words were only meant for himself, but Pyrrha heard him, as she was running right beside him, and gave him a concerned look. He looked back at her, eyes wide, trying to think of something to say. He was scared of losing himself. It was something that he had never thought of before. Sure, it would feel good, but would it still really be him?

His feelings must've shone through his eyes, because Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting look. She didn't say a single word, but he could practically hear her in his head, saying "Be strong Jaune. We're almost there." Using these words as encouragement, her put his eyes forward again, not to Nora but to the road, bowing his head slightly as he jogged. He would be strong.

Pyrrha smiled as Jaune became more focused. It hurt to see him in such a frightened state. He was normally so confident that it was jarring to see. She glanced behind her, making sure that everyone was still with them. Ruby was up next to her sister, but the rest of them were behind those two. Weiss was the closest behind Pyrrha, only a few feet away, and Blake was an even shorter distance from her. At the back of the group, maybe twenty feet behind, Naze followed. What he was doing was not quite jogging, but a rapid shamble. He was keeping distance though, which was good.

She looked ahead again, and breathed a sigh of relief when the warehouse that Ren had been left at came into view. Jaune called out to Yang "That's it! Right there!" Yang glanced over her shoulder briefly and nodded, confirming that she heard and understood.

The group turned slightly as they made their way to the warehouse, and soon were by the door. Yang stopped, and turned to face her friends, an anticipatory look in her eyes. As they all reached the door, she asked "What's the plan here? Just walk right on in?"

Jaune nodded before saying "Yeah, that's what we did last time. C'mon." He pushed past her, putting a hand the door. Before he could open it, Naze's voice came from the idle looking body behind them. "I will remain out here. I doubt a Paladin would appreciate Yang's intrusion, let alone mine." Yang nodded, saying "Yeah, alright. Just stick around until we come back out." Jaune pushed the door open, and the entirety of the group except for Naze funneled through the door.

The inside was not like it had been the last time they had come. It was brightly illuminated now, and Solace was not alone. Now there were several robed individuals with him, and all of them too covered to tell their identities. It was a somewhat imposing scene, and all of them were feeling somewhat off put by this. They walked in regardless, and Solace turned to face them. "Ah, good, you're here. And you brought the girl! Excellent! Bring her over…" as the group approached, his voice trailed off and he recognized Yang. He only let that stop him for a moment before continuing to speak. "Bring her over here, into the circle." He indicated a circle on the floor made of chalk, and Yang obliged.

Once Nora was in the circle, the robed figures moved into a formation surrounding it, and Solace said "Now, please, stand back. I would explain, but there is no time. We must get started as quickly as possible." Pyrrha and Jaune didn't want to simply stand by and wait, but it was all that they could do.

* * *

Cinder looked out from behind a tree at the machine, as well as those who stood a vigil watch over it. The machine had started to thrum loudly, sending vibrations through the ground that had been reported being felt even miles away. This had to mean that the artifact was close. But those guards would be a problem, she knew it. They could probably go one on one with even an Atlesian Paladin and come out on top. But there was something that she did know, which made a grin slide sneakily across her face as her fingers started to work, summoning flame from the dust that resided in the very fabric of the red dress she wore. Corpses that old were very dry, and dry corpses burned well. The fire crackled in her hand a while longer before she turned back to the tent that had served as her headquarters the past few days, snuffing it out with a thought.

Neo and Roman were both seated in collapsible chairs that had been brought, looking at her and waiting for her orders. Roman was swinging his cane around one finger, the metal swishing dangerously close to Neo's head. Cinder had no doubt that the woman would move if she needed to. She had seen Neo practically dodge bullets before, a cane wouldn't pose a threat at all.

As she approached the two, her hips sashayed in a seductive manner, making Roman's eyes trace her figure briefly before they returned to her face. Neo's eyes remained locked in place. "It would appear that our prize is almost ready. Inform the men that it's almost time to act." Roman gave her a gleaming smile, then stood, entering the tent and making use of a few of the communication devices within. As he did this, Cinder sat down in his now vacant seat, crossing her legs and looking over at Neo. "When this battle starts, I think you will be one of the best fighters out there."

The compliment did nothing to raise Neo's ever-present grin, but Cinder continued on as if Neo had thanked her. "As such, I think it would be best if you were to stay close to me. I will, after all, be at all the most important parts of the battle." Neo gave a terse nod, then glanced over at the tent. Even if the girl was mute, her intentions and thought were practically shouted to Cinder. "Don't worry yourself with Roman. He's slippery, and he's no child. He will know when to get away, if the need arises. Have some confidence, Neo! I have absolute faith that Roman will do exactly what he must."

The various beeps, buzzes, and static voices died down for a moment as she spoke, then flared back into life. Cinder knew that Roman had heard what she said, and that her meaning was clear. If he didn't do what was necessary, or if he chose the wrong time to flee, she would be very disappointed.

It was a few minutes before the communication died down again, and when it did, Roman stepped out of the tent, saying "Well, the animals are riled up, just waiting for the call." He noticed that his seat was now occupied, and rolled his eyes, hooking his cane on his wrist before reaching for a cigar. Cinder knew the opportunity for making further threats, but figured that he knew her point.

Instead, she said "Good, good. Now we simply wait for the prize to be brought forth for us to take. I'm sure we can take it without too much of a struggle." She was indeed confident. If they had called in Ironwood's men for assistance, she was sure that they must have been much more deficient than she had originally thought. Maybe this battle would even be easy. She wasn't about to go and say that, though. If she did, she was sure that word would leak among the White Fang, and then they would be unprepared for the fight. She didn't care much about the losses they sustained, but the more that she lost in the battle, the fewer she would have down the line.

She looked up from her seat at Roman again, who was taking another breath of smoke, and said "Excuse me darling, could you fetch the map for me?" The red haired man gave her an annoyed look at the way she addressed him, but went back into the tent to retrieve the map. When he brought it out and handed it to her, she took it, saying "Oh, thank you, Roman." He mumbled something under his breath, and Cinder was able to make out more than a few curses, but she smiled and looked down at the paper. Roman's annoyance was music to her ears.

The local region had been mapped with all of the White Fang forces that had shown up, all in all they were about six hundred strong. Against a real military, that wouldn't get them very far, but there were only about a hundred or one hundred and fifty of regular humans, and ten undead guards. She very much doubted that the dead people who were working the machine would get involved. They had shown no interest in anything except continuing to make the machine function, and so Cinder thought that they were some kind of automatic worker, without any free will.

White Fang forces were stationed all around the machine, surrounding it. They had made sure that there was no hole in the circle, and gone to great lengths to procure the equipment that they would use in this attack. Atlesian Paladins, guns, ammunition, everything had been stolen from somewhere. And they were ready to use it, too. Attack patterns and troop layouts had all been written down and thoroughly communicated to ensure that they would do maximum damage as quickly as possible.

She put the map down after a few minutes, satisfied, and got up from her seat, walking back to the tree that she had been looking out from behind before. It was a good overlook, providing an excellent view over the machine. Something caught her eye that she hadn't seen before. A new undead, with a staff, and faded looking robes. It was walking around the machine, inspecting it. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better view, but the distance proved too great for this tactic to be effective. The figure remained as blurry and distant as it had before. Cinder was about to call for some kind of magnification device, binoculars, or something similar, when the far away figure's head turned, and she felt herself paralyzed.

Every muscle in her body locked, and refused to move. Her eyes were affixed on the eyes of the distant figure, a pair of soul-piercing blue dots in the distance. A heavy smothered feeling came over her, and she started to sweat. She didn't know what was happening, but she couldn't look away. The pressure of the world seemed to fluctuate wildly, making her ears pop and her balance fail her. This mattered little though, as with her body paralyzed, she could not fall. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she fought with all the strength she had left to look away from the hypnotic gaze.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she jumped, gasping and looking over to see its owner. Neo was beside her, a concerned look on her face. Cinder's brain took a brief moment to reengage her mental functions, but when it did, she brushed Neo's had off softly, saying in a silky voice "I'm touched by your concern, but I am perfectly fine. If I were you, I would be more worried about Roman, at least until the fight." Both women looked behind them, finding Roman now seated in what had been Cinder's seat, smoking to his heart's content.

A loud crack echoed out among the trees, and all attention was instantly seized by the source of the noise. Cinder was careful to avoid looking at the same figure that she had before while she searched for the source of the sound. What her eyes worked together with her ears to find was the machine.

She turned to Roman, saying loudly "Put out the call! Time to fight!" He scrambled back into the tent, and it wasn't long before a war cry lifted the forest, and the pounding of feet of the grass and dirt floor fill their ears.

* * *

The earth cracked within the extractor, and a single large red pointed spine started to rise up from the ground, clumps of dirt and rock falling from it as it went. It moved slowly, and would take around half a minute to reach the height of a man. It was a good sign, though, that the earth was shaking. It meant that there was much, much more of the thing still to go. The men of Ironwood's command all looked back at the thing, wondering at it, but all of the undead kept their eyes forward, focused on their respective jobs.

Ironwood's voice rang out above the sound of the ground being ripped apart, and was transmitted through each soldiers' helmet communication system as well. "Focus, men. We came here to protect this thing, not gawk at it. Weapons ready! The White Fang will be here any minute now!"

They waited, hands tightening around the trips of their guns and fingers aching to go to release their safeties and rest on their triggers. All of them knew better than that, though. Their training had taught them better. Ironwood felt proud as he looked at all of them, how well they handled themselves. A few were nervous, but that was understandable. They were heavily outmatched in this battle.

His eyes went to the undead guards, looking for any sign of tension or anticipation on their varyingly-decayed faces. There was anticipation and alertness, but nothing akin to fear in their eyes. He wondered briefly what it might take to scare one of them. A monster too horrible to imagine, no doubt. A large flock of birds bursting suddenly out of the canopy drew his attention back outwards, and his thoughts were interrupted by a cry, moderately quiet at first, but quickly raising to massive volumes. It seemed to come from behind, but quickly encircled them as birds flew from their perches and sought a more peaceful place. The attack had begun.

When Naze had told him that their presence would mean little in the battle, he had taken this to mean that they wouldn't get much of an opportunity to fight. This was proven to be immediately wrong, however, as the White Fang entered into their weapon range, and they started to fire. The heavy thudding of automatic weapons filled the air, and the shouting intensified. The white and black uniforms of the White Fang started to emerge from the trees, and run into the hail of bullets. At such range as they were at, each strike would do little except chip away at their auras', and even that would be negligible at such a range. As the Faunus continued to charge, Ironwood heard the distinct sound of Atlesian Paladins crashing through the trees. He grit his teeth and looked to the undead. Didn't they plan to do anything? They were simply standing there, unmoving.

Finally, after several moments of tense waiting, the corpses that had done nothing but work the machine turned away from it, stepping to the edges of the defensive perimeter that Ironwood's men had set up, raising their hands and pushing a few of his troops aside. He was about to ask what they were doing when runes, inlaid on metal plates that had been covered with a thin layer of dirt that he hadn't noticed before, blazed brightly into life. As if they were some kind of hologram system, a thin blue line jumped from one to the other, until they were all connected in a circle around the machine. Then a strange thing happened that forced Ironwood to blink a few times and refocus his eyes before he could see it properly. A shimmering, rippling effect seemed to be spreading through the air, extending in a dome around them. He recalled Naze telling him that magic could easily deflect the kinds of dust rounds that they used. The rounds of his soldiers seemed to pass through the ethereal veil just fine, leaving small white marks that seemed to glow for a brief moment before disappearing. The strange effect did make it slightly harder to see, but every one of his men had dealt with worse in their training.

It was then that the mages (whether or not that was the proper term, he didn't know) shuffled around slightly, pushing a few more of his people out of the way. He noticed that they had placed themselves in the positions between the ten undead soldiers who stood outside of the veil, and felt like there was another part of the plan that he didn't know about. When they raised their hands above their heads, a glittering and brilliant light filling their hands as if it were a regular physical substance. Ironwood stared at this a moment too long, and realized that he was being blinded. He highly doubted that that was the intended effect, and looked away, blinking the purple and green afterimages away. As he did this, his gaze drifted around the circle, and he saw that the White Fang were coming from all around. His men were still firing, but the crowds were too far still to do any meaningful damage. He started to get very apprehensive. Even if the ten guards were the best fighters history had ever seen, it was inevitable that many of the White Fang would be able to get past them.

Just as he thought this, a huge crack rang out through the air, and a flash of near blinding intensity burned against his back. Even facing away from it, he could tell how bright it was. He saw the mage closest to him start to bring his hands down, and inferred that this was what was causing the blasts. He had the sense to bring his arm up to his eyes, and was thankful when he did so, because more loud cracks split his ears, and he was certain that most of the White Fang had been blinded, at least temporarily. When next he looked up, he found to his surprise that the layout of the battlefield had been changed significantly.

There were now huge swaths of land that glowed, each one beginning at one of the mages, and extending outwards in a cone for a large distance, almost halfway to the tree line. What this did was to create thin hallways of what Ironwood presumed to be safe land placed just between each of the ten warriors. When the dust rounds that his men were firing entered into these areas, they seemed to hang in the air, almost as if they were slowed down. It would've been entrancing, maybe even beautiful, if the shouting of the White Fang weren't continuing to draw closer.

The soldiers started to advance to the end of their corridors, making for a very menacing sight. The White Fang never faltered though, continuing to charge, starting to fire what ranged weapons they had while those with melee weapons bowed their heads and charged faster. The purpose of the shivering veil around them quickly became apparent as a few rounds impacted it and exploded, leaving no mark on the sphere or those inside it. This made Ironwood raise an eyebrow, as he didn't know how their own shells could be passing through without resistance while the opponents were denied so thoroughly. He decided he would have to think about this later though, as the first wave of White Fang hit the borders of the time distortion and slowed to about half of their original speed. Ironwood started to see how this was going to work for the undead. The time distortion wouldn't funnel the White Fang in a way that would direct a number that was unmanageable by the ten, but would give them more time, and more focused targets. It was a tactic that he found himself wishing that he had had access to in the past.

As the crowds of White Fang met with the undead soldiers, Ironwood felt his stomach turn. The first casualty he saw was a boy that, judging by his size, couldn't have been more than twenty years old. He wielded a wicked looking blade, and was just pulling it over his head to strike the soldier that manned the corridor directly in front of him. One second he looked full of rage, mouth open, shouting, and then, in a blur almost too fast to see, the undead lashed out with a vicious pair of wrist claws, putting a massive gash across the front of his chest that extended from one shoulder to the opposite side of the pelvis. He didn't even have time to process what had happened before a heavily armored boot arced into him, knocking him aside and undoubtedly breaking every bone that it contacted.

Ironwood had seen people die before, but it was something that he had learned to come to grips with. There was something haunting about the moment that the spark of life left someone's eyes, but with enough time he had hardened himself to it. He was too far to see, and even if he wasn't, the mask would've obscured it, but he was sure that he had just seen someone's life end. It was only now that he realized the scope of what was going to happen. Every single one of those charging had practically signed a death sentence already. They might've been White Fang, but it was still a massive loss of life. It would be very bad if he was reported to have been in a slaughter as massive as this one was promising to be.

His men had all but frozen from the spectacle before them, horrified in the same way that he had been the first time he'd seen death. He was quick to snap them out of it though, quickly communicating that the only way to save lives was to fight harder. This turned out to be just the right thing to say, as the automatic thudding kicked back with a new vigor.

Ironwood still found himself unable to ignore the killing, though. In a short moment, less then it took to breath, tens had been felled by the blur of a warrior, and knocked to the side like ragdolls. He turned his head, wanting to see if the White Fang were just as hopeless in every other situation. They were. No matter what weapon it was, scythe, blade, or other form of device, it killed with the same terrible efficiency. Their blades cut through flesh like a bullet traveled through hot butter.

He drew in a sharp breath as an Atlesian Paladin approached one of the warriors. Both had apparently been made to withstand the maximum amount of punishment as possible while dishing out the same amount of damage. It seemed, however, that the undead warrior was giving the metal monster no attention. It drew a huge metal fist back, while simultaneously firing a battery of missiles from shoulder mounted launchers. Both its arm and the projectiles rocketed towards the warrior, and Ironwood was sure that it was going to do some major damage.

An explosion engulfed the two of them, smoke obscuring the battle. No sound could be heard well over the screaming, thudding of feet, or pounding weapons, but a single missile veered out of the smoke, tilted wildly off to the side, spiraling into one of the zones of distorted time.

A few seconds later, the main body of the Atlesian Paladin was thrown towards the extractor, landing on its front and skidding, both legs having been replaced by sparking stumps. He could hardly believe it. He'd had a large hand in designing those mechs, and he knew that the power required to do something like that was enormous. The smoke started to clear, and the warrior became visible again. If it had been damaged, it didn't show. There were soot marks and dirt on its armor, indicating that it had been knocked to the ground, but it was still killing just as fast as before.

The Mech on the ground started to move again, now forced to drag itself with its arms. This rendered most of its weapons useless, but if it got close enough, his men's weapons wouldn't do much more than dent it.

He was just about to turn and tell someone about this when he felt the cold eyes of Naze, not necessarily looking at him, but certainly near him. A second later, a beam of the glittering magic that had been described as arcane, a little thicker than his fist, shot from somewhere to his right and slightly elevated, striking the machine in its center. The walker exploded, sending metal shrapnel and superheated slag spiraling in every direction, a few of the larger pieces even thudding heavily into the shield that kept Ironwood and his men so distant from the horrors that were so close before falling limply and embedding themselves in the dirt and mud. Ironwood's eyes went to the ground, noting that there seemed to be more mud than there had before. Even the earth he stood on was softer than it had been before. He pushed a boot down, and watched the liquid that was causing the change well up around his heel. Crimson and thick, blood had run the whole way, staying hidden in the blades of grass, dead or alive, and soaking into the soil.

He retched, his stomach turning out its contents onto the saturated ground. The sound of the battle was too great for his men to hear him though, which was good. If they could, it would be a very bad thing for morale.

As he bent over, spitting and ensuring that all the bile was gone from his mouth, he thought about the blood. Never before had he been in a battle that was as shocking as this. The thought of how many people must have died to spill that much blood was simply a thought he could not shrug off. While he was bent over, something behind him caught his eye. The artifact, forgotten in the sudden rush of battle.

It had come more out of the ground, and was now about four times the height of a man. The thing was red all over, and numerous spines protruded from it surface. Each one looked like it was sharp enough to go straight through any armor, even that of the undead warriors. He also noticed something else, something that he thought couldn't possibly be good. Blood from the ground was starting to rise up along the sides of the thing, flowing along hairline cracks all over the thing, all going towards the top. He couldn't explain exactly why, but the sight made his feel ill again, and made his nerves prickle with a trepidation he had never felt before. It was even worse than what Naze had made him feel.

The blood that made its way up the top of the spiraling mass of spikes seemed to well there a moment before pulsating down away from the top spike, running along another series of cracks. It took him a moment of staring to figure out why the thing seemed so familiar, but eventually he realized it was because it reminded his of a beating heart.

His eyes widened, and his pupils dilated as he took a few unconscious steps towards the thing. He could swear that there was some kind of sound emitting from it, like a song. It reminded him of something from his past, though he couldn't quite place what it was. He started to reach out towards it, wanting to feel its surface. It was so smooth, but numerous cracks wove across its surface like veins through a body. There was something incredibly hypnotic about the pattern.

As soon as his finger touched the red stone-like material, he felt a sharp pain in his skin, and pulled it back, examining it. Blood was starting to well up out of a new hole. How the totally flat surface had pricked him, he did not know, but his aura started to warn him of a danger speeding towards him. Acting only on the instinct that he had spent years sharpening, he dropped down, using one arm to keep himself from crashing into the ground. At almost the same time as he did this, a long, thin spine shot out of the side of the artifact, stabbing through the air where his head had been seconds before.

The wet splattering sound behind him alerted him to the possibility that his men hadn't been as alert to the danger as he had been. Without getting up, he looked back, seeing one of his men go limp, the spike now protruding from the back of his skull. Ironwood shouted out to his men, but before any of them could do anything, a wail was emitted from the top of the red structure, and a sudden blast of what felt like sickeningly warm air blasted him down to the ground. He saw his men react the same way. Undead soldiers, Atlesian Paladins, White Fang, all were knocked flat by the force.

The only one who remained on their feet was Naze, who was examining the artifact closely.

* * *

Nora's screaming was horrible to listen to, but it was all that they could do to stand by the side of the room, watching. The robed individuals were all working with Solace, arms raised as they cast a golden light towards Nora, as if they were blasting small bits and pieces of darkness away from her. Each flash of light was accompanied by a brief tint of red, indicating that they were purging the demon one small part at a time.

Pyrrha and Jaune were seated at a table by the far wall, hands clasped together in an attempt to comfort each other in this hard time. Team RWBY was also present at the table, all sitting close to one another. All of them looked on at the ritual with different expressions. Pyrrha and Jaune were worried, but hopeful. If there was any way to fix Nora, this was it. Weiss, Ruby, and Blake's faces however held more worry. What they were doing to Nora sounded like torture, and they couldn't be comfortable with it continuing to happen.

In spite of the huge amount of light being thrown out by the ritual, all of them could look upon it with ease. They didn't feel their eyes even strain at the light. It was as if the light was naturally benign, and didn't have the ability to hurt them. They could gaze directly at its golden brilliance as long as they wanted, and there would be no effects. The one exception to this, of course, was Yang. With every new flash, she winced, and every time she looked over at it she was forced to put an arm between its source and her eyes. Whereas the others saw it as warm and inviting, to her it was harsh and painful. All the others had noticed the way that her reactions varied so much from their own, and they knew exactly why. None of them wanted to say anything about it either.

They had been sitting for what felt like hours, but they all had checked their scrolls at some point, and this had revealed the unfortunate truth that they had only been here for about half an hour. Nora had been screaming nearly the entire time. It had started off as pleas to be allowed to see Ren, then transformed into some of the most vicious threats and most offensive insults that any of them had ever heard, and was now simple, guttural screaming. The kind that would silence even the biggest Grimm, no matter what it was doing. All of them knew that they would hear the screams again later, in their minds in either nightmares or recollections. Among the thoughts of the group was Ren. None had been allowed to see him, and he had not been allowed out while the ritual was going on for fear of sending Nora into another fit of rage. If she went into another fit, it was unsure if their methods of containment would be able to hold her.

Nora had just finished a particularly violent series of convulsions when Yang got an incredibly bad feeling. She couldn't explain it, but she was certain that something bad was about to happen. She was immediately reminded of the first time this had happened, and she had been overcome with paranoia, thinking that everyone was in on some great plot against her. This was different, though. The last time it had been completely unfounded, and blindsided her. This time it seemed that there was a purpose for the feeling. She couldn't place what it was, but there was definitely a reason. The feeling grew stronger, and she jolted up out of her seat, sending the chair skittering across the ground. The eyes of all of her companions went to her, and she became sharply aware that this was much the same way that her first "episode" had gone. Naze had said that he would shield her more, but he had been very busy lately, it was possible that her feelings were simply what was slipping through the cracks. But still, it felt much too real for that.

Ruby gave her sister a worried look. "Yang, what's wrong?" Blake and Weiss looked more on edge, Yang could see their hands creeping slowly towards their weapons. And it wasn't just her imagination, she was sure of it. "I don't know, something's coming!"

All of them stood, Pyrrha and Jaune looking confused. "What's she talking about? What's coming?" Jaune sounded very confused, but they couldn't take the time to explain. If Yang was having another episode, it would be important to get her away from the Paladins so that she couldn't disrupt the ceremony. "It's nothing, just help us." Blake said before stepping towards Yang, putting her hands up cautiously. "Yang, it's not real. Remember the last time? Remember how that was all just in your head? This is like that. Just calm down, and we can take you to-"

Blake put a hand on Yang's shoulder, and Yang brushed it off. "Guys, I know how this looks, but its real this time. We have to get ready." Ruby gave a small sigh, then said "Yang, what if it isn't? Remember how you felt after you hit Blake? What if you do something worse here?"

What they were saying made sense, but she still couldn't let herself simply relax. There was too much on the line for that. In the end, she couldn't argue with her friends. What they said was the most logical. "Fine, but I want you guys to have your weapons ready. If something does go-"

She was cut off as what felt like a blast wave tore through the room, not harming the structure of the building but raising a might wind inside it. The air seemed to be tinted red for a moment, and as soon as the wave hit them, they all felt sick. It wasn't a natural nausea, but felt like they had been poisoned. Their auras did nothing to offset the effects.

Yang didn't feel this, though. What she felt was the pressure of Naze's mind, giving her instruction. Her head snapped to the side, back to the circle of Paladins. None of them were conjuring the light anymore, and the sudden gale had blown most of their hoods off. One of them next to Solace, a woman with blonde hair and the telltale elongated jaw and sharp teeth of some kind of canine faunus said in a voice full of concern "What's happening?"

All eyes went to Nora, who was kneeling in the center of the circle, her restraints having faded sometime in the midst of the operation. No one dared move for fear of disturbing her. Eventually, slowly, she brought herself off the ground, standing up like a cat, stretching as she did so. Her eyes were full of a kind of wonder that they had not held before. It was like she was seeing the world as it had been all along, but with a new color. Her eyes passed over everyone in the room before darting to the side, her ears pricking up, and her saying almost under her breath "Ren."

Yang's body moved on the volition of Naze, who knew what was coming. Yang leapt into action, her fist cocking back as she flew through the air. At first there was nothing at the point she was flying to, but then there was the sound of several people being shunted out of the way of something, and Nora appeared in her path. It hurt her to do this to her friend, but she knew that there was no alternative now. Her fist connected with Nora's head, and she felt her arm buckle under the blow. Her bone stayed strong though, and Nora was flung off her path, even flipping in the air once before smashing into the wall of the warehouse, metal folding like tissue paper as she was thrown into the sunlight. Yang felt her control return to her body, but she knew better than to let her guard down.

As Nora got back to her feet, Yang shouted out to not only her friends, but the Paladins as well, saying "Everybody get ready! We can't let her get away, and we can't let her get Ren! Get whatever you've got ready, and form up!"


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note:

No girls read, apparently.

So as always, my overlords demand reviews. Also, you should favorite or follow. Or both.

Tell me what you thought!

* * *

As Naze looked at the artifact, he came to the hurried conclusion that whatever was happening would be far easier to deal with if the White Fang were not continuing to charge him and his people down. They started to pick themselves back up off of the ground, and he could tell that there was a fire in their eyes that hadn't been there before. The air was now thick with demonic energy and, while it wouldn't affect Naze or his people, Ironwood and his men would be just as susceptible as the White Fang if exposed for too long. He didn't need Ironwood becoming hostile. It would be best to simply wrap this conflict up, and take the artifact for himself. If that was still possible.

He turned to face the numbers of White Fang that were picking themselves up, raising his staff, ready to do the grim work that would be required of him if the White Fang were to be dispersed in a timely manner. Necromantic energies pooled in the spike near the top, and he to build greater and greater reserves, drawing from his inexhaustible supply. Ironwood and his men were starting to rise from the ground now, all shaking off the surge of demonic power. Naze knew that his control over the situation was no longer secure, so the sooner he and his men got out of the way, the better. His own solders were climbing to their feet now, and resuming the slaughter that had been interrupted.

Several of the sprinting attackers had gotten past them, though, and were quickly closing the distance between them, spitting gunfire and shouting as loud as their lungs would let them. The dark green and purple swirling light of the blast ripped the air apart, momentarily pushing the demonic taint away as everything in its path died. The grass on which the White Fang ran shriveled and withered, and all biological functions in their bodies ceased. Naze was not wasteful with his investments, though, and the corpses were reanimated before they hit the ground, the only instruction in their heads being "kill".

The zombies stumbled and fell at first as they tried to change directions from the way they had been sprinting before their demises, but their fists remained clenched around their weapons tighter than any rigor mortis could manage. Zombies as fresh as them were fast and, while uncoordinated, more deadly than their stiff-jointed relatives. The sudden excess of death energies also started to eat at their flesh, causing rapid decomposition. They wouldn't last long, but they would make quite a show while they did. Naze could only imagine the terror one might feel when battling the corpse of a friend, not only dead, but rotting before their eyes. There were only around fifteen of these zombies now, but Naze planned on making many more.

Ironwood looked to the lich now, an implacable look on his face. It was part worry, part fear, part anger, a wide variety of things. What he expressed however, was a question. "What's going on? What was that explosion?" Naze spoke back as his hollow sockets scanned the battlefield for the most horrifically mangled corpses he could find. "I couldn't say. Something demonic, no doubt. I might recommend you evacuate your men, and leave the White Fang for me to deal with. I can assure you they will find no mercy from me."

Ironwood glanced from Naze to the artifact. "Is this thing safe?" He had to shout to make sure that he was heard over the screaming, shouting, and pounding of weapons. Naze shook his head as his gaze alighted on a particularly shredded pile of bodies, all having been tossed aside by his knight using the wrist claws. "Not at all. It us unpredictable, and requires further study. I shall keep you appraised of our progress, if you wish, but it would be far more convenient for you to leave." Another blast of necromantic energy, and another few zombies joined the fray. This time the number added was around twenty, and all bore significant disfigurements. Several were torn wholly in half, intestines trailing behind them through the muck, and many more were missing significant portions of their bodies. As these monstrosities started to run, shuffle, or claw their way towards their former brethren, he could see the fiery resolve start to dissipate. A battle with necromancy was not only a war of attrition, but one of mental fortitude as well. One had to be prepared to see horrific things if one was to battle them.

Those who came into direct combat were horrified, and became even more so when they realized that their weapons were next to useless. Dust rounds didn't cause enough structural damage to impede their abilities, and the knives and cleavers required them to get far too close for comfort.

The mages in the center of the defensive circle set about the task of studying the artifact, even in the middle of the battle. It would be very important to know if it could be safely contained, and if it could be deactivated from whatever state Ironwood's touch had put it into. Ironwood was shouting into a communicator about "immediate evacuation", and his men were continuing to fire. A few had stopped, simply putting their weapons down and sitting, their backs to the defensive cover that had been set up earlier. They couldn't be blamed, really. Not everyone was strong enough to bear the sight of a rotting human rising up from a mortal wound and resuming fighting. If Ironwood hoped to avoid traumatizing all of his troops, his evacuation had to be quick, as Naze had no plans of holding back. He continued to conjure the magic of death, hurling it at his foes and creating allies from the aftermath, the numbers of his forces only increasing with every casualty. It wasn't long before he became aware of something else, though. Something far more worrying than what he was doing.

The barriers between normal space and hell were weakening, and he could feel the demons clawing at them from the other side. If they didn't hurry up, a rift between the two would open.

* * *

Cinder started to realize that her plan to take the artifact was going to fail about as soon as she saw the knights start to rip into the White Fang as if they were lambs to the slaughter. This was why she had hung back instead of charging with the men. It was obvious that Neo did not like this, but she didn't care very much about what Neo wanted. Roman had been deployed with one of the units, tasked with driving them forward and keeping them focused. Neo wanted to go to him, but she didn't let her. Her abilities would be better used guarding Cinder rather than that fool. He had been useful, but lately he was becoming more trouble than Cinder thought he was worth. Still, this battle would be a good place to prove himself.

Then the artifact had let off some kind of pulse, and Cinder had been taken completely off guard. The wave that came out of it gave Cinder a certain strength, one that she couldn't quite place. Although she didn't know why, she felt stronger, and her thoughts were faster than ever before. She was still cautious, though. Momentary confidence was no reason to throw herself into battle. She was certain that if she were to try and charge one of the knights, she would meet the same fate as those others who tried it, and be several pieces on the ground.

That was when the lich had started to reanimate those who had already fallen. It was at this point that Cinder knew the battle was hopeless. No matter how many men she threw at the artifact, the undead would be able to endure it. In fact, the more people she threw at it, the more undead there would be. She had been about to order a full retreat when that power and strength that the artifact had given her started to shift. "No."

The voice was deep and booming, but no one else seemed to hear it. She tried not to react to it, and instead puzzled over what it was, or what it meant. She didn't have to puzzle long, as the voice spoke again soon. "No retreat. You desire power, I can give you power."

She saw the artifact pulsing, and noticed that the voice boomed in rhythm with it. She wasn't sure if she was somehow hallucinating, but the voice seemed to be that of what she had assumed to be an inanimate object. "Blood. Need blood. When we have enough, we will burst forth. You will be spared. All others will die." A smile wove its way across her face. She had come here to take the power of the artifact, so maybe it wasn't too late. If this thing was being truthful, then she would be happy to keep the blood flowing.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw Ironwood starting to shout into a communication device. Was he really calling for evacuation? That wasn't very like him. She shrugged. He wasn't the one spilling blood, so he could leave if he wished. It would actually make things easier, anyways. Dust rounds didn't cause nearly as much damage as the weapons that the undead used. If she could sate the artifact's request, she would gain power. That was worth the risk of the thing lying. Even if it was, there were many more White Fang that she could use to her own ends. She had the inclination that it wasn't, though. She felt more powerful now, and the feeling seemed to be slowly growing. It couldn't be lying. She could already feel that it was telling the truth. Down in the charging masses, she spied Roman being swept up in the crowd.

As much as she felt that his blood on the field would be a beautiful sight, she could think of several things that she could still use him for. Avenues of action that would close if the man were to die. With a sigh, she looked around herself. She was quite a distance away from the battle itself, and anything that came after her would give her plenty of time to react before it reached her. After she had come to this conclusion, she gestured to the distant Roman and said "Very well, if you really must, than go to him."

Neo broke into a run faster than Cinder had even seen her move before. Her short legs carried her small body faster than Cinder had thought they could. As she went, Cinder let her eyes drift back to the fighting. There was a certain beauty about it, the people willing to throw their lives away so readily for something they believed in. She almost felt guilty about lying about it.

* * *

Yang pulled her fists up, and Solace shouted "Get your weapons!" The robed Paladins all rushed towards a weapon rack, and team RWBY, Pyrrha, and Jaune readied themselves. They didn't want to fight their friend, but there was little choice left. Nora gave a ferocious scowl, then called out "I just want to help Ren! Why do you want to stop us?"

Jaune was the first to answer, saying "You aren't good for him! You've been hurting him the whole time!" Pyrrha spoke after him, saying "And you've been hurting yourself as well! You've obsessed over him constantly! It's not healthy!" Pyrrha lowed her shield and took a step towards the girl. "Please, just let us help you."

Nora's face softened for a brief moment, then hardened back into an aggressive frown. "No! You just want to take Tiny away from me!" With that, she started sprinting again. It wasn't in the direction of Ren's room this time, but directly at Pyrrha. The girl barely had time to raise her shield before Nora's fist impacted the disk of metal dead center. The vibrations that rang through the shield almost made her cry out, but she managed to stay resolute.

Yang stepped in now from the side, again delivering the force of a train into Nora by means of a fist to her gut. She hadn't meant to, but she had used her metal one instead of her flesh. The force of the blow lifted Nora off of her feet, and her eyes widened in shock as a small amount of bile was forced from her innards. The fluid fell onto Yang's arm before sliding off and hissing on the ground, steam wafting slowly away.

Yang had thought that his blow would be enough to stop her friend, or disable her enough to restrain. However, before her feet had even touched the ground again, Nora had wrapped a hand around Yang's wrist and pulled herself closer. Immediately she started to assail the blond with everything she could, kicking, clawing, and even leaning her face in to bite her. Yang held her at bay, just able to keep the girl's razor sharp teeth a few inches away from her flesh. Nora's nails were almost as sharp as her teeth and, though Yang couldn't feel pain, she was well aware of the damage that they were doing to her face and chest. It was superficial so far, but blades that sharp could easily slice tendons.

"Get her off of me!" Yang shouted to her teammates. None of them were quite sure what to do, but Ruby was the first to react, using her semblance to rocket herself towards her sister, wrapping her arms around Nora as she went, and continuing on past through the air now dragging her violent cargo. Nora didn't weigh much, but Ruby's capacity to transport anything but herself with her semblance was bad, and it was only a few feet before the two dropped out of the air, thudding against the floor and rolling. Before anyone could do anything, Nora was on top of Ruby, screaming viciously and making wild swipes. Ruby held her arms up to protect her face and neck, and felt her skin start to split under the assault.

Yang shouted angrily and made to lung at Nora, ready to punch her in the head again, but before she could, one of the robes Paladins leapt at the two, a moderately sized war hammer arcing up from below. The hammer impacted Nora in the center of the chest, and a bright flash of golden light was cast outwards by the head of the hammer, seeming to blow Nora away from it. She was knocked into the air again, did a small spin then reoriented herself before hitting the ground again. She stood, giving the Paladin a death glare. The woman swallowed the lump in her throat before hefting the weapon back up, ready to swing again.

Nora looked like she was about to go for the woman, but Jaune called out again "Nora, please, we only want to help you!" Nora's head flicked to face Jaune, and in the pause everyone got a good look at her face. There were bruises left from Yang's knuckles, but even as the group watched, the bruises started to fade. If there was any damage from the punch to the gut or the hammer blow, they couldn't tell.

The brief break allowed both sides of the conflict to recuperate, team RWBY, Jaune, and Pyrrha making their way over to Ruby, who was still on the ground, while the Paladins made to encircle Nora. The one who had saved Ruby from Nora stayed behind, even lowering their guard a little.

Yang went to Ruby, holding her by the shoulders and saying "Are you alright? How bad did she get you?" in a very concerned voice. Without speaking, Ruby held her arms out for her sister to see. The black fabric of her sleeves was sliced nearly to ribbons, but luckily Ruby's aura had saved her from the brunt of the damage. The cuts that she did have were just from what Nora had been able to force through. Still, the bleeding was heavy, and if it continued Ruby wouldn't be able to fight anymore.

Yang was about to start looking for something she could use as a bandage before the Paladin put her hammer down, balancing it on its head, and pulling a thick book out from her robes. "If you'll let me, I think I can help with this." Yang felt a natural distrust, but her desire to have her sister save overpowered that by many times. "Yes! Yes, just do it!" The woman's auburn hair cast a few silvery reflections of light off of it as she nodded, then cracked the book open. "Let's see…" she seemed to be talking to herself "prayers, prayers, where is it…" One of the other Paladins shouted out, and all eyes went to him just in time to see Nora sink her teeth into his arm. No aura would protect from that, at least not enough to matter.

The woman's eyes lingered on this, as if she was transfixed by the scene, before Solace stepped forwards and with a deft motion, pulled the man's arm down, forcing it off of Nora's top row of teeth, then pulled it away, smoothly off of the bottom row. After that he cautiously yet quickly shunted the man behind him and delivered a kick to Nora that knocked her back.

Yang snapped her fingers in front of the woman's face. "Hey, come on! Fix her!" The woman's brown eyes fixed with Yang's for a second before she blinked, swallowed hard, and looked back down at the pages. "R-right, sorry." She flipped through a few more pages, then stopped, placed her finger on a line, and started to trace it across the page, speaking a strange, ancient-sounding language. Yang's friends around her looked at the woman with slight surprise, as if the things that were coming out of her mouth were beautiful. Yang only thought it sounded strange, but supposed that she didn't find it so pretty because she was undead. She tried to look at the book itself, but it gave off a bright glow that burned her eyes when she saw it. She held up a hand, blocking the light, then looked down at Ruby's arms.

The woman's hands were resting softly on top of the cuts, and as she read, her hands started to glow as well. Yang could hardly see past it, but what she could see was Ruby's flesh starting to knit back together, and Yang smiled. If it took a Paladin to make sure her sister was alright, then that was what she would get. The woman let out a breath and gave Ruby a happy look, leaning close and saying "Are you feeling-" before her voice was cut off by another shout, and her eyes raced back to the group. She moved quickly, standing back up and stowing the book away again before going for her hammer. She retook it and rushed at Nora, leaving team RWBY, Pyrrha, and Jaune on their own again.

Ruby sprang to her feet and immediately started to spur her team into action. "Come on guys! We have to get her under control! And, as much as I hate to say it, it looks like we won't be able to do that gently." She removed Crescent Rose from her back, and gave a backwards look at the raging girl who had been a close friend a few weeks ago. "Don't worry, I'm sure she can take it."

All six of them moved at once, as a group, to join the Paladins. They had already encircled Nora, and it seemed like they were poised to regain control of the situation, but all of them could feel something in the air that made them feel as if something was just begging to go wrong. None of the Paladins were attacking Nora yet, and Nora seemed temporarily content to remain in the center of the circle and seethe at the others. The Beacon students joined into the circle of Paladins, making it thicker, and Ruby spoke to Solace, saying "How do we calm her down?"

Solace shook his head and said "I'm afraid that we may have to knock her out." He gave the girl a doubtful look, then shrugged his shoulders. "If we can manage it." Ruby closed her fingers tight around the handle of Crescent Rose, and said "We can do it, don't worry. She's strong, but she's wild too. We can use that to our advantage; she leaves herself wide open after every attack. We just need someone to take a hit so that we can get to her. Yang could probably take the hit, but there's no way to guarantee that she wouldn't get hurt so much that she couldn't fight, and if she does that then there's no way to fix her during the fight." Nora made a few eccentric gestures, and Ruby took an involuntary step back. "If we're going to decide, we should probably do it now!"

Solace stepped forward, hefting his hammer up as he did so. "I will be the one to bear the blow." Nora's gaze immediately shot to him, and he spoke quieter over his shoulder "Be ready to strike hard. I will give as many opportunities as I can." The rest of the group agreed, and he stepped forward more, the gap behind him in the circle closing. "Demon" he spoke heavily "leave this girl, or face our holy wrath."

Nora's mouth curled into an unnaturally large smile, and she said "I don't want Tiny to leave me. All I want is Ren. You're the ones who are making me fight." Solace lifted his hammer and shook his head. "Then you make your choice. It is sad indeed."

Suddenly, as if the hammer was weightless, he struck out at her, bringing the head crashing down into the ground in front of her. She leapt back, then charged forwards when Solace left himself open as he pulled his hammer back up. Her hands were outstretched, and her claws extended, ready to turn him to mincemeat. Of all the people to put the plan into action, Jaune had not expected to be the first to hit his friend. He saw the opportunity though, as Nora brought her hands up, and he lunged out, bringing his shield crashing into Nora's ribcage. As he did this, he wasn't thinking about protecting Ren, or getting Nora to be still so she could be healed. He was thinking of Pyrrha, and of the look of bloodlust that had been on Nora's face when she had attacked Pyrrha. He allowed his shield to carry through, pushing her further off course.

Her path disrupted, Nora stumbled to the side, unable to stop. She was just about to topple over when Yang stepped off of the line, bringing her metal left fist up, catching Nora just under the chin. The girl was tossed up in the air, but tucked her knees to her chest in midair, sending herself into a controlled spin. Blake was the next to see on opportunity, and activated her semblance, a brief clone of herself occupying her place as she launched herself into the air. Her bladed sheath sang through the air before connecting with Nora, batting her out of the air and sending her back to the ground.

She hit face-down, and laid still for a moment as she recovered from the series of blows she had suffered. She remained on the ground for just an instant too long, and Solace's hammer, Judgment, came down on the center of her back, making her yelp as another bright flash of light was given off by the strike. Solace stepped back, putting the hammer back over his shoulder and waiting to see if Nora was finished. A tense second of silence followed, then two, then three.

The whole of team RWBY as well as Pyrrha and Jaune were all fairly sure that Nora was not a contortionist. She had demonstrated an impressive level of flexibility before, but they had never seen her do something like what she did now. Instead of pushing herself up to her feet in the somewhat slow, battered manner that they all expected, her back arched in an unnatural way, placing her feet flat on the floor next to her head. There was a series of sickening pops as her muscles pulled her back upright.

Without pause, she picked another target to try and break out of the circle. This target was Jaune. His reflexes were slower than Pyrrha's, and she had barely gotten her shield up in time to protect her from Nora. As such, he wasn't able to save himself.

Nora's long strides carried her shoulder into Jaune's gut, and the two of them traveled several yards before Nora pushed off the ground with her feet and tucked her shoulder towards the ground. Jaune realized what was about to happen just as Nora's weight started to push more into his belly. He cried out, but it was too late for him to be helped. With Nora holding him tightly, there was nothing he could do. He tried to pry her off of him, but it was the same situation as it had been before, she was simply too strong.

As the pair rammed into the ground, Jaune felt his organs pushed out of the way and his ribs crack under the pressure. It was a terrible pain, and his aura did little to dull the feeling. Even worse, the air was forced out of his lungs, and as Nora climbed off of him, he was forced to breathe in the hypnotizing odor that she gave off. He felt his body relax, and he was unable to do anything to stop her as she broke into an all-out sprint towards the room Ren was stored in. All he could do was watch.

The group moved to pursue Nora as best they could, but she moved too quickly. Her pace didn't slow, either, as she neared the wall to Ren's room, and everyone felt a small amount of disbelief about what she was about to do. Nora impacted the wall, body thudding against it hard, before it crumpled under her, and she flew through it. Yang was hot on her heels, though, and she leapt through the hole, shouldering Nora as hard as she could manage.

Nora only caught a brief glimpse of Ren before Yang ran her through the next wall like a bulldozer, bringing them back out into the light of the sun. He had been sitting cross legged, and had a shocked expression on his face. Nora could tell that he was scared. She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't do that will all of these people attacking her.

Yang's momentum slowed, and she threw Nora off of her before she could grab ahold of anything. The rest of the fighters streamed through the new holes in the walls, again making to surround their target. Nora knew that this would only keep happening and happening if she didn't do something about it, so she had to break the cycle. She had taken Jaune out of the fight, but that wasn't enough.

She thought of what was going on, what was really going on, and felt rage start to boil up inside of her. They were trying to keep her from Ren. They were trying to keep their love apart. That was wrong. The love was hers, not theirs. They couldn't decide what happened to it. Her body started to react to the new anger, and she felt herself grow more powerful, her chest starting to rise and fall more rapidly as she called on Tiny again. It was rare that she ever even had to call for him, he was always in her thoughts already. But when she called, he returned, and started to tell her exactly what she had to do to get Ren back.

Ruby leveled Crescent Rose on Nora, not wanting to have to shoot her, but she was leaving very little choice in the matter. It was clear that she was not going to give up, and now that she had seen Ren, there could be no chances taken. She saw the others ready their ranged weapons as well, Pyrrha, Blake, and Yang. All of them nodded to each other, wordlessly communicating that they all had to fire at the same time.

Ruby took care of the countdown. It had to be fast, while Nora was staying still, and it had to be everything they had. She held up three fingers, then two, then one.

When her last finger fell, the raucous sound of gunfire filled the air. The heavy pounding of Crescent Rose's high caliber bullets, the sharp cracks of Pyrrha's rifle, and the consistent spitting sound of Blake's weapon spewing a thick rain of bullets all melded together in one great orchestra of destruction. There was one projectile missing, though. With her eyes glued on her target, she couldn't look to see what Yang was doing instead of firing, but that didn't stop her from wondering. She blinked, focusing. It didn't matter, all she had to do was to keep hitting her mark.

Nora wasn't nearly as affected as Ruby had thought she would be. Most people, no matter how strong they were, got knocked off their feet by Crescent Rose's fire alone. Nora was reacting, holding her arms in front of her face, and the many dust rounds that assailed her were certainly pounding her aura down, but she didn't show any signs of faltering. In fact, if Ruby didn't know better, she could've sworn that Nora was pushing through their suppressing fire, and walking slowly towards the building. That couldn't be, though. Nora had grown taller lately, yes, but she was still the size and weight of a human. Something had to be anchoring her to the ground, or even pulling her forward.

Her finger depressed Crescent Rose's trigger again, and it clicked empty. She cursed herself for forgetting how many times she had fired, and dropped the current magazine out, fumbling for a new one. As she did so, she looked behind her, and saw Ren standing alone in the hole, his face completely awestruck. She wanted to shout for him to get back inside, to hide, to do anything to get away from Nora, but she doubted that he would listen. His eyes had gotten that glossed-over quality that seemed to accompany Nora's effect.

Finally, after what felt like a painfully long stretch of time and several more magazines, Nora started to wobble uncertainly. In was now that Yang decided to throw in her lot. A fireball, not like the one that they had seen Yang use before, rushed past them and impacted Nora squarely in the face. The thing exploded into a massive blast at least two meters in diameter, blowing Nora backwards and making her skid a fair distance before coming to a rest. The dust settled, and the group started to approach slowly, watching carefully for any sign of movement. There was none.

Solace let his guard fall slightly, breathing heavily as he walked up to the limp body. "I think that's…"he wiped his brow and took a few more deep breaths. "I think that's done it. Paladins, come! We must bind her before she gets up again." The robed individuals obeyed, going to Solace's side and kneeling over Nora. One of them ran quickly back through the hole, ignoring Ren as he went, and quickly returned with a length of chain. Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Pyrrha all backed off now, letting them do what they needed. Their crowding the area would only make it harder for the Paladins.

Ren started to walk out, his steps slow and staggering. No one noticed it at first, but when he made to pass Pyrrha, she put a hand out on his chest and held him back, saying "Ren, what are you doing? You have to get back inside!"

Ren didn't respond, and only tried to keep walking as if Pyrrha wasn't there. A vacant look in his eyes told all of the story that they needed to know. He had fallen under her thrall again. Pyrrha tried for several moments to talk Ren down before he simply started to utter a single word; "Nora… Nora…" in slurred, almost sleeping tones.

It broke the hearts of everyone watching. Even after all that, Nora had enough impact to make Ren act like this. Pyrrha took matters into her own hands, deciding that she'd had enough disappointment for one day. She grabbed Ren and lifted him like a baby, carrying him back into the warehouse. The others followed hesitantly, not sure if they should go with her or continue to watch Nora.

Ren was laid down on the ground near Jaune, and Pyrrha sat next to them, watching the two with soft eyes. Ren tried to get up several times, but each time he did, Pyrrha pushed him back down gently, saying "Ren, you have to stay here."

The others felt worried, not only for Nora, or for Ren, but for Pyrrha as well. The battle had taken every one of her teammates, at least temporarily, and she was now acting very strange. Ruby knelt down next to her, and spoke in a cautious voice. "Hey, Pyrrha, are you alright? You're, uh…" she looked at the two incapacitated boys "You did well out there. You should feel proud."

Pyrrha gave a small laugh and rolled her eyes, saying "Yes, I suppose I should." She blinked, and a small river of tears started to run down her face. "But I didn't do well enough, it seems." She gestured to Jaune, then to Ren. "Both of them can't do anything, and Nora…" she made a wild gesture behind her "…and I didn't even notice. Not until it was too late. I should have…" her hand went to her mouth, and she said in a muffled voice "I should have done more. Fought harder. Talked to Ozpin sooner. Anything!"

Ruby put a hand on the girl's back, saying "Hey, we all feel that way. You just have to have faith that-" Ruby was cut off by a massive tearing sound, and panicked shouting. In an instant, all of them were back on their feet, facing where Nora had been. Where there had been a cluster of Paladins, there was now only one, the rest having been knocked away from Nora, and now being on the ground. The chain that had been used to bind Nora was now in her hands, pulling it taught. It was wrapped in a circular fashion around the neck of the Paladin, and from the distance they were at, they could just see that it was the woman who had healed Ruby. She was clawing at the steel links, trying to get them away from her throat and allow her to breathe again. It was a fruitless struggle. Nora was too strong, and the chain was too thick. She put a hand out, as if begging for help, then turned to a ragdoll. Ruby drew in a sharp breath, horror overtaking her for a brief moment. Nora let the chain loosen, allowing the limp body of the woman to slump over, then started to charge back at them.

As she ran, the chain flared up behind her, and all of them could see that it was nearly three times the length of her body. She held it tightly, and the look on her face clearly said that she was ready to do whatever she had to in order to get to Ren. None of them wanted to imagine what that chain would feel like if it were to hit them, but they were all well aware that with the strength she had displayed so far, combined with the material properties of the chain, that it would break their bones easily of their auras faltered. They would have to be sure to keep their guard up, and guard Ren as well as they could. Nora moved almost as fast as Ruby could, steam rising off her skin as the temperature below it rose above the boiling point.

As she drew closer, Nora's pace slowed to a walk. The chain dragged behind her, and Ruby could feel the group's collective breathing sharpen. Nora knew exactly what she was doing, to say the least. She knew exactly how to unnerve them. Her hips swayed in a way that even Ruby found vaguely hypnotic, but when Ruby shook herself out of it, she was even more disturbed that she had let her focus fade enough to let that happen.

The chain made an uneven scraping noise on the ground as it followed behind its wielder. Her tongue flicked out across her teeth, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. There was a hungry look in her eyes, like she was looking at a meal she couldn't wait to dig in to. Ruby wondered if Nora planned to eat them. It would certainly fit her new behavior.

Nora continued to close the gap, and when she got into range with her new weapon, she started to swing it, making the chain fly wildly through the air, the sound of it rushing through the air filling the warehouse. As she continued to gain ground, Ruby narrowed her eyes, trying to see any kind of weakness. She was erratic and without care, but was she so strong that this didn't matter? Their best volley had failed to do anything against her in the long run, the several hits she had already taken that would've been enough to kill a Deathstalker hadn't done anything, it seemed that they were out of options.

She hefted Crescent Rose up, saying "Get ready to fight!" Her cry was worthless, though, as all of her friends were already prepared. "Ice flower!" Without hesitation, Weiss jumped to her side, and she gave her scythe a twirl, landing its blade solidly in the ground and angling the gun just right so that it would be able to hit. Weiss made a gesture with her blade, and several white spinning glyphs appeared in the air in front of Crescent Rose's barrel. If Nora knew what this would do, she gave no indication. Ruby pulled the trigger, and the ice-infused bullets zipped to their target, causing large clusters of ice to form on her body, slowing her down. Ruby tried to aim for the joints so that Nora would be slowed, and was mostly able to make her marks.

The first place that was hit was Nora's right shoulder. She dropped her shoulder back as the bullet collided, and ice locked the arm in place. She could break it, but it would take more effort than it was worth. Her body would take care of the problem naturally. As other clusters of ice sprang off of her clothing and flesh, the immense temperature of her body started to melt it. In seconds, all the ice of the first cluster that had held it on her had melted, and the clusters fell to the ground, shattering. Ruby got a shocked look on her face, and Nora swung at her with the chain. If it weren't for Weiss grabbing her hood and leaping back, the series of steel links would have lashed her squarely across the face, likely knocking out more than a few teeth and breaking her jaw. She was only just able to keep a grip on her weapon, pulling it along with her.

Nora reached the point where she was far too close, and Pyrrha lost her patience. It was clear that team RWBY was going to be unable to stall Nora for any significant amount of time, at least without sustaining considerable losses. She on the other hand, might be able to keep her former friend at bay. She was using a chain, and chains were metal. If she could touch it, she could probably manipulate it magnetically, disarming or possible incapacitating Nora. The only problem was that there didn't seem to be any safe way to make contact. Nora's arm worked constantly to keep the chain a whirling metal threat, and she knew that if she got too close the chain would only bend around her shield and hit her. But she had to do something. She couldn't simply stand by anymore.

She gave Miló a small spin, turning it to its spear form, and brought Akoúo̱ up to defend herself. The two had never failed her before, and she needed them now more than ever. With moderately slow and cautious steps, she approached, looking for an opportunity that might allow her to thrust in with the spear and knock Nora off balance. Nora's eyes locked with hers, and she felt a kind of revulsion at the menacing gaze. Even if now was not the time for guilt, she felt it.

"Nora, please, just give up." Her voice was pleading, but her body was ready to fight. Her mind was reeling from the outlandish situation, but her instincts guided her hands. Nora opened her mouth to respond, and her voice seemed to be distorted somehow, deeper and sharper. "Come on Pyrrha. I love him, and you can't keep us apart! If that meant I have to go through you, I-" Pyrrha cut her off with a sudden thrust, catching even herself off-guard.

For one brief, terrifying moment, she had thought that she had missed her mark. Her spear was wide away from Nora, and she felt almost no feedback from the shaft of the weapon. Then a sudden strong pull informed her that something had happened. She allowed her gaze to drift to the spearhead, and she found that somehow, she had managed to stab at just the right time, in just the right spot, putting Miló's head straight through three different chain links, each one at different intervals along the chain. In effect, the chain was now much shorter ranged, if not useless. Pyrrha had to make a choice now, though. She could touch it, then wrestle the spear back, or she could leave it, and deprive Nora of an effective weapon. Her hand went out to touch the chain, and she resigned herself to not having a weapon. She didn't need it anyways, if she could control the chain itself. It pained her to give up her main means of helping guard Ren, but if it made the enemy less dangerous, she had to do it.

Nora ripped the chain out of Pyrrha's hands and started to swing it again. While its range was now much diminished, there were now three different loops of chain flying around, which meant three times the weight behind each blow. It would be easier to defend against, though. She got a first-hand experience with this as it came crashing down on top of her. Akoúo̱ was able to block the majority of this, but the end of the chain, slightly longer than any of the loops, was able to whip around and hit her wrist. Her aura negated most of the damage, but a bruise started to form almost immediately.

Weiss took advantage of Nora's attention being elsewhere and with the help of a glyph propelling her towards her target, she lunged out, long ponytail of white hair trailing behind her. When she made contact, Nora was thrown several feet back, and reeled unsteadily backwards. Yang saw her opportunity, and leapt as hard as the muscles in her legs would allow, felling a few of the ligaments tear from the stress. She crossed the distance though, and metal fist hit demonic face in a display like something from a cartoon. The angle of the hit ensured that Nora was knocked to the ground, and Yang made sure to follow Nora down the whole way until her knuckles felt the resistance of Nora's head pushing against the ground.

Pyrrha saw that it was her time to move, and ran as quickly as she could to Nora's downed side. Acting as quickly as she could, she used her semblance to pull Miló from the chain, then let it fall to the floor, putting her entire attention to the chain itself. Managing to have such complete control of an object was very strenuous for her, but the knowledge that this could be the only way to stop Nora was more than enough encouragement for her to take the risk. The chain slithered up like a snake, then began encircling Nora, a black outline seeming to settle over the thing. As it wound its way around the girl, Yang lifted her fist off of her face, revealing a bloodied and broken nose underneath and eyes closed peacefully, as if she were asleep.

They all felt relief when Nora stayed still. The chain continued to wrap around, until one side met with the other, and Pyrrha slid her weapon back through, locking the chain in place. There was a sigh from all around when the spear slid through the links, and all seemed well.

Another wave of disgusting red air passed through the building from outside, and a strong wind accompanied it, howling in their ears for a brief moment. Nora's eyes flicked open, and every muscle in her body tensed as she let out a horrible, tearing screech. Everyone's hands went to their ears, but the sound suddenly became muted. Ruby raised an eyebrow, removing her hands, and noticed that the scream was now only about the volume of a whisper.

She felt a strange warmth on her fingers. She looked down at them, and gasped when she saw blood. It was no wonder she couldn't hear anything; she had been deafened. The only thing she was able to think was "I hope this isn't permanent" before Nora convulsed again, and an explosion seemed to emit out of her, tossing Ruby into the air. Her vision faded as well, and she never felt herself hit the ground.

Yang twisted in the air and landed on her feet, putting a hand to her ears and experimentally putting a finger in the hole. When she drew it out, there was an oddly colored fluid dripping off. Everything seemed quieter, but she could still hear. Her attention was drawn back to Nora as she got off the ground. Yang broke into a sprint, trying to reach Ren before Nora did. She was too fast though, and scooped him off the ground before Yang would reach them.

When it was obvious that she wouldn't be able to catch them, she decided to try Ember Celia to slow them down. She aimed at Nora's feet as she ran back towards the holes, but the bright dust rounds couldn't catch her either, slamming into the floor around her but not hitting her.

Nora disappeared around a corner, and when Yang reached the hole, there was no trace of her. She knew that alone she wouldn't stand a chance of catching Nora, and started thinking about who could. Naze, possibly Ozpin, possibly Ironwood…

Her gaze drifted down to herself, and she noticed shattered steel links of chain poking out from her torso and abdomen, embedded deeply by raw force. Absentmindedly she picked a few out, tossing them to the ground, before her eyes widened and she thought of something else. If she had been hit by flak of the chain exploding, the others might have been to.

She sprinted back to her downed comrades, and drew out her scroll to call for help.

* * *

Whether the White Fang were driven by the demonic energy of the artifact or pure rage was unclear, but they had certainly demonstrated either courage or stupidity by continuing to throw themselves at their goal. There were around two hundred zombies now, battling their living brethren and doing a fairly good job of keeping them at bay. Their numbers were running low now, and he could see that their attack was faltering.

Ironwood's men had completely evacuated, leaving the scene in Bullheads that took them back towards their main airship. If the White Fang had the capability to shoot them down, they didn't show it. In fact, Naze was starting to believe that their goal was not to take the artifact anymore. The once organized waves of troops were now little more than frenzied crowds. He had spied Torchwick at one point, egging on a group into a charge before dropping out and moving to another one, repeating this process over and over.

The blood-soaked battlefield was certainly not a boring place. Everywhere, someone was dying a horrific death, and many were being pulled back from that death to spread more of it. Most forces, no matter how disciplined, would flee in a situation like this. But they didn't. Perhaps he had underestimated the leading capabilities of Cinder. He doubted that, though.

His attention briefly went to his orb of control, and he saw that Nora was embattled with the groups from Beacon, teams RWBY and JNPR. His puppet body was close, but focusing enough to do battle with a demon-possessed individual like Nora was not a strong option right now. He had instructed his mages to begin the teleportation process, taking the artifact back to the ziggurat, but the charging of the runes took time. So it was that he was still there, felling White Fang after White Fang with the unholy power of death itself. He might've complained, if there wouldn't be a massive profit in raw corpses. They could always use more meat.

It came as a surprise when the artifact let off a second blast of demonic energy, and the gears in his head had immediately shifted direction. There was a rip now, between his world and hell. The fabric between the two had thinned dangerously, and he could practically feel the hordes of demons clawing at it, and he knew that it was about time to leave.

When the veil between the two spilt, he didn't want to be anywhere close. The sheer number of demons that would spill out would be far too numerous to combat, and defeating them wouldn't close the rift. Withdrawing would make the most sense, and would result in no loss other than the material used to construct the extractor. Yes, the White Fang could have thing if they wanted it so much, and would be ripped to shreds for their trouble. He would be abandoning the corpses, but they weren't worth the trouble either. The only sensical thing to do would be pull out. Because of the easy access they had to the rune of translocation, they could withdraw easily.

He issued the command for his death knights and mages to return, and started to double the numbers of zombies. They would make excellent cover for their escape. One by one, the warriors and scholars stood upon the rune and disappeared in a flash of light. Just before Naze followed them, he looked back behind him as an unearthly sucking sound filled the air.

In the space above the artifact, reality had started to be rent asunder. He quickened his pace, and just as he returned to the rune, he saw the gaunt, spindly form of a pink and fleshy gargoyle-like thing emerge. It pointed a long beak at him, and dark squinting eyes locked with his for a brief moment. It was a weak demon, and when it saw the void of soul that Naze embodied, it shrank back in a brief fit of fear before looking to the sides and picking another target. It was immediately followed by six more, and another pack started to follow.

The world slashed, and Naze was returned to his home, the rune of translocation disappearing behind him. Back in safety, he immediately started to think about what he would have to do to contain the damage a demonic rift could cause. With no gods to fight them, the demons wouldn't have much resistance.

* * *

Cinder watch from afar as the monsters tore into the forces that had served her loyally. So many had already died, and now the rest would follow. She didn't feel remorse, though, as she could already feel the power that had been promised to her entering into her system. Her thoughts sped, and her body almost seemed to grow.

Roman and Neo were by her side. She was not foolish enough to sacrifice them. As far as pawns went, they were some of the most useful. She could feel that both were transfixed by the carnage before them, but she didn't want to spend the time waiting. She turned her back on the slaughter and stated walking away, saying "Come on now. We have other business to tend to."

There was a brief moment of hesitation, then Roman followed, saying "Uh, I don't know if you've noticed, but we still don't have the red spiky thing. I mean, I'm all for leaving as fast as possible, but wasn't that the whole point here?" Cinder smiled over her shoulder. "Roman, you'll know what you need-" he finished the sentence for her "-When you need to know it, yeah. But do you even know what those things were? I mean, what if they follow us?"

Cinder's smile widened as she thought about the deal she and the voice behind the artifact had reached. "Maybe they will. Maybe that's exactly what we need."


	32. Chapter 32

Author's Note:

More happy times dead ahead, right?

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* * *

Yang's fingers moved quickly across the screen of her scroll as she dial the emergency number, kneeling down at the same time by her sister's side, putting her fingers to her neck and praying quietly for a pulse. She waited one second, then two, then she definitely felt the blood pump. There was only one chain link that had found its way to Ruby's body, and it was in an area that was unlikely to cause any permanent damage, lodged shallowly in her left thigh. She knew better than to pull it out, though. She was more worried about the blood and yellow fluid leaking from her ears. She hoped desperately that she wouldn't be hurt permanently.

Ensured that Ruby was at least stable, she moved on to her other friends. All were out cold, just like Ruby, and all had the same kind of ear injury that Ruby had shown. Blake had escaped the chain links, Weiss had two, one in the lower abdomen and one in the right shoulder, both very shallow. Jaune had already been on the ground, so he had avoided them. Pyrrha looked like she had caught the most shrapnel, other than herself, and Yang quickly started to think about what she could do to try and help before the emergency services got there. She had a deep gash on her forehead, and it looked like it was bleeding pretty heavily. Yang knew that an open wound like that could get infected easily, even if Pyrrha wasn't doing anything. She had also caught a few chain links, but it looked like her armor had blocked more than a few from doing any serious damage. There was one that was obviously going to be a much bigger pain than the rest when she woke up. One link, twisted so much when it had split that it was almost straight, was poking through her hand. In one side and out the other.

Her examinations had taken her attention away from her scroll, so when the voice came quietly from her side, she was puzzled for a moment before fumbling to get the thing to the side of her head. "Hello? Hello, yes, there's been an…" she searched for the right word "…accident, and a few of my friends are really hurt. You need to send an ambulance, like, right away." The voice on the other end asked for her location, and she gave it without hesitation. They then said that response vehicles were on their way, and Yang thanked them before hanging up. She then returned to thinking about something that she could do to help.

As she thought about this, rummaging around for something to help Pyrrha's bleeding, other thoughts started to occur to her. Naze's puppet body had been right outside the front door the whole time, why hadn't he come in to help? With the power that he could bring to the table, they might've been able to get Nora under control. She was sure that Naze would've been able to get her under control. He had already done it, so why hadn't he now?

She felt anger start to boil over in her mind. Whatever Naze had been doing, there was no way that it was important enough to abandon them when they needed him the most. Before she was even really sure what she was going to say, she found herself storming towards the door. When she reached it, her boot was the first thing through, sending the door spinning off its hinges and clattering to the paved ground. He was still there, leaning against the wall with the same ridged and absent look that he got when the body wasn't controlled.

Yang grabbed the thing by the shoulders and shook it vigorously, practically shouting across the link the two shared "We need to talk!"

She could tell that Naze was paying no attention to her, and that only made her shout louder. When after half a minute of this Naze finally did, Yang instantly regretted certain words that she had used when attempting to grab his attention. Instead of communicating through the puppet, he spoke to her directly through their link, and Yang felt as though a massive presence had suddenly settled over her. Her very soul felt stifled beneath him. His words were slow and deliberate, conveying a very annoyed mood. "You have my undivided attention."

She could tell it was true and, now that she had it, she sincerely wished that she didn't. He was so focused on her that it felt like her own thoughts were being shoved to the side. The only thought that she was entirely sure that she could completely think out was that she wished she hadn't been quite so belligerent. The rest of her thought was taken up by trying to come up with an excuse and the question of why he hadn't helped.

'W-well, I was j-just wondering w-why…" her thoughts deteriorated with nervousness, and Naze completed her sentence for her. "What could be so important that I allow the escape of Nora? I was defending the artifact from the White Fang, then forced to retreat when a demonic rift opened, spilling demons out into Menagerie. When you contacted me, I was considering methods that might be used to contain the damage. If you believe your matter so important that I should divert my attention away from it, by all means, I could divert my resources to catching one runaway girl."

Yang didn't know how to respond. A demonic rift? As in more of the things inside Nora? If she wasn't already dead, she would've paled at the thought. Was there even really any hope of containing that?

Naze took her silence as an answer, and replied "Quite. I will explain the situation later. For now, tend to your own matters. Perhaps the local authorities may be able to stop the girl from doing any damage." His presence started to fade as he put his focus back towards his problem at hand. This allowed Yang more ability to think, and she responded "Yes, I will."

She stood there, still for a moment, wondering how she could've been so foolish. Eventually her eyes wandered to her hand, and the rag she had intended to use to help Pyrrha's cut stared back at her as if waiting to be used. Yang jumped when she realized that she had momentarily forgot about her friends. She sprang into action as quickly as she could, and started to give what little help she could to her them. They stirred a few times, but didn't wake. It wasn't long before ambulances pulled up outside, and started to treat the injuries that her friends had sustained.

* * *

Naze stood at the head of the meeting room, ornate stone table providing a place for all of those who would be involved in the effort to gather sufficient resources to repel the demonic incursion. It was a daunting challenge, but repelling the demons was not Naze's only concern. "As it stands, the living have no working defense against the demons. Paladins are more effective than normal soldiers, but demons are still very resilient. If there were a god present in the world, they would have a reliable first line of defense, but given that this is not the case, they are nearly devoid of divine energies."

Bella was the first to speak, and was closest by Naze's side. "Why concern ourselves with that? We have the power ourselves to stop them. Why involve the living at all?" Naze responded quickly, saying "Because I don't desire becoming their caregivers. They will start depending on us, and that is something I do not look favorably upon."

Another of the scholars further down the table spoke up, saying "We can produce divine energy. Might it be an option to share this technology? Do they possess the resources to give them access to such technology?" Naze shook his head. "No, they are nearly devoid of all magical knowledge. I doubt they would understand the difference between holy and divine powers anyways."

This brought a round of grumbling disbelief. They could hardly believe that the civilization of Remnant had advanced so far without discovering magic. Another scholar down the table spoke up, saying "What if we were to create a god? They will already believe nearly anything we say, and once enough people believe in it, it would form."

Naze shook his head again. "That would take far too long, and the end result would be much too unpredictable. It wouldn't take much to end up with a god that tries to eliminate us just as much as demons. We've faced that situation before, and killing a god is no easy task. Simple, perhaps, but not easy."

The gathered individuals continued to discuss the problem for hours, tossing idea after idea out. Naze reviewed every one, and pointed out its flaws. Creating a new god would be too risky, resurrecting an old god would be similarly dangerous. The living had not the capabilities to harness nor produce divine energies effectively. Naze knew that coming up with a solution would be difficult, but he also knew that they weren't the only ones who should be involved in the decision. Of all the living that he had met, Ozpin seemed the best to go to on the matter. He arranged for a shade to go to him and communicate on the matter. Numerous other shades had already been deployed around the world, monitoring for signs of demonic corruption, and Naze didn't want to remove any from that web. Demons were no subject to take lightly.

* * *

The trip back out of the Shaded Forest would have taken an entire day on foot, but there were plenty of transports that now lacked owners for Cinder and her lackeys to make use of. Now she sat in the pilot seat while Roman and Neo rode in the fuselage. She had yet to tell them of her magnificent plan, and was still debating whether she should. On the one hand, secrecy was the best armor one could ask for. But on the other, it was simply so devious, and would result in such gain that it was difficult to keep to herself. She wanted to share her genius.

The Bullhead soared over trees on its way to the nearest town, and Cinder awaited eagerly the outcome of what she was doing. She could practically feel the demons following behind the vehicle even though none of the instruments were picking anything up. They were too far behind now, she knew it, but she couldn't help but look for them.

She could still feel the wondrous power that had been granted to her so far pounding in her veins, making her body feel like it was ablaze. It was a feeling that fit her very well, and one that she found very appealing. Even her thoughts had proven to have been sped by it. Still though, she could tell that there was room to improve. She was powerful, but she could become more powerful. She almost itched for it now. She had gotten a taste, and now she wanted more.

She was well aware of the possibility that she was being manipulated, though. If this was all some trick of the mind, she was determined not to let herself he caught off guard. She only did as the object had asked because she saw a way to make it work for herself as well. It was a wonderful thing to find someone or something with similar interests. It was something that occurred so rarely for her that she was able to savor every bit of it now.

In the section of the aircraft behind her, Roman was shooing Neo away from him, saying in an exasperated voice "I'm fine! Get off!" Her face was very close to his, and he planted a hand solidly on it before pushing her away, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to move her.

She sat back in the seat across from him and pouted, crossing her arms and looking away. She wasn't really angry, but if Roman thought she was, he might actually be nice to her. It wasn't that he was normally mean to her, and he wasn't being now, but if he was trying to be apologetic, she would get special attention, and there was nothing that she loved more than that.

That was part of what made Roman special, she supposed. She had to find new ways to attract his attention constantly. Being offended was a relatively new one, and one that she knew the importance of not exhausting. If she appeared offended too often, Roman would stop caring. She had only used it two times before, and she already felt like she was pushing it. She would have to think of something else before too long. But it wasn't that time yet.

She could feel Roman's brain working, thinking about what to do, even if there was no bodily reaction. He wasn't one to feel empathy, but he did want to stay close to her. That alone made the act worth it. It wasn't all she would get out of it, though. Finally, Roman rolled his eyes and said "Oh, come on. Don't be like that."

She looked back at him, making sure that her eyes were wider and softer than normal, and Roman was suddenly very attracted to her again. He got up from his seat and transferred next to Neo, awkwardly sliding an arm behind her back. Neo pushed herself closer into Roman, and she stopped, slightly taken aback by the sudden affection, before continuing, settling his arm over her shoulder and looking forward. Neo again pushed herself closer, and Roman looked at her, saying "You're like a cat, you know that?"

She took it as a complement. Her hair met with a spot of blood on Roman's white suit, and she shifted herself away from it. It was only now that it occurred to her what they were doing, and when. Less than an hour after the largest massacre in recent history, and she and him were snuggling in the back of an escape vehicle, likely the only survivors.

That thought flitted away though as her changeling mind started to shift her focus again, casting the suffering of others out of her mind. They were unimportant anyways. Something that was much more important was Cinder. Something was off about her. The way she thought was, in some way, changed. There was more of an attraction in her thought, more of a goal. She was definitely striving towards something, but she didn't want to say what it was. It wasn't the first time that she had kept the two in the dark, and Neo very much doubted that it would be the last.

She would continue to go along with her schemes, though. She knew that Roman would, and she wanted to stay with him. She just hoped that Cinders plans wouldn't end up with Roman getting hurt. If it did, she might have to take the issue up with Cinder herself.

* * *

When Ruby's eyes opened, she found the light from above her stinging her eyeballs and a dull ringing in her ears. She tried to sit up, then felt something in her hand. She looked to whatever it was, moving away from it slightly, given as she couldn't see what it was, then waited for her eyes to focus in on it. The process was slow, but eventually a large yellow blob formed into Yang, her sister. She was holding her hand, and looking down at her from the side.

She looked down at herself, and was surprised to find herself lying on a hospital bed, beneath the thin sheets and wearing a hospital gown. She turned her head, about to ask Yang what had happened, when she suddenly became aware of a strange sensation in her ears. She put a hand to her head, giving Yang a questioning look, and her fingers found a soft mass obstructing her ear canal. She made to pull it out, but Yang made a motion for her to stop, holding up a small white paper. Ruby looked at the paper, and read, mouthing the words.

"Ruby, try not to worry. Nora screamed and messed your ears up. You had to get surgery to fix them. Pretty much everyone else did too. You'll all be fine in a few days. You have to keep the cotton in and not take it out, or it will get infected."

The note was in Yang's messy penmanship, and was about as brief as she usually wrote. Yang gave Ruby an apologetic look, then passed a pad of paper towards her, a pen resting on top of it. Ruby took it, and looked around the room again. It was isolated, well furnished, and wasn't too cold. It did look like it would be lonely, though, if Yang left. There was a TV hanging on the wall not too far from the bed, but it was off. She wondered if Yang had just been watching her the whole time.

Reluctantly, she drew her hand away from Yang's and took the pen, starting to write. The first question that came to her mind was of her other teammates, but her writing was marred by the grogginess that she still felt from waking up. It took her a few tries, but she was able to get the words out "Where are the others?"

Yang looked at the paper, and took her own pad, scribbling down "Weiss is one room over, Blake is across the hall, Pyrrha is next to her, and Jaune is on the other side."

Ruby stared at the list for several seconds before giving Yang a very concerned look. Yang looked worried by her sudden change, and tapped the pad in front of her, mouthing "Write it down." She did, setting pen to paper, but felt that the ink didn't really convey the proper feeling she wanted it to. Nevertheless, she held it up, and when Yang read it, she shook her head. "What about Ren?"

Ruby's heart dropped. Yang's not answering was a bad sign. Surely Nora hadn't been able to get him? Ruby had been knocked out by whatever it was that she had done, but that couldn't have happened to everybody. Someone else had to have been left. But, one person wouldn't stand much of a chance against Nora given the strength and speed she had shown, not to mention the other things, like claws and fangs. She wrote on the paper only one word. "Ren?"

Yang shook her head again, and wrote slowly "Nora got him. People are looking, but nothing so far." Ruby looked down, unable to believe it. All that they had done had been for nothing. She started to feel the pull of hopelessness, the same kind that had taken her over when Yang had died, but she tried to pull herself out of it. She wouldn't let herself fall to that again. She would get better, and she would lead her team out to look for the two. Yang must have seen the look on her face, because she put a hand on Ruby's again, and scooted closer to her. Ruby felt like she needed comfort, and reached her arms out to Yang, hoping for a hug. She got it, and immediately regretted it. It was a good thing that she was already in a hospital, because it felt like Yang was going to snap a few of her ribs.

Eventually the pressure managed to push her sadness out of her mind, and she wriggled out of Yang's grip. She tried to speak, but her voice was muted, even to her, and she could tell that without the normal feedback she got from her own voice, she was unable to really speak properly. Even with her words horribly slurred, she spoke as best she could, going more off of muscle memory than anything else. "We can get him back, and we can fix Nora. As soon as everybody recovers, that's what we're doing."

Yang gave her sister a look, trying very hard not to let it show how much her speech was distorted. She could barely understand what she was trying to say, but felt that she was able to catch the general drift of the message. Her sister was saying that they would go after Nora. That was all that she really needed to understand, because she agreed with that notion completely. Even if they couldn't get Naze's help in the matter, if his shades were too preoccupied with other matters, or there was something else that he wanted to do instead, she would do her best to help her sister track Nora down and save Ren. If they couldn't come together to do that, she didn't know what she would do.

She laid there in bed, waiting a while, thinking. She wished that she could take the cotton out of her ears, but if Yang said that it would be a bad thing to do, she wouldn't. She tried to think about what had happened that brought her here. The memories were fuzzy, but she was able to recall quite a bit of pain. She remembered the blood on her hands, and the brief explosion, but after that everything was simply black. She couldn't remember anything after that. Perhaps that was for the best.

After a while of waiting, Ruby started to feel a creeping boredom that seemed to follow in every hospital room. She felt bad about it, but even with Yang here, there was nothing to do. Eventually her eyes drifted up to the blank TV screen. Yang saw this, and tossed the remote over to her, mouth moving too quickly for Ruby to lip-read. She took it as an invitation to make use of the TV however she wanted, though, and took the remote in her hands, using it to blaze the screen to life, flickering images meeting her eyes. She was about to switch the channel to a cartoon show she enjoyed watching when the commercial that was playing on the first station ended, and a news report came on in its place.

The reporter's mouth moved, but Ruby didn't hear anything. Instead, the subtitles scrolled across the screen in a slow drawl, going across the bottom of the screen in bold white letters against black background. She let herself watch the woman's face for a few seconds before dropping her eyes to the words, unhappy that this was the way she would have to watch it.

"In other news, a recent string of violent crimes have been linked to a former student of the prestigious Beacon Academy. Although only a first year student, Nora Valkyrie has thus far evaded authorities, and continues to attack any who try to stop her. She has been seen traveling with another student, Lie Ren. The relation or intent of these two is unknown. If you see them, it is heavily advised to find a place out of their sight, and immediately contact authorities."

She looked to Yang, a shocked look on her face. Yang looked just as surprised as Ruby, and focused more on the television. Ruby did as well, finding dividing her attention between the words and the pictures on screen a very difficult challenge. "The initial crime seemed to have been with regards to the recent formation of the "Paladins", where almost all of this group were found near their facility, unconscious and in varying states of injury. Another small group of Beacon students were also found, their identities have yet to be confirmed. Preliminary reports have said that none have sustained critical injuries, but this, also, has yet to be confirmed."

The television blinked out of life as Ruby switched it off. She suddenly didn't feel like watching anything anymore. She wanted to get Nora, or help Ren somehow. There was no way to do this, though. It wasn't long before Yang passed her another note, giving her a sincerely apologetic look as she did so. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go soon. Naze business."

Ruby read the note, frowned, then nodded. She didn't like it, but she understood. The fact that Naze was doing something was good. Maybe he was trying to find a way to wrangle Nora. If he were to help, she was sure that Nora wouldn't be able to hide for long. Even though he wanted Yang to stay with her, she was glad that she would be going to do something that was, as much as she hated to admit it, more useful than keep her company.

It was a few more minutes before Yang passed her a note, telling her that it was "time to go". Ruby waved as Yang closed the door, and looked back to the TV once she was gone, reaching for the remote again. There was nothing else to do, so even though she didn't feel like watching cartoons, she knew that it would pass the time. That was something that she knew she wanted.

* * *

When Yang followed Naze's instructions to the base of the school tower, she knew that she was going to speak to Ozpin. What she wasn't expecting was to find his puppet body leaning against a wall outside, waiting for her. When she approached it, it moved into life, coming off of the wall and motioning for her to follow. They opened the door, and as they walked in, Naze said "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here when I am already attending this meeting."

Yang nodded, and Naze walked past the secretary at the desk without so much as looking at her, and she didn't raise any protest. Yang got the feeling that Naze had done that before. She nodded, and Naze responded without any hesitation. "You will be playing quite a role in things to come. You may be unaware, but the problem of the demons will require a large plan of action. If things continue as they are now, the demons will be able to destroy everything that you know as "civilization". I am meeting with Ozpin to discuss possible options, and you will weigh in. The more opinions that are present form individuals that understand the risk and possibilities involved, the better chance there is that whatever conclusion we come to will be accepted by those who must carry it out."

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open, and the two stepped inside. Yang was caught rather off-guard by this. Was she really going to be counted on the same level as Ozpin? That was something odd, even though she served Naze. She had never expected to be elevated to that level, at least this unexpectedly.

She gave Naze an unsure look, saying "I'm pretty clueless as to what's going on, though. Are you going to explain it to me on the way or what?" Naze shook his head, and replied "No, I'm afraid not. If you're attentive, though, you'll learn plenty. I do have to explain the situation to Ozpin anyways, so you'll know."

Yang nodded, and put her eyes back to the elevator doors. Naze wasn't very good at small talk. It felt so strange to just stand there in silence and wait. It was clear that Naze wasn't going to speak, though, so the ride continued in utter silence.

When the doors slid open again, the office opened up before them, and Ozpin looked up from his desk, a grim look on his face. Naze stepped out, and Yang followed him. As the two walked towards the desk, Ozpin stood, and gave them a look that seemed to suggest that he was not looking forward to their meeting. As they continued to grow closer, he indicated two chairs, saying "Please, sit. I'm sure that it would be best." Both obliged, and Ozpin knit his fingers together, leaning forward on his desk. "Now, I understand that this is a matter of utmost importance, correct?"

Naze nodded, saying "Yes. You recall, I assume, what I told you of demons?" Ozpin nodded, and Naze continued. "The artifact we unearthed was some form of demonic item, and when the White Fang made to steal it away, they activated it. A rift was torn, and demons are now spewed into Menagerie. Damage can likely be contained easily for now, but the hordes will not stay put for long."

Ozpin rose an eyebrow, and asked "Why are they contained now? Are they not as large of a threat as you say?" Naze shook his head in response, and said "No. Demons feed off of the life of others. They used that of the White Fang to rip their way to this world, and have likely exhausted it in the process. Without the flow of energy from new lives, they won't be able to travel far from their rip. If a demon strays too far from their power, they simply starve to death."

Ozpin took his hands apart in an open gesture. "Then I don't see what the issue is. If they require lives, we can simply evacuate the area, and they will be unable to advance, correct?" Naze shook his head. "No, you underestimate them. Their physical forms fail to manifest after a certain point, but they are still very much capable of affecting things outside of that range. They can, and will, corrupt the minds of others. They will form cults, and summon demons elsewhere. Those cults will open more rifts, allowing more demons through."

Ozpin sighed. "Then what can be done about it? You make it sound as if we might be fighting a hopeless battle. What help can you offer us?"

Yang looked to Naze just as curiously as Ozpin. She wanted to hear the answer. "I refuse to let the undead coddle you like children, you must fight your own battles. However, it would be hopeless to send you into a ring to fight a mammoth with your bare hands. We are prepared to discuss a variety of options that would supply you with divine energy, something that would increase your combat efficacy against them by an exponential factor." Ozpin raised an eyebrow again, and said "How exactly does it do that?"

Naze paused, thinking for a moment, then responded "Demons are like manifestations of hatred and anger, not just of humans, but of every sentient being in the universe. A god is like the opposite end of the spectrum. The innate desire for order and control. A higher focus of this is required to birth a god into existence, but once here, a god could perpetuate itself by cultivating followers. Essentially, belief in a god will make it real, and gods are beings that give off divine energy, the natural bane of a demon. Now, it is entirely possible to obtain divine power without the help of a god, but it is made significantly more difficult. What avenue we take is essentially up to you. We could raise an old god from the dead, create a new one, or supply divine energy generators."

Ozpin leaned back, his mind swimming with the options. "This… is… far too much to rest on my shoulders alone. I have to contact others around the world about this, and I doubt they'll have the faith in you that I do. I will contact you again when we hold council."

Naze nodded respectfully, and stood up. "Very well. I might remind you, however, that this is a time-sensitive matter. In addition to giving divine power, I am willing to task the undead with watching over the people of Remnant, ensuring that they do not fall to corruption in secret. If required, they might also find new enemies in the Grimm, which would give Hunters and Huntresses the ability to focus on the more important front." Yang gave Naze an odd look. It was strange that he was offering secondary help like that. She wasn't about to raise any objection, though. A question came to her mind, and she asked it without hesitation. "Could I be allowed to fight demons? I mean…" her voice trailed off as she tried to think of an excuse that might allow her to stay by Ruby's side. "…it would be good if I were seen in the thick of the action, right there with the rest of the heroes, right? Give the living more confidence that I really am still one of them, you know?"

Naze's lips lifted slightly, and he gave Yang an approving look. "Now you're learning the way of things. So-" he turned back to Ozpin "-you may council who you like, as you like, but a response is required soon. I might also remind you of Nora, and of what she represents. One of your very own students has already been corrupted, and wreaks havoc even now." Ozpin's eyes darkened, and he looked down, saying "I've no need to be reminded, I assure you. Now, please, leave me to my work. You've given me plenty to do."

His tone of voice was a kind of put off, in spite of his obvious efforts to cover it. Yang had never heard him like that, and she couldn't help but feel vaguely threatened. Ozpin being really riled up was something that she had never really considered before. She didn't think that that was what she was seeing now, but it was certainly closer than anything she had ever seen. He was normally so calm and collected, it was very strange to see him anything but that.

Naze started to walk towards the elevator, but Yang was hesitant to get up. Ozpin being mad at Naze wouldn't do anything good for anybody. Naze was leaving, but wasn't it her job to stay behind and fix the situation? She was an ambassador, and that seemed like it would fall under her responsibility.

She contacted Naze about it telepathically, and what she got was not so much of a structured response as it was a general feeling of approval. That was all she needed to keep herself planted in the seat, continuing to look at Ozpin. The elevator doors behind her dinged open, slid shut, and the sound of its descent slowly faded. Only when it was totally gone did Ozpin look up again from his papers and screens, raising his eyebrows and lowering his glasses slightly. "Can I help you?"

The irritation in his voice was gone now, replaced by nothing but the inquisitive nature all teachers seemed to have when they saw a student still in the room after class let out. Yang gave him as personable of a smile as she could and said "Well, that didn't seem to go very well."

Ozpin continued to look at her quietly for a moment before giving a heavy sigh and saying "No, I suppose it didn't, did it?" She shook her head, then said "Well, believe it or not, no matter how much he denies it, there is a human in there."

Ozpin blinked unbelievingly. Yang smirked, then nodded. "I know, it's hard to believe, but there is. I don't know if any of this is because of his emotions, but I just want you to know that he does have them. He's done a good job of burying them." She didn't know what she hoped telling the Professor this would accomplish, but the living knew almost nothing about him. If they knew a little more, they would be able to communicate easier.

"He certainly has done a good job, but why? I would imagine that with his vast knowledge, he would know that emotion can be a powerful thing." Ozpin spoke truth, emotion was a very powerful thing, and Naze did know it. Yang wasn't really sure what had lead Naze to try and purge himself of his humanity, she hadn't gotten that far in his magic tome yet, but she did know the paranoia that she had felt through him. If he felt anything like that while he was alive, the choice would make a lot more sense.

She was hesitant to answer on a subject that she knew almost nothing about, but decided to give it her best shot anyways. "I don't really know exactly why, but I know that he wasn't really a…" the word eluded her for a moment "…happy person. Maybe trying to destroy them was what he thought was best."

Ozpin sat back in his chair again, eyes gazing upwards at the clinking gears that hung from the ceiling. "Well, that does give him a new dimension, I think. It's difficult to see him as anything but the logic-driven person he is now." There was a somewhat awkward moment of silence between them, broken only when Ozpin looked back at Yang and said "That's a strange thing to ponder. I feel bad for him, in a way."

Yang nodded and smiled, saying "Yeah, good. Just... understanding someone else is important, and he's pretty hard to read." Ozpin smiled and said "Thank you." In a very sincere tone, holding out a hand to Yang. She shook it respectfully, then turned to make use of the elevator. The doors opened again, and she stepped inside. Just as they started to close, she saw a distinctive dark figure zip through the glass behind Ozpin and say in a reverberating, airy voice "Don't give me your pity." The voice was monotone, but there was certainly an undercurrent of indignity. Naze didn't say anything to her, though, so she had done her job well enough. She hoped that sharing that little secret would make things easier on both of them.

* * *

When Nora drew herself up against the wall, letting the small army of police officers that had been chasing her pass her by, she had to fight the urge to laugh. She was so happy, and nothing would change that. Ren was clutched tightly in her arms, looking at her with an absent, almost sleeping expression. He was tired. She felt somewhat tired as well, but she also felt like she could fight the whole of Remnant and come out on top. She had done it. After three long, agonizing days, she had reunited herself with Ren. She would never let him go now. Nothing on earth would separate them again. Not the foolish Paladins, not the disgusting undead, nothing.

She had to be careful not to crush Ren in her arms now because of how strong she had become. The energy that had filled her during the ritual that would've removed Tiny from her had not gone away, and she was loving it. She could do anything, she was sure of it. Ren, however, could not. Compared to her, he was weak and frail. She needed to protect him, and she couldn't do that if she was fighting with everything she could. She had to get Ren somewhere safe. Old factories surrounded her, and if she could find a good way into one, they would provide an excellent place to keep him for the night, which was approaching fast. She just had to make sure that the police were out of the area before she actually started to settle down. If she didn't, she could be interrupted, and Ren could be put at risk.

Her eyes, burning in the darkness, fell on one building in particular. It was large, with blown out windows and crumbled side structures, but looked more than sturdy enough to house the two. She started to make her way towards it, creeping through the shadows like a predator and doing her best to keep Ren comfortable. It was a tough task, but she was more than ready to take it. IF she couldn't keep Ren happy now, there was no way that he would choose to stay with her the rest of their time. Another pair of flashlights started to round the corner, and she hurriedly took a few back steps and turned around another corner, hiding from sight.

Footsteps drew closer, then started to fade as they continued on away from her. Gravel crunched under their feet, and Nora was glad that they were so clumsy. She could move almost silently on the small layer of rocks that covered the paved ground. If she couldn't, this would be much harder. As the footsteps continued to grow further and further away, she peeked around the corner to see if they were gone. Mostly, she could still see them walking next to each other, talking while they did so, but she knew that they wouldn't turn around.

With a kind of cautious speed, she rounded the corner and started to creep her way to the building she had decided on. There were no identifying features that really set its dull faded grey stone apart from the rest of the dull faded grey stone of the rest of this part of town, save for two large smokestacks that stretched high, several stories above the tallest buildings around. What it used to make in its heyday, she didn't know, but she didn't care. It would offer everything that she and Ren needed. She could give him the rest.

The police men did just as she expected them to, and didn't turn around as she made her way to one of the empty windows. A few shards of glass were left in the frame, meaning that it was impossible for her to simply pass Ren through, or for her to slide through carrying Ren. It would make too much noise, and she didn't want to hurt Ren.

The window had extra space, more than enough to clear Nora's height, and even then some, but it was on the second floor. That meant that she would have to jump to get it. She didn't doubt that she could do it, but Ren wouldn't like it. Briefly, she craned her neck in an attempt to scope out any other means of entry, but none presented themselves. Just then, the footsteps started to return. Every nerve in her body prickled, her every instinct telling her to turn around and fight, but she knew that she couldn't. She had to make the jump. It was now or never.

Her legs bent beneath her, and she grit her teeth as she summoned up the energy to jump. The muscles in her legs started to heat up, and she was careful to keep Ren from touching them. Steam started to lift off of the soft flesh that covered her muscles, and she blocked out everything else. Just as the voices rounded the corner behind her, she pushed off, sending herself flying into the air, pulling Ren with her, a huge grin on her face. She soared up, feet just clearing the shards of glass left on the windowsill, and she watched at the wall of the building passed below her, a feeling of triumph filling her body.

The feeling of triumph was quickly replaced by one of panic as she saw that the floor immediately in front of the window, what she had anticipated landing on, had dropped out. At the end of her arc, instead of the sturdy concrete floor that she had expected, there was a pile of jagged looking pieces of construction material and sharp looking glass shards stared back up at her. Her mind raced as quickly as it could, and she only came up with one solution to save Ren from damage. She would have to bear the brunt of the damage. In midair, before she hit the ground, she threw her head forward, bracing her back for the impact.

As she hit the ground, she put one arm tight around Ren so that he wouldn't slide away from her. Then, with her other three limbs, pushed against the ground as she connected with all her might, dispersing the force over a greater area. The feeling of sharp rocks punching into her back, and glass slicing her skin apart hurt, but it was nothing more than she could bear. The sound of her hitting was a muffled crunch, she felt her bones strain to keep from breaking, but overall, it hurt far less than she had expected.

She laid still, holding her breath for fear of giving any further hint of where she had fled to. Her grip on Ren got even tighter, not wanting him to make a sound. Flashlights above them, shining through the window that she had entered through, wavered around slightly as their holders looked around, and a voice not too far away said "Did you hear that?"

The response was quick and decisive, saying "Yeah, I did, but this place is crawling with little critters. And besides, what are the chances that crazy is still here? Come on, let's just finish our rounds and get the hell back to base. I don't want to be out here when it gets dark." The first voice replied with an "I hear that." And both pairs of footsteps started to fade again.

Nora let her body relax. She had done it. She was safe, and so was Ren.

Ren.

As soon as thoughts of the boy entered her mind, they refused to leave. With a wide smile, and almost giggling happiness, she moved both of them to the side, off of the pile. Then, once he was clear of the rubble, she rolled over on top of him, knees at either side of his hips, pressing herself against him. Their lips met, and Nora let the primal side of her body take over. She would let Ren rest, but not quite yet.


	33. Chapter 33

Author's Note:

and the cooldown off of the crazy. Tell me how I did with all the dialogue, like with Ironwood and Ozpin. I'm always nervous about that. Also; what do you think about the new character? I like her, she's cool.

As always, review and stuff.

* * *

When Penny looked to the television and saw Ruby being loaded into the back of an ambulance, she felt her heart sink into an ominous pit. What was wrong with her friend? She made sure to pay special attention to the report only long enough to see the name of the general hospital that she had been taken to before taking off quickly to find Ironwood. It was strange, but he seemed to have gotten more protective since the accident that she had apparently had. No one had told her what had really happened, but they assured her that it was nothing to worry about, so she believed them. Whatever it was had been enough to give Ironwood quite a scare, though. She hadn't been allowed out again since.

Speaking of Ironwood, she didn't know where he was. She checked in all of his usual spots and found nothing. When finally she asked one of the men who followed his orders, she got a weird look before being told that the man "doubted that Ironwood wanted to be disturbed". She knew that Ironwood would talk to her if she found him, and she felt a very strong pull to go to Ruby, but she wouldn't be able to simply walk there. After a little more prying, she got Ironwood's location out of the man, and set off towards it. It was, of course, his office.

When she gently wrapped her knuckles against the door, she heard voices from behind the door cut off suddenly. She cringed as she learned that she was interrupting something. That would certainly not put Ironwood in a good mood. Hopefully, however, she would be able to convince him to let her go. She didn't have many friends, so something happening to any of them was scary. Especially if it brought them to the hospital.

She waited a few more seconds outside of the door, nervously rubbing her hands together and shuffling her weight from one leg to the other. Eventually the door did open, and Ironwood stood behind it, an almost expectant look on his face. As soon as his eyes fell on Penny, his face softened, and he sighed, saying "Yes, Penny?"

She felt immediately like she shouldn't be disturbing him. He was doing something that was probably important, and needed not to be disturbed. It was too late now, though, and she had to make her request. Her voice quavered uneasily as she managed to force the words out. "Mr. Ironwood, may I go out today?" This question seemed to take him by surprise, and he raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, why? Where would you go?"

Penny nodded as if thanking him for not outright denying her, then said "Well, my best friend, Ruby, is in the hospital, and I wanted to go and see her! Please, I don't know what's wrong with her, and I feel like I need to check on her!"

Ironwood's face softened more when he heard this plea, and he looked over his shoulder at whatever meeting was going on back in the office before looking back at her face. He sighed, and said "Penny…" in an almost defeated voice. She put her hands together, hoping with all her might that he would say yes. There were a few intense seconds where Ironwood's expression changed one way, then another, before finally he nodded, saying "Fine, yes, yes, you may go. But you're going to be escorted the whole way." He drew another breath as if he was going to say something else, but Penny lunged forward, snagging him in a hug before he could do so. Air was forced momentarily out of his lungs as Penny cried "Thank you!"

Her arms were tight, but Ironwood pulled her off gently, and gave her a small pat on the head, almost touching her bow. "As I was saying, please don't try to get away from them again. If you do that, you'll lose all outside privileges again." Penny nodded, eyes gleaming radiantly up at him, the most innocent of expressions on her face. "Yes sir! I won't run away again!" She meant it, too. She just wanted to talk to Ruby again.

Mr. Ironwood made a gesture towards the hall she had come down, and said "Go on, they'll be waiting by the gates." That was her cue to turn and nearly sprint down the hall. Ironwood watched her go, a smile on her face. He didn't think he had ever been that happy for anything, but seeing Penny that way brought him all that much closer. He stepped back into his room, shutting the door behind him. He sent out a small message to Penny's handlers before sitting back down in front of the screen, hitting a button, and watching Ozpin's face reappear on the display. There was a knowing smirk on his face, quite contrasting what they had been talking about moments before, and at an annoyed sound from Ironwood, continued to explain how the world was in grave danger.

When Penny reached the gates, the two men who had used to accompany her everywhere, and in more recent months had been with her less and less, greeted her. She did the same, first the one with the blue colored shoulders beneath his armor, then the red one. She didn't think that she had ever seen their faces. It was strange now that she thought about it, but that was the way it had always been, so she was used to it.

They motioned for her to go first, and she did. The walk to the hospital was somewhat slow, given the fact that she had never gone to the hospital, and thus didn't know the route. She relied on her handlers to show her where to go, which she also didn't mind. She remembered when they had shown her around the city the first time. They hadn't shown her the hospital. She'd never thought that she would need to go.

It wasn't long before they were showing her through the doors, into the large atrium. Penny was unfamiliar with how hospitals really worked, but she was well acquainted with the systems that would organize a place like this. She walked up to the receptionist and asked "Excuse me, can you tell me what room Ruby Rose is in?"

The man behind the desk gave her an odd look, then started hitting a few buttons, saying "Certainly! If you'll just give me a moment, I'll tell you the room number…" his voice trailed off and started to make a clicking sound with his tongue for a few moments before nodding and saying "Yes, here it is. She's in room two twenty-three. That's on the second floor. And, before you go, can I have a name and reason for visit?" Penny responded without hesitation "Penny, and I want to visit my friend."

The man nodded, typing more on his console and saying "Sorry, but it's a new policy. I don't really understand it, but whatever." He finished typing and looked back to Penny. "Anyways, you're good to go! I hope you enjoy your visit!"

Penny nodded, and started to walk towards the elevator. As she did this, she noticed that her handlers were now quite a distance behind her. They were getting closer to get in the elevator with her, but they were giving her more space than they usually did when they were out with her. She wondered if Ironwood had told them to do that.

The doors to the elevator closed, and one of the men hit the button to the second floor of the building. The metal box started to slide up the shaft, and quickly came to a stop, the doors opening again.

* * *

Ruby's gaze was transfixed on the screen in front of her. At some point she had stopped trying to both watch the visuals and read the subtitles and simply focused on the visuals. They were strangely entrancing once she did this. It was only the bright flash of a light next to the TV that told her something was going on. When she looked over at the door, she could see Penny's face, smiling and waving at her. A smile came across Ruby's face too, and she waved back. She would've gotten up to greet her as well, but her balance was all out of whack from the injuries to her ear. She had already tried standing up, and pulling herself back into the bed from the floor was a difficult thing to do.

She motioned for Penny to come in, and she did so. Ruby also noticed two large men by her sides, but they stayed outside the room. She recognized them from somewhere, but she couldn't quite place it. She shrugged it off, though, as Penny walked in and her mouth started to move. Ruby was able to tell what the first few words were, but Penny spoke too fast to keep up.

She interrupted her ginger friend by holding up a hand and making a sound with her throat that she wasn't exactly sure how she made, and figured that she would blush if she were to hear it, but her being deafened spared her from that. She then immediately reached for the pad of paper that Yang had been using to communicate. The first few pages were covered with idle doodles she had made of modifications she could make for Crescent Rose, but there were still plenty of pages behind that. She scribbled out a message quickly, then held it up for Penny to read. "Can't hear. Write notes. Close the door."

Penny's eyes flicked across the line, then she gave Ruby a somewhat horrified look. Ruby nodded towards the door, and Penny walked over to it, leaning her head out to say a few words to the men before leaning back in and closing the door. Once it was securely latched, Penny walked back over to Ruby's bedside and sat in a chair next to her.

The worry in Penny's eyes was obvious, but Ruby was worried too. The last time she had seen Penny, she had been airlifted away after a visit with Naze. Whatever had happened in that room, she didn't know, but whatever it was weighed heavy on her mind. She knew that Naze hadn't done anything purposefully, but if there was something simpler that could set it off, she didn't want to go anywhere near it. She started to write down "Are you alright? How are you?"

Penny read the message, started to speak, then recalled that Ruby couldn't hear her. Instead, she looked around for something to convey her message. Ruby handed her the pen and pad she had been using, and was somewhat shocked by the extreme speed that Penny wrote at. Her handwriting was also essentially flawless. Her handwriting next to Ruby's made her feel slightly self-conscious.

When Penny handed the pad back, Ruby read, mouthing the words "I am fine. Why would I not be alright? What about you? What happened? I saw you on the news, but I didn't watch the whole report." Ruby took a deep breath and tried to focus herself. Communication like this to anyone was rather difficult, and it was going to be even more so with Penny. She didn't let that deter her, though, and accepted the pad and pen back. "I saw you being flown away in a Bullhead with Ironwood. Was that serious?"

She didn't address what had happened to her yet, but that would take a rather lot of explaining that she didn't want to do yet. She still had to figure out some of what had happened for herself. A worried look came over Penny's face when she read the message, and she wrote "You saw that?" Instead of taking the pad to write again, Ruby opted for the quicker route and nodded.

Penny wrote "What was I doing?" and passed the pad to Ruby, who stared at the white paper, thinking. She could just outright say that she had been asking about death, but Yang had said that Penny couldn't really handle the information. She didn't want to lie to her friend, but if telling her the truth was going to physically hurt her, she couldn't do that either. In the end, she made a tough call, and wrote "I don't know."

As dramatic as this seemed to Ruby, Penny seemed to shrug it off without a second thought. She simply took the pad, nodding, and wrote "What happened to you?" Ruby heaved another great sigh, happy to move on from the boulder that seemed to be left in her stomach. If describing the madness of earlier would help, she would do it.

* * *

Ironwood folded his arms and sat back in his chair. "You don't really trust him, do you? I mean, I recognize that we don't have much in the way of options, but surely-" Ozpin cut him off, talking over him in an annoyed tone. "James, you saw firsthand what his people are capable of, and the kind of thing that we will be up against. Even if it is just a tail-camera on an airship, the killing of hundreds by monsters spilling out of a sudden hole in the air cannot be ignored. You yourself said that you doubted that we have the means to defend ourselves."

He was right. He had said those words, and he was wishing that he had bit his tongue now. "But why should we trust Naze? There is no indication that he is any better!" Ozpin gave his old friend a small shake of the head, saying "He may not be the most personable of individuals, but he is trying. Neither of us can deny that, and neither of us can deny that we haven't been the most receptive hosts. If you really want to see if he's trustworthy, now seems like an excellent place to start. If you're right, and he isn't trust worth, we'll die. But if we don't trust him, I've no room for doubt that we'll die."

Ironwood sighed again. That was an easy thing to say, but to practice it was another story. "Oz, do you really think that getting the people to trust him will be as easy as saying that they are helping us? It's never that easy. You know that." Ozpin nodded, then said "Indeed I do, but I also know that you are a military man, James. You know that we can't fight something that we are so outgunned against and have so little knowledge about. You've spent your life protecting people, why stop now?"

Ironwood felt his old friend's words cut deep, but also something else. If he really believed in Naze this much, how could he continue to outright distrust him? To do that would be to distrust Ozpin, and that was something he simply could not bring himself to do. "Fine. We'll give it a chance. You've managed to convince me, but how do you plan to convince anyone else that Naze won't simply stab us in the back?"

Ozpin paused for a brief moment, thinking, then said with the ghost of a wry smile "That'll be the hard part, won't it? Well, we both have schools, so I've got an idea that could use that. Naze said that he was planning to spread some knowledge around, correct? What better place to do that than a school? A symbol of trust, and a demonstration of his good intent."

Ironwood mulled the idea over in his mind. It did seem good, but one issue could be that no one would show up. If that were to happen, the whole effort would be wasted. But, then again, he was offering to teach magic. Somehow there wasn't much doubt in his mind that low attendance would be a problem. "Alright, that covers some of the general population, but what about leaders? You know that they'll be much harder to win over."

Ozpin leaned forward on his desk, face growing closer to his desk as he did so. "Yes, I am quite aware. I should hope that their very nations being at risk would give some degree of urgency to it all, but if it doesn't, perhaps that reflects more on the leaders than on our efforts." Ironwood smirked. He could certainly think of a few politicians who might stand in their way. "Will Naze be helping in this regard, or is it solely our responsibly to prepare the world for his help?"

Ozpin shook his head and said "No, no, of course not. Why would he even hope for this to work if he were putting no effort in? He will lend his assistance."

Ironwood replied to this by saying "You never know. Stranger things have happened. Many of which are fairly recent." Ozpin nodded. There was certainly no arguing with that. The two continued to talk about what might be able to be done, then agreed to continue doing so independently as they resumed their normal day. Both found that the two things were ill-suited to residing in the same day.

* * *

Amber approached the desk of the hospital, feeling eyes on her from almost every direction. The pearly white robes of her new faith might have been a little over the top, but they certainly did their job. She was naturally graceful, so with the robe's front closed, she almost seemed to glide across the floor.

She was naturally withdrawn, so the feeling of so many eyes on her was disconcerting to say the least, but she also felt something else. She had never been very confident, but the light that she now felt inside her seemed to grant her a kind of peace that she never knew existed. She was nervous about so many eyes upon her, but at the same time, she was confident that she would do nothing to upset them. It was all a very new experience, and she still had to get used to it.

As she approached the desk, she spoke to the man behind it, her voice quiet, almost barely audible. She had always been soft-spoken, and that was a habit that she doubted the Light would be able to break. It wasn't bad, though, so she didn't need to break it. As she read off the small list of names, the man nodded and started to look up their room numbers. As he did so, he told a few jokes, making her laugh. She had never used to laugh, either. Not in public, anyways. She had only felt comfortable in her own home, isolated from everyone. Now she felt comfortable everywhere.

It was around a month ago that she had joined the Order of the Holy Light, and she had never looked back. While she was a part of the Order, she wasn't a Paladin. She had done her best to train and become one, but it had all been for nothing. She recalled the crushing despair she had felt when Solace had told her that she was unfit for being a Paladin. She had tried so hard, trained with every fiber of her being to become one, then was told that she couldn't become one. If she was totally honest with herself, something that the Light made easier, that was probably the worst moment of her life. She'd never really considered suicide before, but after that…

Solace had been quick to tell her that there were other paths, and that he believed her to be fit for another one. The way of the Priest was the one for her. She would learn the hymns and prayers of their tomes and history by heart. She was off to a good start, too. Almost every waking hour now was spent with her nose buried in a book. She had used to spend her time watching TV or on her scroll, and now she barely ever used those things.

The man gave her the room numbers, and she wrote them down next to the names on her list. She thanked the man, and had just started to turn away when he called out "Hey, uh…" she looked back to him, finding him running his fingers through his hair and shuffling his weight from one leg to the other. "Are you, uh, doing anything this Friday?"

Amber almost let her jaw drop. She had never been asked out before. She had always thought that she wasn't attractive enough to have any real attention focused on her, but now she even felt beautiful. She remembered when she had let her hair get bedraggled and oily, dimming its natural blond shine. Now the hair that brushed against her shoulders reflected light in what she had been told was a shimmering display, outdone only by the brightness of her smile. But she couldn't accept. She was taken completely by her studies now, she had no time for that. She flashed a smile at him and gave a small, nervous giggle. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm busy."

The man's face fell, and the hope seemed to fade from his eyes. Most people wouldn't mind this too much, but Amber couldn't stand the sight of someone losing hope. It was just painful. The smile fell from her face, and she stepped towards him a little, putting an arm out towards him and resting it gently on his shoulder. "Don't give up. You'll find someone, eventually. I wish I could accept, but prior engagements make it impossible." A surprised, almost awestruck expression came across his face, and she saw the hope return to his eyes. "You really think so?"

Amber nodded her graceful head, and said "I do. Don't give up." The man nodded, and Amber smiled again and said "Good. Now, I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I wish you luck." He nodded, and Amber turned back to continue towards the elevator, her confidence significantly boosted.

When she found her way to the second floor and to the room nearest the elevator, she peered into the small window at the bed. There was a boy there, fairly young with blonde hair almost the same color as hers. Cotton stuffed in his ears seemed to suggest that he had been treated already. She knew she would have to visit eventually, but didn't want to face the awkward prospect of him waking up while she was in his room. That would be a rather odd occurrence. Instead she chose another of the rooms at random, and peeked in its window. The girl from earlier, whose arm Amber had mended, was in the bed, another girl who looked about her age sitting next to her. They looked like they were passing notes back and forth, both with large smiles on their faces.

Not wanting to interrupt their merrymaking, she took a step back, about to turn away, but stopped. Maybe that meant that they would be the best to do first. They were in good spirits, and would probably be receptive. Hesitantly, Amber tapped her knuckles on the door.

The girl who Amber had healed, Ruby, if she recalled correctly, didn't respond, but the one next to her looked over curiously. Ruby followed her friend's gaze, and when she saw Amber, she motioned for her friend to open the door. She did so, and Amber walked in, thinking of what to say. Ruby started to write something down, and the ginger girl who had opened the door said "Hello, my name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Amber smiled and said "Hello Penny. My name is Amber, I met Ruby before. I was hoping that maybe I could come in and help her?" Penny looked her up and down, obviously puzzled by the pearly white robes that she wore, then said "Yes, of course! She can't hear anything though, so you have to write notes down."

Amber nodded. "I assumed as much." She stepped towards Ruby, about to take a hold of the pad, then hesitated. She was a slow writer, and didn't want to hold this process up. Instead she turned to Penny and said "Actually, do you think you could dictate for me? I don't think I could go as smoothly as you." Penny nodded and said "Sure!" and grabbed the paper, ready to write. Amber waited for her to get ready, then looked to Ruby. The girl looked between Amber and Penny a few times with a confused look before Amber started to talk, and the sound of Penny writing behind her filled the air.

"Hello, Ruby. Do you remember me?" Ruby looked again behind her to Penny, who held up the paper. She nodded, and Amber continued. "Then you also remember how I healed your arm, correct?" Again Ruby nodded, and Amber gave her as endearing a smile as she could manage. "You wouldn't mind if I were to do that again, would you? I think I could fix your ears, if you let me."

Penny continued to scribble for a few seconds before holding the paper up, and Ruby read it. As soon as she finished, she gave Amber an enthusiastic nod. Amber gave a sigh of relief and took a small step forward, saying "Very good, thank you. Now, if you could sit on the side of your bed please…" Ruby slid out from under the covers, and her hospital gown looked like it would barely contain any heat at all. It was no wonder that she was beneath the blankets.

Amber put a hand out towards her slowly, hands as steady and graceful as ever. She opened herself wide, allowing the light inside of her to flow out freely. Her hands started to glow, and she began reciting the ancient chant, speaking in the tongue that she had spent so much time practicing. Words of flowing poise and elegance came from her mouth, and she heard Penny briefly attempt to transcribe the words, but gave up quickly. Amber's fingers slowly pulled the cotton out of her ears, and then rested her palms gently against the sides of her head. She focused the light inside of her on the words, and she could feel Ruby start to move. She tightened her grip slightly, holding Ruby's head still, and continued to chant. It was much easier now without the pressure the battle had put on her. She completed the end of the psalm, and opened her eyes. She hadn't realized she had closed them, but she didn't mind too much. She also found herself leaning in close to Ruby, whose eyes were also closed. The light slowly faded from Amber's hands, turning back inward, and she felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her. Helping others was something that she had never had the option to do either.

She stepped back, and Ruby's eyes opened as well. The cotton was still in Amber's hands, so she placed it softly on a table near the door, and returned to Ruby's side. "How are you feeling? Is it alright?" Ruby flinched when she first heard Amber's voice, then nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I can hear. How did you do that? It was awesome! Do you think I could learn that stuff?"

The girl's enthusiasm was something that Amber had not quite been expecting. She was, however, flattered. She had looked up to the Hunters when she was a child, but never met their standards. Her body was too frail, her aura not strong enough, her family lacking the finance to send her to combat school, the list of things that stopped her went on and on. But hearing Ruby, one merely training to become a Huntress, compliment what she was now was of huge importance. She gave a pearly smile but shook her head, sad to deny her. "No, I'm afraid not. At least, so long as you aspire to be a Huntress. You would have to join the Order of the Holy Light, and dedicate yourself fully to it. I'm sorry."

Ruby's demeanor seemed to drop slightly, but she didn't let that affect her too much. She perked immediately back up, then said curiously "Are you just here for me, or are you going to heal the others?" Amber replied by saying "Actually, I was going to ask you about that. I know your friends are injured, but do you know who needs the most help? I don't know exactly how many of those I have left in me."

It was true that each one wore her down more and more, but she knew that she had at least a few left, and she would try her best to finish healing all of them. Ruby thought for a moment before saying "I think that Pyrrha was the one that had it the worst. She has a concussion, I heard. She would probably be the best to heal first."

Amber thanked her, then looked down at her list to see what room Pyrrha was in. She wanted to get the healing done as fast as possible, and return to her studies. "Well, I hope to see you again soon, Ruby. It was nice meeting you, Penny." She gave a small wave to the two before walking out the door, letting it close behind her. The next room was Pyrrha Nikos. From what she knew of the girl, she was an excellent warrior. She recalled seeing the name in the news a few years ago for winning some tournament, as well as her face on some cereal boxes. She was the kind of person that she had used to wish to be. And now she was going to heal her injuries.

An eagerness carried her step now, and she came to the room, peering in the window. Pyrrha was sitting on the side of her bed, toes brushing the ground, and eyes straight forward as if she was focusing very hard. Amber stalled knocking, wanting to see what the girl was doing. Slowly, the stark red-head lifted her weight in her arms on the side of the mattress, and lowered herself onto her bare feet.

Her legs wobbled beneath her, and it was clear that she wasn't fit to be walking. There was something noble in the effort, though. The knocks on the door made Pyrrha's head turn up towards the window and as soon as they did, she started to keel to one side. Amber acted as quickly as she could, throwing the door open and rushing inside. Her robes fluttered behind her, and she lunged out to save the girl from falling.

Too late, however, and Pyrrha's shoulder collided with the ground in a solid thud, but Pyrrha's face didn't seem to change. She still had a shocked, surprised look about her. Amber knelt down next to her, and said in a worried voice "Are you alright?"

An adhesive bandage was plastered to her forehead, and her movements were sluggish.. Amber worked a hand under Pyrrha's shoulder and tried lifting with all her strength, saying in a strained voice "Come on! Get up!" Pyrrha remained as limp as a ragdoll, and Amber changed her words to "Please get up!"

Whether she could hear it or not, that seemed to spur her into action more, and she started to align her limbs in a way that would allow for her to place herself back on her feet. Amber helped where she could, steadying the girl and pulling her up to her feet. She was far heavier than she looked, and Amber could feel from her arm that it was all muscle. It reminded her of Solace.

When she was finally able to place the girl on the side of her bed, she was looking around lazily, never focusing on a single thing. By now, Amber had realized that Pyrrha was probably on painkillers of some sort. It didn't surprise her, but she was slightly disappointed. She might've hoped that she would get to speak with Pyrrha, fully conscious. An idea occurred to her however, and she wondered if she could purge the drugs from her system. It was a separate prayer, but she was sure that she could do it. First, though, she would have to heal the injuries.

She spoke in a soft voice, like she always did, saying "So, Pyrrha, I can heal your wounds, if you let me." Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at her and fixed her with a stony gaze for a minute before Amber remembered that she could not hear anything. She felt her cheeks blush from the mistake, but knew that no harm had really been done. Not wanting to upset Pyrrha, she gently pushed her down flat on the bed, and started to recite the chant. Her hands glowed again, and again she called upon the light inside of herself. Pyrrha's wounds mended just like Ruby's, but she was still groggy from the drugs.

Amber removed her book from her side now, and cracked it open to find the blessing of cleansing. It was a few page turns before she had located it, and called upon her own light again. The words were unfamiliar to her, and she botched a few pronunciations, but she was able to get through it without much real trouble. When she was done, Pyrrha blinked rapidly a few times, then sat up, rubbing her head. "I… who…"

She couldn't find the words, but Amber understood her disorientation. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said "Don't worry, you're alright now. I'm Amber, the girl from yesterday. I healed your friend Ruby."

Pyrrha nodded, rubbing an eye. "Yes, I remember you, but what are you doing here? I mean…" her voice trailed off, and she inspected a few places on her lower torso with her fingers before looking back to Amber, baffled. "You did this?" Amber nodded, and Pyrrha started to agitate. "I… thank you, but are the rest of my friends alright? What happened? I remember fighting, and then…"

Amber put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, and looked her dead in the face. "Please, you need to calm down. I'll tell you everything, if you like, but not until you get a hold of yourself." Pyrrha bit her lip, but nodded and turned her gaze ahead of her. She was worried, but she understood the importance of remaining calm. She remained that way for what felt like a long time, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths until she felt the panic in her mind start to subside. "Alright, I think I'm ready."

Her eyes opened, and Amber was still standing across from her, waiting patiently. Her golden hair fell slightly over her shoulders as she nodded, then began to speak. "You were knocked unconscious by Nora, as was the rest of your team. The only one left awake was Yang, but she was unable to stop Nora from reaching Ren. I'm sorry, but…" Pyrrha's eyes closed again, and her head came forward into her hands as her breathing started to quicken. Amber hardly felt like continuing, but had to. "…but there's nothing you can do, at least now."

She could see tears starting to flow, smashed as soon as they exited the eye by Pyrrha's palms. It hurt to see such a strong person broken, even if she didn't know anything about them personally. "Please, don't cry. You tried your best! It was a valiant effort!"

Pyrrha didn't stop crying. Her hands pushed harder against her eyes, and her feet came to her chest, away from the floor, and she started to curl up on her bed. Amber felt the sadness start to seep in to her as well. Tolerance for sadness was never her strong suit, and merely seeing someone sad was enough to start her feeling very bad. It was even worse when she sympathized with their grief.

Her eyes started to tear up, and she cursed to herself as she started to cry as well. There was something that she could do, though. Hope was strong in her, and she could brighten the light of other's with it. Before her body started to shake too much for her to speak, she held out a hand in front of her. A light, different from the kind she used before, started to glow in her palm. It was soft and warm, like a candle flame, and as soon as she saw it, her feelings started to lift. This blessing was not something that required words. It was a manifestation of hope itself. Since joining the Order of the Holy Light, she had felt more hope than she ever had before. It was easy to let shine through, even though she felt sad.

Pyrrha's fingers cracked apart, and the light entered her eyes. Instantly her sobbing slowed before stopping altogether, and her hands fell away from her face. Amber could tell that it was working, and that Pyrrha was starting to mend herself emotionally as well. Dealing with Nora all that time, being the way she was, must've been awful. Now, with her getting away with Ren, it must've seemed that she had entirely failed her friend.

The small glow continued to comfort her, and Amber gently whispered reassurances to her. They sat that way for a long time before Amber closed her fingers reluctantly, and stepped back from Pyrrha. The glow dissipated, and Pyrrha looked back up at Amber's face. "What was that?"

Amber smiled, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes and shrugging her shoulders. "It was… just a little something I learned to do in the Order. Anyways, I'm healing all of your friends, and I was wondering if you have any idea of who I should go to first. I've already healed Ms. Rose, and now you, so…" her voice trailed off as the question hung in the air. It was a difficult one to answer, she knew, but she felt that it would be better than selecting one at random. Pyrrha bit her lip for a moment before giving Amber a hesitant look and saying "Have you… seen Jaune at all? How is he?"

Amber looked down at her list, not sure which one Jaune was. After realizing that he was the boy she had seen, she said in a comforting voice "Yes, I've seen him. He appeared fine, other than the ear injury you all had. I should tend to him first, then?" Pyrrha was obviously hesitant to give an answer, but nodded her head slowly. "Yes, if you would, it would make me much more comfortable. I don't want to say that I value him above any of the others, but…" She looked down and her voice trailed off, but Amber understood. She nodded and said "I'll tend to him, don't worry. You should rest now, you look tired." It wasn't exactly true, she looked fine, but it would be better for everyone if she simply took a load off.

Pyrrha agreed, nodding her head and laying back on the bed, pulling the covers back over herself. Amber walked back to the door and exited back out into the hall, saying farewell over she shoulder. Pyrrha returned it as the door closed. Amber didn't need to look at her list to find Jaune Arc's room. She didn't need to knock on his door, he was still asleep when she got there. She opened the door slowly, careful to not make any noise that she could avoid making. A few cautious steps towards the sleeping boy, and she was standing over him. He looked like he was in a very deep sleep, and she doubted that he would wake up even if she were chanting over him as he slept.

With slow motions, she removed the cotton from his ears like she had the others. The white, soft material was stained with a sickly color of yellow, combined with a few streaks of red here and there. She started the chant, ancient words bringing her light to life. Her palms rested against his ears the same way, and just as the others had been, he was healed.

Amber decided not to wake him. It would be a difficult thing to explain how he had been fixed without demonstrating, and she wanted to conserve her strength. She was starting to feel the strain that these miracles brought on her body.

She exited the room quickly, pulling her list to see who was left. Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee. The name Schnee felt familiar, and it wasn't long before she had matched it with the brand logo on everything that she bought. Schnee Dust Corporation, or something like that. She'd never paid a great deal of attention.

She didn't know who the other person was. She thought she remembered her from the fight, but she wasn't sure. In the end, she had no good way which to do first, and simply picked the nearest one, Weiss Schnee. When she looked in the window, she found essentially what she had expected. The girl was lying in her bed, impressively large and off-center ponytail to the side next to her. She knocked on the door before remembering that she was deaf, and simply opened it.

The movement attracted her attention, and she raised an eyebrow at Amber. She was sure that she looked strange, but everyone else she'd talked to probably think the same thing, and they'd said nothing. Amber took a few flowing steps towards the patient, but stopped as she drew back on the bed. She was obviously suspicious, and tried briefly to speak, but could tell it was slurred and incomprehensible from Amber's look, so she simply stopped. Amber held up her hands and took a few more steps closer, mouthing the words "I'm here to help you" in as exaderated a fashion as she could. This allowed her much closer, and she reached for the cotton in Weiss's ears.

A worried look came across Weiss's face, but she didn't pull away again. In the same way that she had the other's, Amber pulled the cotton from her ears, careful not to cause any pain, then called her own light forward. Weiss's eyes, much like the others, followed the golden glow with a mixture of awe and confusion. Palms again touched ears, and after a few twitches of the head, Weiss looked up at Amber in complete shock. "You… how did you…?" It was clear that she didn't quite know what to ask, so Amber started to answer her questions before she posed them.

"I'm a Priestess with the Order of the Holy Light. Mending injured brothers and sisters is my duty, among other things. Do you feel alright? Is it comfortable?" Weiss shook her head in a moment of disbelief, then said "Yes! It feels like I was never injured at all!" She then winced, and a hand went to her shoulder. "Well, almost like that." Amber raised an eyebrow, saying "What else is wrong?" in a concerned voice.

Weiss shook her head and said "I don't remember it, but apparently I was hit by shrapnel. One piece caught me in the shoulder, and one here." She indicated her lower left gut. "They kind of hurt, but it's no big deal. They pulled the metal out and did what they could for the cuts, and told me that it wouldn't be much of a problem." Amber nodded. Pyrrha had had a few similar injuries. She put her hands towards Weiss and said "May I?" In a hesitant voice. Weiss nodded, and scooted closer to her beneath the covers.

Amber put one hand on Weiss's shoulder, and the other on the spot she had indicated on her belly. The light shone brightly, and the flesh underneath the hospital gown knit back together as she recited the hymn.

When she finished, she could feel the toll on her body starting to weigh more heavily. A few beads of sweat started to roll down her forehead, and she swayed uncertainly. Weiss took note of this, asking "Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?"

Amber put a hand to her head and shook it, saying "No, no, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Perhaps the extra miracle on Pyrrha wasn't such a good idea. Amber figured that it would be best to move on to the last person, Blake, but she couldn't just leave without saying anything. She was about to ask if Weiss was feeling good about the mission they had undertaken, when another, less likely to upset question came into her mind. "Didn't they give you painkillers?

Weiss nodded, saying "Yes." Then seemed to instantly correct herself. "Well, they offered. I turned them down. I don't just want to sit here drugged. That doesn't sound like a fun time." Her tone was somewhat harsh, but Amber suspected that it was a result of habit, not anything that she herself had done. She bid farewell, saying "Well, I had best see to Ms. Belladonna now. If you'll excuse me." And turned towards the door. Weiss said "Thank you, goodbye!" as she left.

The final door was close by. When Amber walked in, she took notice of the cat ears on top of the black hair. Or, at least, ear and a half. One looked like it had been partially torn off, and barely stood above the black strands. She hadn't known that the girl was a Faunus. She didn't have anything against the Faunus, of course, she simply was caught slightly off-guard. The ears had probably been hidden beneath the bow that she had been wearing. It was sad that she was driven to such measures, but understandable. There was no shortage of people who hated the Faunus. Her nose was buried in the pages of a book, eyes flicking from one side of a page to another quickly.

Amber opened the door, and Blake looked up. Her eyes seemed to linger on the white robes for a few seconds before going to her face and almost seeming to ask a wordless question. Amber took a few steps forward, mouthing the words "May I help you?"

Blake tilted her head slightly, puzzled, then nodded. Amber smiled gratefully, then cleared the rest of the distance between them. She slowly started sliding her hands towards Blake's ears. As she started the familiar chant, and the light started to shine from her hands again, she wondered if she could repair the damage to the cat ear. She doubted it. The damage looked extensive, and appeared to have happened some time ago, and Amber didn't know if she had the strength for another miracle.

Blake's eyes stayed open the whole time, and she almost looked panicked near the end of the chant. Amber understood. The sounds of skin melding back together were surely somewhat frightening. Before the chant had ended, Amber moved her hands to the top of Blake's head, pushing the ears down slightly. It was obvious that she didn't like this, but she let Amber continue. Amber didn't know if the ears could actually hear anything normally, but if they could, she could mend them too before the chant ended. She had fixed the hearing in her human ears, and if her cat ears could hear anything, she had fixed them too. She had not, however, managed to repair the ripped ear.

She finished, nearly breathless, and her hands dropped away from Blake's head and limply to her side. She was breathing heavily now, and the light blinked out quickly. Amber wanted to speak with her, but her brain wouldn't work fast enough to carry on a conversation. Blake said "Thank you! Who-" she was cut off somewhat rudely when Amber simply turned and started to walk out. She wanted to stay, but if she stayed any longer, she was probably going to faint.

The door closed behind her, and she started to walk towards the elevator. Her eyelids drooped and her feet were sluggish. She had never cast so many miracles in so short a time. She was muttering quietly to herself, reciting a few chants for practice,

Suddenly, something that felt very similar to a wall collided with Amber's front, sending her sprawling on the ground. She let out a startled yelp when she hit the floor, and looked up at what she had run into. Yang looked down at her, a surprised look on her face. "Oh, hey you!" She obviously recognized Amber, but didn't know her name. It made sense, they hadn't been introduced. Yang stretched out a hand towards her, but amber hesitated in taking it.

Solace had said that the undead were twisted, distorted shadows of what they had been in life, and that that was why Holy power harmed them so much. He had warned about the numerous ways that they could trick and deceive the living, and how they could maul a person's very soul. What she saw when she looked at Yang's smile, however, was not a horrendous monster. She saw a teenage girl, a little paler than they usually were, perhaps, but there was no killer intent or malicious drive. She saw an honest urge to help.

She took Yang's hand, and was pulled to her feet. Yang quickly started to brush some dust off her back, saying as she did so "Oh, geez, sorry. I didn't see you, and…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes saw for a brief moment the holy book beneath Amber's robes as she readjusted the cloth. Her voice didn't stay down for long, though, as she said "Oh, you're a Paladin, right?"

Amber shook her head, and said in a voice that was bordering on a whisper "Priest, actually." Yang didn't quite catch this, leaning forward and saying "What?" Amber didn't want to risk making her mad, but raising her voice seemed to be unavoidable. Even with the confidence the Light had given her, interaction like this with something Solace had told her was so evil was difficult. She spoke again, forcing more air through her tightened throat, and making her voice feel like she was almost shouting. In a voice now about a normal speaking level, she said "I'm a Priest, not a Paladin."

She was worried that she came off as rude, but if Yang was offended, she showed no sign of it. Instead, an apologetic look came across her face, and she said "Oh, sorry. I didn't know, I just figured with the robes and the book that, you know, Paladin. So what brings you here?"

Amber didn't know if it was a good idea to tell what she had been doing. Certainly, she would think that her friends being healed would make Yang happy, but she didn't want to take any risks. "I've been… helping some patients with their recovery." She was never a good liar, but that wasn't necessarily a lie. If she could keep giving answers like that, maybe she could get away.

Yang smiled again. "Cool! Anyone I know?" The sinking feeling in her chest surely showed on her face, but she didn't act on it. Her mind whirled for a few seconds, trying to come up with something she could say to get out of the situation, but nothing came. What did you tell a dead teenager?

"Yes, actually. I've been healing your friends." Light seemed to fill her insides, giving her a level of confidence that she wasn't used to at all. "Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ruby. I've fixed what I could, but I'm afraid that I need to go home now." The truth felt good to speak. She was somewhat taken aback though, by her own forwardness. She was still afraid that Yang might do something, though.

It took the undead a few seconds to process what she had said, but when she did, Amber feared briefly for her life. Yang moved towards her with inhuman speed, arms coming apart and reaching out. With all of the force of a speeding truck, Yang collided with Amber, hoisting the girl off the ground in the biggest hug she'd ever received. She thought she could feel a few of her ribs band a bit further then they were supposed to, and her vision started to swim. She started to struggle against Yang's grip, and was set back down on the ground.

Her fatigue was worse than she thought, though, and her legs gave out beneath her. If Yang's reactions were just a little slower, she would have kissed the ground again. Yang held her by an arm now, supporting her weight and apologizing profusely. Amber would've reacted, but there was a dull, low tone in her ears that wouldn't go away. She waited until Yang was done speaking, then nodded and thanked her, not sure exactly what she was responding to. Then, legs still wobbling beneath her, she walked back towards the elevator. She could practically feel the soft embrace of her bed already, she just had to make it back home.

When she got in the elevator, she pressed the button to return to the lower floor, then leaned against a wall for support. She had to compose herself, at least as long as it took her to get back home. If people saw a Priest of the Holy Light in such a state, it would send a poor message regarding the rest of the Order. As difficult as it would be to keep her grace the whole way, she had to do it. As the doors of the elevator slid open, she took a deep breath and arched her back carefully to appear that she was still fully able to keep her poise.

The urge arose to pull her hood up, but she resisted. She didn't need to do that, not yet, at least. It would make her appear unapproachable, and that was the opposite of what she wanted to do. When she finally reached her home, she didn't shower, didn't eat, and didn't really do anything to take care of herself. She was simply too tired. She made a mental note to refrain from producing that many miracles in the future, and send Solace a quick message to let him know that she had completed her task, and was going to sleep. It wasn't a minute after that before she slumped over, snoring softly.


	34. Chapter 34

Author's Note:  
As I always wish, please leave a review and tell me what you thought of everything. Do the follows and the likes and stuff.

God, thirty four chapters? Gotta be honest, didn't think things would get this off the rails.

* * *

When Cinder finally did look over her shoulder at her two followers, she could tell that they were starting to lose their nerve. It wasn't like them, and she realized that she must've been fairly heavy on the mysticism and secrecy if they were starting to falter. She looked around the small motel room where they had planned to stay the night, looking for something that she might be able to use to bring them back under her control. Nothing jumped out at her.

She sighed, then said "Roman, what do you think is going on right now?" It was important to know what they thought. She knew that Roman wouldn't lie. He didn't dare lie to her. He knew what she would do if she found out. "Well, we're sitting in a trashy motel, just having escaped from a giant slaughter, and witnessing the emergence of some of the scariest monsters I've ever seen, I'd say we're probably in hiding."

Cinder smirked, not wanting to give him any indication of whether he was right or not. She turned to Neo, and posed the same question. Although Neo couldn't speak, she often found a way to communicate whatever she needed to. That proved to be the case again, and she gave Cinder a look with her eyes that spoke volumes. She was worried about something greatly, far more than she had been before. Not only that, but she was suspicious of Cinder. She could tell that something about the woman was changing, she simply couldn't say what. Cinder smiled again. Maybe she was right to be suspicious. Cinder certainly didn't plan on giving Neo to her new friends, but if things came down to it, she wouldn't hesitate.

But she needed her for now. Cinder shook her head, saying "Both wrong, I'm afraid to say." She sat back on the bed, holding her weight up with her arms. "You both know that I'm not one for wanton violence. It's crude, and is often more costly than is worth. That has changed recently. I'm still against losing, but I think I've found something to help me." She gave Roman a smug look. "Those scary monsters are our new friends, Roman, and they like wanton violence. If we want to let them get anywhere, we need to bring them. So let's start with this little forest-edge town, right? Like practice."

Roman and Neo looked at each other with expressions that were mixtures of trepidation and puzzlement. Cinder got the feeling that Roman spoke for both of them when he said "How could you have made friends with those things? You saw what they did to the White Fang. There was no time, they would've eaten you!"

Cinder gave a small chuckle at this, and then said "Not everyone is as dull as you, Roman. Some of us have abilities beyond being scared. They contacted me, and we made a deal. We've traded one force for a better force, one that no one can fight against. All we have to do is summon them, and we'll have all the power we could want. So, will you help me?"

It was a somewhat loaded question. Roman knew what would happen if he said no. He sighed, then said "I do like power." Cinder gave a knowing smile "Of course you do! And just think of how much power you could have if you help me. Imagine commanding a legion of those monsters you saw, they following your every command. Doesn't that sound sweet? And you, Neo, you could have anything you wanted."

Her attempts to persuade them was obviously working, more on Roman than on Neo, but that was good enough. Cinder knew that Neo wouldn't leave Roman's side, so long as he was still himself. With their help now enlisted, Cinder set about the process of acquiring of items they would need for the summoning. The items were whispered in her ear by her new benefactor. They would need chalk, candles, and, of course, a sacrifice.

The life of another would, apparently, giving the demons enough energy to exist away from their main rift long enough to slaughter the locals, and maybe even open another portal, expanding their reach. It didn't take long for them to accrue the objects needed, but then there was still the sacrifice. They needed to find someone who no one would miss for a day or so, and someone that they could get their hands on discreetly. On top of that, it needed to be someone with a strong soul. Cinder didn't know if there was anyone in the small town like that, but she knew that Neo could find out. Until she found a fitting target, the group would be unable to do anything else. Cinder didn't like being limited in options like this, and found other ways to spend her time. Their Bullhead had run out of fuel a short distance out of town, and they had been forced to hide it. This left them without a reliable means of escape. Cinder always tried to have a backup plan in case something went awry, and a Bullhead was as good of a backup plan as she could ask for. While Neo looked for the one that they would give to the demons, Cinder and Roman went on a hunt for fuel.

Cinder knew that the hunt wouldn't take too long. Not with Neo on the case.

* * *

Team RWBY, Jaune, and Pyrrha returned to their dorm building, glad to be back from the hospital. Ruby, Pyrrha, and Yang all spoke to each other about the mysterious person who they had seen. They didn't know who she was or where she had gone, but they all recalled their meetings vividly. "She was really nice, we talked for a while."

Yang raised an eyebrow at her sister, not sure whether or not to believe her. "She talked? That's surprising. The whole time I was talking to her, all half a minute, she seemed like she was about to run away."

Blake and Weiss exchanged looks at this. They knew why a Priest would do that, but apparently Yang forgot that the Order of the Holy Light would consider her a monster. They didn't say anything, though, and Jaune was the next to speak. "I wish I had met her, she sounds really cool. Why couldn't she have just woke me up?" Silence settled over the group for a brief moment as they ascended the stairs, then they spoke again when reaching the top. Pyrrha said "I wonder if we could learn that kind of stuff, to use the light. Do you think we have it?"

Yang responded, saying "Yeah, at least, that's what they say. Their whole deal is that every person can use the Light if they purify their soul, or something. That pretty much means that I can't use it at all, but you know-" she put her hands up, pointing her thumbs at herself "-I'm so good I don't need it." There were smirks all round, but Pyrrha gave her a strange look. Yang didn't see it, but Pyrrha started to think. What if Yang wasn't quite as she seemed to be? If Amber had shown Yang the light of hope that she had shown Pyrrha, what would happen? Pyrrha couldn't imagine being anything but comforted by it, but Yang would probably be hurt.

They came to their respective rooms, and Pyrrha was shaken out of her thoughts. Jaune pulled his scroll out and unlocked the door, and the two walked into their room together, and were hit immediately by the emptiness of it. Four beds sat next to each other, and the two stared at them for a long while, simply standing there. The door closed behind them, but they hardly noticed. They were too busy thinking about what they had lost. Two friends, potentially. They didn't know where Nora or Ren were, or what they were doing. The whole situation felt wrong. They wished very hard that they could fix it.

Jaune walked slowly into the room, feeling his heart dragging on the floor behind him like an iron ball. He should have done more. But his grief didn't last long, though. Soon his fist clenched, and his teeth ground together. How could Nora have done this? Did a little voice in her head really mean more to her than Pyrrha and him? That notion was insane, but it was the only one that he could come up with. And then there was Ren. How could he just go along with all this? He knew just as well that his leaving would have catastrophic effects of the rest of the team, but he still went with Nora.

Jaune shook his head, berating himself under his breath for misplacing his anger. If he was going to be angry, he should put it at what deserved the anger. That demon inside of Nora forced her to do all of those things, one way or another. They had been so close to pulling it out, and then disaster had struck. Jaune wished that they could've done something, but they never really had stood a chance. At least, he hadn't. Nora's paralyzing look and drug of a scent made it almost impossible for him to really fight her.

He gazed out the window, forlorn in his thought, when he felt a sudden hand on his shoulder, making him jump. Pyrrha stood behind him, looking not out the window, but at his face. There was a sadness in her eyes, and seeing that hurt Jaune even more than his own thoughts. He put his arms around her, pulling her close and holding her tightly. He felt her face dig into his shoulder, and put a hand on the back of her head. "It's going to be alright. We can find them, and get them back. We just have to try."

Pyrrha looked up at him with wet eyes, drawing deep breaths at uneven intervals. He knew exactly how she felt. He wasn't sure that they could do it either. Nora had been so strong, and Ren was so firmly wrapped around Nora's finger, they simply didn't know if it would work. They felt like failures. Complete and utter failures.

Jaune shook his head, and reluctantly withdrew from the hug. He hated to, but he had to go to the bathroom. He walked in, wishing that he could stay by Pyrrha's side, and when he entered, his eyes went to the object in the corner. Magnhild was sitting against the wall, head down on the floor. The small pink segment directly behind the head that contained the dust seemed to glow at him. It was probably his imagination, though.

When he finished, he brought the hammer out for Pyrrha to see. For some reason, the thing felt immensely important. The thing was heavy, and Jaune didn't know how she had ever fought effectively with it. He hefted it up, using both hands, and carried it out. When Pyrrha's eyes fell on it, they grew wide, and zipped back to Jaune's face. He didn't know what to say. "She…" he paused, closing his eyes and organizing his thoughts. "She left it."

He held the thing out so that Pyrrha could see it better, and repeated "She left it." What point he was trying to make, he didn't know. It was simply that his brain dwelled on the fact that she had left her weapon behind. Perhaps he saw some symbol in it that she had left behind everything she once cared for, or maybe that this weapon could be the last remnant of the Nora that he'd known, and loved like a sister. Pyrrha nodded, and looked away back towards the window. Jaune didn't blame her.

He looked around again, amazed by how empty the room felt now. Even though the four beds took up the majority of the space, Jaune saw two that looked gravely out of order. With slow steps, he walked over to Nora's bed, and laid Magnhild down on top of the covers, head on the pillow. Once it settled onto its new mound, Jaune stepped back and took in the sight. Nora wasn't dead, he knew that. But the Nora that had slept in that bed so many times could be. HE didn't know for sure, though, and until he did, he wouldn't mourn anything. This was a symbol, a memorial, that he hoped Nora would return.

Next he walked to Ren's bed. He was similarly missing, caught up in Nora's snare, far more entangled than Jaune had ever been. Jaune didn't know if he could come out of that. Worse; he didn't know if Ren would want to come out of that. If he was determined to be Nora's forever, the only thing they could do was go after the demon itself. But they would have to find Nora first, and that would be no easy task.

With slow, careful movements, Jaune opened the drawer next to the bed, and withdrew the pistols that Ren used in battle, StormFlower. Respectfully, he laid them down on Ren's bed flat, barrels crossed, just in front of the pillow. Hopefully, he would return too.

Jaune looked back at Pyrrha, who was standing, still looking out the window. He could tell that she was avoiding looking at him or the beds. He walked over to her, body acting without the slightest direction from his brain. "We have to go after her. We can't leave this to anyone else, and we can't put it off. Damn the classes. Damn the grades. It doesn't mean anything if we lose them."

Pyrrha looked at Jaune, shocked. "What? B-but becoming a Huntsman was your dream! I don't-" Jaune cut her off, a growing drive in his chest. "No, Pyrrha, becoming a hero was my dream, saving people was my dream. I can bring her back, but I need your help to do it." His chest was practically glowing, but his voice was more confident than she had ever heard it. His breathing was quick, and she could see the strain on his face. Coming to these conclusions couldn't have been easy.

Pyrrha looked at him, trying desperately to give him an answer. She wanted to become a Huntress, but would she rather go with Jaune? She only wanted to be a Huntress because fighting was the thing she was best at. There had never been another application of her talents. But now, what Jaune was offering was another way. What if she could become a hero, without being a Huntress?

"Yes, I'm with you!"

After all, what would she be without a leader? What was left of the team had to stick together, else insult the memory of the parts it had lost. Jaune put out a hand, and Pyrrha shook it. They would stick together. They could win.

Jaune gave Pyrrha a smile that she'd never seen before, and took a seat on her bed, pulling out his scroll. She sat next to him, watching what he was doing. "Alright, so-" he tapped the map application, and a layout of Vale sprang to life. "She could have gone anywhere, but Ren can't. He would have to stop and take breaks. They've been traveling about a day now, and with people looking for them, they'd have to lay low. Here's what I'm thinking." he found the warehouse that had housed the Paladins, then drew a large circle around it, encompassing about a third of Vale "They can't have gone further than this, not with the cops looking for them. So, where in here could they hide?"

The two looked at the map a moment before Pyrrha pointed and said "The docks. There's more than enough space to stay hidden, and its close to where they started." Jaune nodded, saying "Alright. We'll try there. Where else? We can't just pick one."

Pyrrha bit her lip, and before she had come to a conclusion, Jaune was pointing. "There, on the outskirts of town. There are hamlets all over out there, and I'm sure there are plenty of hiding places in each one." He looked at Pyrrha for approval, and she nodded. "Alright, we'll go there too. What else?"

Pyrrha was quick to speak this time. The discolored brown and grey area that stood out like a sore on the colorful map. "The old factories. There are tons of places there to hide, and its already hard to navigate for normal people anyways. If I were Nora, that's where I'd go." Jaune smiled, and said "Yeah, alright." He looked back at the map, and nodded again. "So we've got a few places. Where do you want to go first?" It was an odd question, but Pyrrha understood how important it could be. Every second that they weren't looking was a moment Nora was gaining ground. They had to go.

"The docks. It'll be the fastest to search, and we can get there easiest." She looked again at him to see if he approved, and he was nodding again. "Alright, it looks like we've got a plan. We should start this as soon as we can. If there's anything that you need to do, get it out of the way now. I don't know when we will be coming back."

Pyrrha felt nervous, but also inspired. To see Jaune so utterly driven was something special. She'd never seen him quite like that before. She would follow him, no matter what end they came to. She would become a hero, or she would die trying.

She looked around the room, and confirmed to herself that there was nothing that she still needed, other she had her weapons, and for what they were going to do, that was all she needed. She nodded at Jaune with a determined look, and he started towards the door.

Pyrrha grabbed his hand, pulling him towards her. "Actually, there is one thing I can think of." Jaune raised an eyebrow, then said "Well, hurry up! I think we should really get out there and-" He was cut off when Pyrrha pulled his lips into contact with her own. He kept trying to speak for a brief moment, making a series of muffled noises before putting his arms around her. She pulled her mouth away and whispered softly in his ear "I love you."

What they would do now beyond search, they didn't know, but they would hit it with all the force they could muster.

* * *

Naze looked down at the generators being prepared. They were bulky things, but also sleek and bright. While not yet active, they would soon pour divine energy out from their complex workings in huge quantities.

They didn't have any pre-prepared generators of the sort not only because they didn't have any use for them, but also because the level of maintenance that would be required to keep them operational was an illogical level of work to maintain. The cores of the generators would only last for around one hundred years, and once activated, could not be turned off. The core would steadily decay before becoming completely inert.

They didn't know yet what decision the living would make, whether they would choose to use the generators or resurrect a god, or even create their own, but building the generators would still have a point. If they did decide to go to a god, and that god became hostile towards the undead, divine energy would assist them to kill the thing. It would be a fight that Naze would try to avoid, but he had killed gods in the past, and he knew that being prepared for such events was very important.

At some point along their production, they would have to be installed with some heavy shielding. The undead themselves didn't need too much protection, but to them, divine energy was like a weaker form of holy energy. It was capable of inflicting damage, but most would be able to resist its effects, so long as their exposure was limited.

Naze began to think as he watched the great machines be assembled. He was prepared to offer the living his own services in keeping their kingdoms safe from the Grimm, allowing their forces to focus on the demons. The process of doing this would be fairly easy, but his forces would be stretched in doing so. He had built them to protect himself, and the interests of learning, not civilizations. He weighed alternatives to stretching his forces that thin.

One option was clear enough, and seemed to be the choice he was most leaning towards. He could not bolster his forces of Death Knights, he didn't have the time to train one, and he doubted that there would be any easily found candidates anyways, but there were other, more vicious creatures that he could create. A Death Knight could cut the strongest of Grimm down without so much as a scratch, but a wraith would be able to strip the flesh from their bones in seconds. Controlling such monstrosities would be difficult, as they had to be infused with a certain hatred of all life to reach the potency that made them so dangerous, and if they lacked that burning rage, they simply wouldn't perform to the levels that Naze would need. Dispatching necromancers with them could potentially work, but that would still bring his numbers to lows that he wasn't comfortable with.

He didn't need to use any of his own forces, however, with a little ingenuity. He was a necromancer, but death was not the only thing he had extensive experience with. He had done similar things in the past, and knew that it would work well with most Grimm. If he were to engineer a plague, infusing it with certain magical properties, including the reanimation of victims that fell to it, that could be used to great effect. He knew that there were several strains of similar pestilences stored away elsewhere in the ziggurat, but those were fitted to affect humans specifically. While it would likely solve the political side of the troubles he had been having, he didn't think that it was quite time for genocide. There was still hope for other avenues of coexistence.

The question would be if those diseases could be modified to only affect the Grimm. As much as it bothered him, there was still much they didn't know about the Grimm. Creating a virus or bacterial agent that would act reliably on every subspecies of Grimm without deviating from its intended effects could be a difficult task. On the upside though, all Grimm did seem to poses very particular amounts of energy given off by their souls. That could be used to provide a target for the disease, but beyond that…

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for going in-depth for every option, it was the time for overviewing options and eliminating bad ones.

Fields of death could be constructed around populated centers that would simply kill anything that passed through them. He knew that this would send a very bad message, though, entrapping the living in what would appear like prisons to them. The fields would also require large amounts of maintenance to keep operating at levels high enough to provide sufficient protection. It would also degrade relations between kingdoms rapidly, all but cutting off trade and isolating them from one another.

Another option occurred to him as he thought. Perhaps he didn't really need to do anything himself. There were generations upon generations of warriors who had lived and died to protect their people, and who likely had the skills to do that more. If he could gain permission to bring those people back, it could be possible to get the job done without any usage of his own forces. In addition to this, he might stand to gain more soldiers in the long term. Perhaps that would be the best option to him, but it would be the most difficult to get the living to agree with, undoubtedly. They were very protective of those that had passed, and paid a certain respect to them that Naze had never understood. It would make them guard the remains of their ancestors, both corpses and souls, with a ferocity that Naze knew would be difficult to best without violence.

Perhaps those that he had already made acquaintance with would be able to smooth the proposition that he would have to make. If they could somehow, miraculously, be able to get them to accept, then things would be made blissfully simple. He would send out his gravediggers and necromancers to every graveyard where heroes had been entombed, bodies stowed in boxes, and every battlefield where heroes had fallen, left to rot. They would, soul willing, be returned to service, and protect what they had already spent their lives protecting. And, of course, Naze would have his full reserve of forces. Everyone would be appeased. He knew how difficult that would be to do.

He thought that he had found the best of his options. If he could act through heroes of the past, resistance to anything that needed to happen would be minimal. What he needed was a better way to say it that would be less likely to upset any who heard. He wouldn't exhume the corpses, he would breathe souls back into them, and allow their owners to rise from even the depths of death to resume their duties they held in life.

Yes, there was work to be done by both sides, but he felt that he had quite an excellent start on his. Now the contrast of that was the living. He looked to his orb of control, and the vision of shades watching the proceedings of their meetings became his. Ozpin and Ironwood were both talking to various people, and looked like they were not quite making the progress that they were hoping for. The leaders that they spoke to, those at the top of each kingdom, were scared of what they spoke of, but also doubtful. Ironwood was able to provide some degree of proof through records from his airship, but they were still hesitant to believe. They didn't want to. What the two were saying would mean very, very bad things for the future.

Not all of them were as resilient, though. The kingdom of Menagerie was ready to believe their words quickly. They had already felt the surges of demonic energy, and knew that it couldn't be good. Already, some places near the artifact had already gone dark, and they were now afraid to go and check in on them. If they would lose those that they sent, they didn't particularly want to send anyone at all. Not until they were prepared, at least.

That was the main discussion among the leaders. What could they do to give their people more of a fighting chance against these monsters? Ozpin presented them with the options that they had been presented to him, and they discussed among themselves what they could come together to do. Things were looking very much like they would take the option of being given generators, and combating the demons themselves. One thing that they all agreed on was that something would have to be done about the Grimm. The manpower could simply not be spared that would allow the combating of the demons. Doing so would leave them wide open to Grimm attacks, and they would be torn apart.

Naze knew that he had already reached a conclusion about what the best way to deal with that issue would be, and all he had to do was propose it. He could not do that yet, though. Not while Ozpin and Ironwood were discussing with them. They would lose significant trust in him if they were to learn that he was eavesdropping on their highest priority communications.

At an offhand reference Ironwood made to the "Atlesian Paladin" Naze was reminded of the real Paladins. They would no doubt have quite a fit if he were to propose this plan. They and their closed-mindedness about the use of necromancy could spell the death of their entire race if they held to it too hard. How much easier it would be were they to simply disappear, but no, Naze couldn't just kill them. Such would be an irrevocable crime, a stain that generations would remember. There had to be some way to align them with his own purposes. If they could see that he was not the horrible monster that they thought him to be, or the numerous benefits that necromancy and the power to manipulate death itself brought with it, perhaps they wouldn't be so devoutly opposed. He wondered if there was any way he might show them this, but soon dismissed the thought. It was an organization built solely on the hatred of the undead. Useful at one point, perhaps, but a clear detriment now.

Perhaps meeting could be called with Solace, and they could discuss this further. It seemed to be the only way that the two would make any progress with one another. That was for another time that demanded less immediate action, though. If the demons were allowed to gain a solid foothold from which to increase their power, then all hope was already lost. And, of course, Cinder was now a pet of the demons.

It was a development that he should have seen coming, but the woman who lusted after power with every fiber of her being had found herself on the side of the battle that had the most to offer her. It was true, the demons could give her power beyond her wildest dreams, but they would spit her out as soon as they found that they didn't need her. She would lose everything that she had worked for, and then she would know the deviousness of demons. On the other side of the coin, it was possible that she prove to be an indispensable asset, and she be made a demon herself. That would complicate the matter significantly, and essentially grant Cinder immortality. It would be a somewhat unfair result for some, that Cinder be granted such power for taking what was to some people was a betrayal to her kind was unfortunate. She would benefit like a predator off the deaths of those she shared a species with.

Naze knew better than to be offended, though. Humanity certainly deserved it, in some way or another. The very fact that a person like Cinder existed was justification enough for her actions. It was not, however, an excuse. She would be crushed underneath his own heel, if he got the opportunity. He hadn't liked her from the start.

He let his gaze fall from the orb, content with the fact that he had already addressed the main issue that they were facing to himself, and would have an answer ready for them when they asked him. Now the next issue would be to ensure that demonic corruption was not spreading. Already, Nora had fallen to the creature that made a cocoon of her soul, and she would soon become a demon herself if something was not done. Naze still didn't know if it was his place to deal with the girl, or if Ozpin still wanted to handle the situation. He was reaching the end of his patience with the matter, though, and it wouldn't be long before he sent for the girl to be brought before him, and tear the demon out himself. It would be difficult to disentangle the two, but with enough time and a little force, he could do it. The time where it would be something like brain surgery had passed, and it would now be more like an amputation; she would without a doubt lose something, but it was going to be far simpler.

She could not be allowed to spread the demon's influence. Luckily enough, though, her goals seemed entirely focused on Ren. The boy was serving as an excellent distraction, if nothing else. There were far worse things that Nora could be spending her time doing. That didn't mean, of course, that she wouldn't still spread it. Even if she only infected Ren with a demon, he could go on and potentially infect others.

It was a cycle that Naze had seen before, and he was sure would happen again if he didn't do anything about it. He would inform Ozpin that he would take action soon the next time that they spoke, and observe his reaction. If he put more focus on the issue, he would let him handle it, and if this stretched him too thin, then something else would have to be done. Until that time, Nora would be free to act as she pleased.

Naze allowed his thoughts to wander on other topics. For him, there were always plenty of things to think about.

* * *

Yang practically kicked the door in, struggling to balance the mountain of food that she carried in her arms. She was met with the cheers of her teammates, who rushed towards her, hands reaching for specific things from the pile. She let them, hoping that they would lighten her load. They did, and after a moment she was able to stagger inside, and dump the food onto a table inside of the room.

As soon as her arms were free, Ruby wrapped her arms around Yang's waist, saying "Thanks sis!" before turning her attention to the pile and practically diving into it. Yang watched as Ruby and Blake started to devour the food, a smile creeping across her face as they did so. Both of them looked very happy as they shoved various items into their mouths. Yang felt like she should join in, but she hadn't eaten anything in a long time. She didn't need to, and she doubted that she would taste it anyways.

Ruby looked over at her, and said with a mouthful of food "Come on, have something!" She patted the seat next to her, and Yang couldn't refuse. She sat next to her sister, but said "Really, I wouldn't want to waste the food. You eat it, but save some for Weiss. She's still showering, right?" Blake nodded, and immediately went back to eating. Yang smiled, glad to see that they were all still holding together. Something was bothering her, though, and she voiced it with some worry. "Hey, guys, how do you think Jaune and Pyrrha are doing? I mean, I hope they're taking everything well, but I kind of doubt that they are. I walked past their room and didn't hear anything. I know that Pyrrha and Jaune are pretty tough and all, and I don't think that they are really "built" for this, you know? I mean, they lost Ren and Nora. That's half of their team. How could you…"

She looked to find Ruby and Blake giving her strange looks, their mouths full of food. Yang's voice trailed off, and she shook her head "Never mind. Just ignore me, keep on eating." Ruby, through another mouthful of food, said "If you're worried about them, why not go and check on them?"

Yang sighed, looked towards the door, and stood. She didn't want to leave her friends, but Jaune and Pyrrha were her friends too, weren't they? After a brief moment of pause, she nodded and said "Alright, I'm going over there. If anyone feels like it, you're welcome to join." She didn't mean this to guilt them, but the looks that flitted across her friends faces told her that the damage had already been done. When both Ruby and Blake got up to follow, she held up her hands and said "No, sorry, that came out a little wrong. You don't have to if you don't want to."

Still, Ruby and Blake moved towards her, so she shrugged and continued on her way. The door opened, and she took a few steps across the hall, knocking on the door to team JNPR's room several times before taking a step back. The trio waited for several seconds before starting to become suspicious. A few more seconds of waiting had Yang knocking again, louder this time, then stepping back again. "Maybe they went out." Blake suggested. "I mean, you did go and buy a ton of food, maybe they're doing the same."

Yang nodded, and said "Yeah, maybe." Before dropping to the floor and putting an eye to the crack between the floor and the door. She could practically hear the looks that Blake and Ruby were giving each other, but she ignored them. She could just feel something wrong with the whole situation. She didn't think that there was anyone in that room. The lights were off, and it was far too quiet.

"Yang, come on, you're acting weird. Let's just go back inside." At this, Yang got back to her feet. She didn't think that she was being strange, but if Ruby said so, she would stop. They were probably right anyways, they had probably just gone out to get food. She turned and scratched the back of her head, saying awkwardly "Alright, sorry. Yeah, let's go back."

They all filed back into the room, and found Weiss now sitting at the table, helping herself to the enormous quantity of food that had appeared while she was taking a shower. She looked up from the small feast with an odd expression in her face, saying "What were you doing out there?"

Yang shrugged and said "Checking on JNPR. At least, what's left of it." Her grim comment significantly darkened the mood in the room, and the rest of her friends sat down to eat without another word. She regretted saying it as soon as the words were out of her mouth. It was rather insensitive, but she hadn't meant any disrespect. Everyone was feeling bad that Nora had gotten away, and taken Ren with her, no less. She didn't want to apologize for it, though. That would just draw attention to it, and make it worse.

When they had all had their fill, they had pulled out their scrolls and were browsing various media, finishing the last scraps of their meal in their beds. Yang stood again, and started to walk towards the door again. "Sorry, but I'm going to check on them again. It's been like an hour, they've got to be back by now."

She exited into the hall, and again found herself in front of the door that lead into team JNPR's room. She brought a fist up, wrapped her knuckles against it roughly, and waited. She waited for what felt like a long time, then finally let her head tilt towards the floor. She knew that they were gone. She couldn't explain how, but he knew. It seemed almost unfair that they leave like that. She didn't know how she knew, but it was clear as crystal what had happened. She thought that she heard Naze's cold voice in her thoughts, but she couldn't be sure. It was possible that Naze had, wittingly or not, passed some information to her through their mental link. She wondered if that was something that happened often. She had certainly not experienced it much. Maybe it was just her natural intuition, nothing more than what she had been born with.

But how she had come to learn this didn't matter. What mattered was that she knew it now, and everything she could see pointed to it being true. No one was answering, and there were no lights on. Did the others catch on, though? She definitely didn't want to be the one to break the news. And she doubted that they had even left any trace of where they went. If they had, she would've thought that it would be on the exterior of the locked door, not the interior.

She turned back to her own room, spirits falling. Wherever they were, she hoped that they were safe. If they were going after Nora, as she suspected, they would need every blessing that they could get. Yang seriously hoped that they hadn't. She herself had stood little chance against the demon possessed girl, so she doubted that there was anything that they would be able to do. If they did have one thing that they might be able to use to their advantage, it was appealing to what little of Nora remained. She didn't know if Nora would respond to things from her past life, other than Ren. If they were going after Ren, she felt doubly worried for them. Nothing good would come if they tried to take Ren from her.

As she sat back down at the table, Ruby must've noticed the new, somewhat dejected look on her face, and said "Hey, what's wrong? Is something the matter with them?" Yang heaved a heavy sigh, and shook her head, saying "I guess not, but…" she didn't know exactly how to tell them, so she decided to simply outright say it. "Jaune and Pyrrha are gone. I think they went out after Nora, and I really doubt that they're coming back."

Shocked expressions were what met her when she looked back up. Even Weiss looked worried. "What? Why didn't they tell us?" Ruby sounded both worried and indignant, and all of the others looked like they felt the same way. Yang shrugged before saying "I don't know, maybe they didn't want to worry us? Maybe they didn't want us trying to tag along? I know how I'd feel if one of my teammates beat the rest of my team and stole another teammate." She looked around at all of them, and knew that they could imagine the feeling as well. "I'd feel like it was my job to get them back."

Weiss shook her head and said "Still, they should have gotten help from someone. If not us, then the teachers, or someone even higher. Going it alone is not the way to go." They all found themselves agreeing with the girl. They nodded, and Blake said "Maybe we can talk to someone and get help for them. If we told Ozpin, maybe…" her voice trailed off, and her idea hung limply in the air.

Yang was about to suggest that she go and speak to him, but Ruby beat her to it, standing and looking at her assorted friends. "Guys, we have to tell Ozpin about this. I know that he already knows and whatever, but we need to give him a firsthand account of what happened. If we do, he'll see just how bad Nora has gotten, and he'll have to send help."

Yang, Blake, and Weiss all nodded in unison, and made to get up as well. Ruby held her hands out, indicating that they stay. "No, I want to go alone. At least at first. You guys have got to still be tired from the fight, and I'm the team leader anyways. Just stay back here and rest. If I need you, I'll message you, alright?" She held her scroll up and shook it slightly, indicating that she had a method of communicating. It was obvious that they wanted to go with her, but she didn't want them to. She wanted them to get all the rest they needed.

She started to walk towards the door, pulling her cape around her and pocketing her scroll. The darkened bloody marks that constantly churned and spiraled ceaselessly inside of the fabric moved a little faster as she moved, and she pulled it around herself. The others felt their skin prickle slightly as they watched this. While they never would have said it to her face, the cloak she wore was somewhat disturbing, and her attachment to it was a bit unnerving. They knew that it was very important to her, first because it reminded her of her mother, then because it was Yang's blood on there, the last thing that she had had of her sister for a long time. None of them questioned the value that it held, but it still was mildly creepy.

Ruby made her way out of the dorm building, observing that night was just starting to fall, and started towards Beacon Tower. She didn't have an appointment or anything, but she was sure that she would be let up, as her business was very important. As she walked across the darkening campus, she thought to herself about things that had happened recently. Nora had escaped with Ren, and that was bad, but she didn't let the sadness get to her. Not again. She wouldn't do that again. Good things had happened too, and she knew that she had to focus on those. She had met someone that she wanted to be friends with in the future, Amber.

Good things were happening all over the world, she was sure. Yes, the business with Nora was bad, but it wasn't the end of the world, right?

She reached the tower and walked in, announcing herself to the secretary and saying that she would like to go and talk with Ozpin. The woman gave her an odd look, obviously puzzled by the time of this visit, but nodded and gestured towards the elevator. The doors slid open, and Ruby thanked her before walking inside. She hit the button, and the doors slid smoothly shut before the small box started to ascend the shaft.

When the doors opened again, Ruby was surprised to find Naze already in the office, speaking to Ozpin in a grave tone. She got the feeling that it would be unwise to interrupt, but she couldn't stay in the elevator or the doors would close again. Hesitantly, she stepped out and to the side, holding her hands in front of her and shifting her weight on her boots. As she waited, she started to listen to the conversation already in progress.

"…are very bad. If she is able to start this, I can guarantee you that they will open a portal as well. I know that should I be found responsible for massacring an entire village like that, chances for trust on every other matter will plummet, and I may find my solutions rejected. On the other hand, should this portal be allowed open, it will provide a much clearer example of the threat the demons pose. So tell me, Ozpin, what do you say I do?"

Professor Ozpin put his head in his hands, wiping off whatever imaginary mask he had on before, and took a deep breath, saying "You cannot put this weight on my shoulders. You must know that I cannot, in good conscience, allow either one of these outcomes. The damage in either case is unacceptable."

Naze gave him an odd snorting sound, then followed up by saying "It does not matter whether you allow it or not, one of these will occur. If you do not answer, I will handle the situation myself, just as I will the other one." At this, Naze stood. "Now, I have presented the options, and now leave you to consult who you may to come to an answer. Good evening."

As he turned to leave, Ozpin stood, anger that Ruby had never seen from the normally wise and reserved man plastered across his face. "Wait! You cannot-" Naze cut him off by saying "I assure you, Sir, you have my every sympathy, but I refuse to be the one to take this fall. Whomever makes this decision had better make it quickly, though, that little village is running out of time. And besides, you have another visitor."

He walked past Ruby, nodding his head to acknowledge her presence before stepping into the elevator and allowing the doors to slide shut. Ruby was now left alone with Ozpin, whose temper seemed to be boiling already. She couldn't back down though, and walked towards his desk. "Excuse me sir, I was wondering if I could ask you something…"

* * *

Jaune crouched in the darkness next to Pyrrha. The docks had been a bust, but this place seemed far more likely to contain what they were looking for. Both of them crept along the soot-covered ground as quietly as they could. Then, suddenly, somewhere in the darkness of the crumbling buildings and scattered bricks, something screeched.


	35. Chapter 35

Author's Note:

Things always seem to get worse, don't they?

So leave a review, tell me what you think of all the "fun" that is happening. Do the review, do the follow, do the fave.

* * *

Both Jaune and Pyrrha drew in sharp breaths, and by the light of the moon, fractured pieces hanging short distances away from their main mass. Neither one dared to move a muscle for fear of alerting whatever beast was out there, responsible for the inhuman cry.

Neither of them wanted to acknowledge that it could've been Nora. After several tense seconds of remaining still, Jaune started to move again, slowly looking up to the towering and crumbling chimneys. The docks had been a total bust, and they had decided to move on to the old foundries and factories. Dust had been processed out here, once, before more efficient methods had been found, and the facilities had been abandoned. When he was a kid, Jaune had heard stories of people rooting through the rubble and finding forgotten stashes of Dust, making small fortunes off of the treasure. It turned out, however, that the ruins had all been picked clean years before he was born, and the money that had been made off of the finds had been greatly exaggerated anyways.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to reminisce. There was a lot on the line here, and he needed to be as focused as possible. He continued to make his way forward, peaking his head out from around a corner and pulling his shield up in case something decided to leap out at him. As he emerged, everything seemed safe, and he motioned for Pyrrha to follow. She did, sticking close behind him. Stooped over as to avoid detection, the two made their way across the small courtyard before entering into one of the buildings.

Once they were comfortably inside, Jaune turned to Pyrrha and said in a hushed voice "So what do you think? Is she here?" Pyrrha gave him a hesitant look, then glanced back out into the rubble. "I don't think we can ignore whatever that noise was. It sounded like her." Jaune nodded. He had been thinking the same.

"Do you think you can track it? I would, but the buildings make it too hard." Both of them knew that Jaune's senses were the least sharpened of the two, and Pyrrha was glad to help in any way she could. "Alright, but you'll have to stay close behind me. If we get separated, I'm going after you, not Nora." If she had said it in any less of a deathly serious tone, Jaune would've smiled. He appreciated that he was the greater priority, but the prospect of being separated was one that he didn't want to think about. In spite of this, his mind did probe the possibility. Given what Ren had done after extended contact, he guessed that he wouldn't-

Another splitting cry echoed out among the ruins, and Pyrrha held up a hand, indicating that Jaune not do anything. Her eyes gained a hard edge, and she tilted her head to the side as she listened to the sound. Then, with a brief motion for her partner to follow, she exited the building. Jaune was hot on her heels, barely an inch behind her as she made her way towards the source of the noise.

Ash and dirt was kicked up behind them as they went, but they didn't care so long as nothing saw it. If they did find Nora and Ren among these destroyed buildings, they weren't really sure what they would do. They didn't have a plan for fighting her, and both knew that trying to talk Nora down would be near-impossible. They couldn't just attack her, though. She was still their friend, at least in some degree. It was out of the question that they do that.

Another screech echoed out, and Pyrrha stopped dead in her tracks. Jaune almost bumped into her, but planted his hands on the ground to stop himself, ash covering his fingertips and palm. Pyrrha tilted her head again, doing her best to locate the source, and turned slightly before continuing to move. Her bronze armor reflected small slivers of moonlight as she moved, and Jaune considered asking her to do something about it. He resisted though, and knew that there were more important things on both of their minds.

It was a few more crumbling structures that they passed before Pyrrha stopped again, and her gaze went up towards the sky. Jaune followed it, and saw a crouched figure balanced on top of one of the chimneys, eyes burning blue through the night. They weren't pointed at either of them, though, they were out towards the rest of the city. It was difficult to recognize well, but Jaune got the distinct feeling that the silhouette was familiar. It was Nora, it had to be.

The figure straightened up, rising off of its heels, and both the Hunters were surprised to find that even standing what they assumed to be straight up, Nora's legs bowed out at odd angles. She pulled her head back, sucking in air as her chest rose, and then unleashed another haunting howl. Whatever purpose that these noises were meant to accomplish, they seemed to do so, and Nora started to go back down towards the base of the building. The way she did this, though, was what startled them. Jaune felt himself draw in a sharp breath as Nora started to fall off the side of the thing, her feet staying anchored to the column, before her hands met with the stone, and she started to crawl verticals down, almost like a spider skittering along the curved surface.

Both pairs of eyes were transfixed in horror as Nora continued to descent towards the building, disappearing as she neared the base of the pillar. Pyrrha looked back at Jaune, her eyes wide. Jaune continued to look at the spot that his friend had been moments before for several seconds, then shook his head. "Alright, now we know where she is, at least. Let's get in there, and do what we came to do. Are you ready?"

Pyrrha nodded her head, and lifted her weapon a little higher. "Yes, let's go." She didn't let Jaune see her swallow down the hard lump in her throat. Jaune moved to take a place in front of her, and the two approached the building that Nora had gone into. They didn't need to say anything to each other, they both knew that Ren had to be inside of the building. They had to try and get him out, no matter what the risk was. Both of them also knew that they wouldn't stand much of a chance if they came up against her in a fight. They might be able to sneak in, though.

That was obviously Jaune's plan, as his pace slowed as he tried to keep the noise that he made down. Pyrrha did the same, and had to be careful to keep her armor from making any noise. It would be very bad if something like that was going to give them away. As they got closer to what was probably at one point a door, but now was little more than a pile of bricks at the bottom of a hole in the wall. They got closer, and Jaune drew up against the wall of the outside of the building, and his pace slowed significantly. Pyrrha did the same, and both of them started to make their way inside.

Gravel and glass on the ground intermixed with the brick made them slow to an almost glacial pace, and they picked their way as carefully as they could over it. Sweat started to drip from both of their foreheads as the pressure of the situation started to get to them. Each footfall had to be carefully measured in force and placed with the utmost caution. As they did this, both wondered if Nora had done this on purpose, or if it was by coincidence that the entrance to her lair was trapped like this. Both eventually made it over the pile, and started to make their way further into the building. They still stuck close to each other, and picked their way carefully around other spots of the floor covered in glass shards and gravel.

The two of them slowly started to work around the bottom floor, darkness thick in the places that didn't let any moonlight through. They were so on-edge that both of them could've sworn that they saw dark figures moving in the darkness, but they knew that they were just figments of their excited imaginations. Nothing was to be done about it except ignore them, and try to keep an eye out for any real movement that might be somewhere in the shadow.

Neither one dared to say a word, much less suggest that they ignite some light source. Instead, they continued to creep through the dark, inches from each other. Eventually, they traveled through every spot of the first floor, and the only conclusion that they could come to was that Ren was not on the first floor. The stairs up were rather foreboding, and neither one wanted to go up there. Something was off up there. Something didn't feel right. There was no other option, though, and Jaune started to make his way towards it with more careful steps.

The trip up was daunting, as the steps were steep, and some had large shards of glass and small rocks that required they climb carefully. As he got closer to the top, Jaune stopped, even jerking back down once he saw what was up there. Pyrrha gave him a concerned look, trying to divine what was wrong by the look on his face. He put a finger to his mouth, they pointed up again towards the top. She listened, and then heard Nora's voice barely audible over the sound of wind making its way through the buildings outside. "…Ren, let's never be apart again. I want to be with you, always. Don't you want the same?"

Her voice was a soft cooing, and Jaune thought he felt his nerves soften slightly as the smooth, seductive tones made its way through his ears. He did his best to resist the effects though, and continued listening, hoping to hear Ren's voice in response. Nothing came, though, and Nora spoke again. "Aw, don't worry, I'll take care of both of us."

There was a brief pause, and Nora's voice said again "Hey, Ren, can we do that thing again? I promise I won't be as rough this time!" Again there was no answer, but apparently to Nora that meant yes, and she let out a high-pitched squeal. "Thank you! I'll make up for last time, I promise!"

Jaune's face turned red as his mind followed what was probably happening above, and he lost track of what the best course of action would be to follow. He looked back at Pyrrha with a desperate expression, and made a motion for her to go ahead of him. Pyrrha shook her head, then motioned for Jaune to come closer. She put a hand around his ear, and whispered "Go up and stop them, now!"

She wasn't too confident that that would be a good thing to do, but it was all that they could do. Jaune nodded, then continued to walk up the stairs, straightening up now. If they were caught in a fight, they would almost certainly lose, but they could still try and get Ren during it before running away. Pyrrha walked behind him, and when her foot fell on a shard of glass, producing a loud crunching noise.

Nora didn't look up. She didn't even seem to be aware of their presence. As Pyrrha's head rose above the floor, she saw that Nora was straddled on to of Ren, looking at him with an expression of hunger. Every inch of her body seemed to be blushed, and she was pinning Ren to the ground. Her tongue was gradually sliding out of her mouth, double pronged appendage making its way towards Ren's.

She looked over to Jaune, and saw that his gaze was transfixed on the scene with a kind of awe that she hadn't seen on his face before. He gave no indication of moving on his own, so Pyrrha gave him a sharp elbow in the ribs. This jolted him back into sense, and he gave her a confused expression first, before seeming to recall what he was here to do and saying loudly "Nora, stop."

This did a much better job of attracting Nora's attention, and her head cracked to the side, looking at them. There was a mixture of expressions in her eyes, but she slowly raised off of Ren, tongue still hanging limply out of her mouth. Jaune saw the sharp teeth that lined her mouth. He had forgotten about the teeth. "Nora, what you're doing is wrong. Let Ren go, and we won't have to hurt you. Please, we don't want to hurt you."

Nora continued to walk towards him, and he suddenly became very aware of the growing feeling of warmth that seemed to emanate from the girl. He had no doubt that if she got too close, he would be paralyzed again. He wanted to tell her to stay back, but Nora's hips swayed so hypnotically, and the look on her face was so soft…

He shook his head, and brought his shield up. "Nora, I'm warning you. We'll fight you if we have to. Please, just let us take Ren, and we can go in peace."

Nora shook her head. "Jaune, why can't you people understand? We love each other! How would you feel if someone tried to take Pyrrha away from you? You love her! It's the same!" She passed over some invisible line, and Jaune started to feel his thoughts cloud thickly. Doing his best to not hesitate, and keep his senses about him, he brought his sword up, and felt a satisfied smile come across his face when she stopped. "Jaune, how could you be so cruel? I just…" her voice trailed off, and she put her hands over her face, falling to her knees and starting to cry. "…I just want to be with Ren! P-please, j-j-just leave us alone!"

The sudden turn of the conversations was unexpected, and he wasn't entirely sure how to respond. He wanted to comfort her. Every part of his being wanted to rush to her side an comfort her, but his mind reminded him that there was no room for pity now. The result of this internal conflict was that he stood still, unable to move.

Pyrrha started to walk past him, hugging the sides of the room in hopes of avoiding Nora's detection. Jaune could see that she was trying to get to Ren, and snapped himself back into lucidity. "Nora, please, you have to let him go. It isn't healthy out here, he'll get hurt! We have to take him somewhere safer!" The distraction seemed to work for the moment, but Nora's crying intensified, clouding his mind even more.

It took all of Jaune's willpower to resist going to her side, but he was able to hold himself off. The effect that Nora had on him was strong, but he had to resist, at least long enough to let Pyrrha finish what she was doing. "Nora, please, don't cry. This is for your good, and for Ren's good. You understand that, don't you?" Nora continued to cry, and Jaune wasn't sure if she'd heard him. He took a small step closer, and continued to speak softly. "We just want to help. If you could work with us, everyone would come out of this safer."

Pyrrha picked Ren up from the ground and threw him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry, starting to make her way back towards Jaune, a nervous look on her face. She needed him to keep distracting Nora, but she didn't want him going too overboard.

Jaune took another step towards Nora, starting to bend his knees to take him down to her level. "Nora, can you look at me?" The redhead's fingers cracked apart slightly, and through them, Jaune saw a piercing blue eye pointed at him. For a few seconds, he didn't move, he didn't speak, he didn't even breathe. Then he took a step back. "Please, you just have to work with us here."

Pyrrha had gotten Ren to about the stairs before Nora's gaze shifted to her, and she rose back to her feet, hands falling to her sides and face contorting into a much more confused expression, rather than the sorrowful one that she had worn moments before. "Pyrrha, what are you doing?"

Before Pyrrha could answer, Nora looked to Ren, and something in her brain seemed to click. Her hands curled into fists, and her lip lifted like a growling animal as she said in a deep voice "I won't let you take him!" Jaune took another step back, placing himself between the two and raising his shield defensively. He looked over his shoulder quickly, saying "Go!" and turning back to Nora, readying himself to do his best at keeping them apart.

Nora let out a guttural sound from her throat as Pyrrha disappeared down the stairs, and leapt after her. Jaune stepped into her path, and braced his arm for her to impact. She did, and he thought for a moment that he wouldn't be able to endure the hit. She thudded against the metal shield with about as much force as a Grimm's claw, and instantly started to try and get past him. Jaune was forced to take a few slow, retreating steps down the stairs, glancing to the side as he did so, seeing Ren's limp legs disappearing out of the hole that they had entered the building through. Pyrrha was fast, but he knew that Nora would be faster.

After trying to simply squeeze in-between the shield and the wall, Nora took control of the situation. She grabbed the sides of his shield and started to yank it from side to side, nearly throwing Jaune down the stairs. He stumbled backwards, one particularly violent motion throwing him off-balance, and Nora made full use of the opportunity. Displaying inhuman speed and dexterity, she leaped not into him, but on him, one foot planted on the bleak wall next to him, the other on his shield. Both hands dug into the fabric on his back, and she flung herself past him, sending him into the hard stairs like a ragdoll. She went dashing off as he did his best to cushion the fall.

It took several seconds to shake off the daze of the blow, but as he picked himself back up, he heard Pyrrha shout somewhere far away. This spurred him to action much faster than anything else, and he pushed himself back up, practically flying down the stairs to protect his partner. When he got out of the building, he looked around as fast as he could, and saw Pyrrha facing off with Nora in much the same way he had, except that she had her spear ready to attack. Ren was on the ground behind her.

Just as they came into his view, Nora jumped at Pyrrha. She launched a flurry of vicious blows with her sharp nails, but Pyrrha was able to block them with her shield. Without missing a beat, in the brief fraction of a second interval between strikes, Pyrrha lashed out with her bronze shield, landing a solid blow against Nora's chest. In spite of Nora's dangerous abilities, she was still light, and the blow knocked her back a considerable distance.

Jaune started to charge, feet hammering against the ground, sending small plumes of dirt away from his feet. As he approached Nora, he brought his blade over his head, ready to strike at her. He wouldn't like it, but there was no other option.

Nora dug her feet into the ground and stopped herself before losing too much ground, or toppling over. Jaune continued to grow closer and closer, until finally he was in striking distance. His sword gleamed in the moonlight as it arced down. With as strong an impact he could manage, the blade struck the back of Nora's head. She toppled forward, face meeting the ground with a solid thud.

Jaune stood over her, now holding his sword with a certain amount of disdain. There was blood on its end, although it hadn't cut her. Her aura had borne the brunt of the damage, and the rest was only from the blunt force of the attack. He hadn't wanted to do that. But she had made him do it.

Nora's otherworldly scent started to waft into his nostrils, and he quickly stumbled back. A brick lodged firmly into the ground caught the back of his foot, and he keeled over, arms flailing briefly in search of anything that they could use to save him. They found nothing, and he hit the ground with the full force of his fall. Another brick in the ground provided the only cushion for his fall, making his eyes tear and his ears ring.

Pyrrha watched Jaune fall, and was about to go and help when Nora started to move again. She worked her arms under herself slowly at first, then, in a hurricane of movement, launched herself at Pyrrha with all the force she could muster. She didn't have time to raise her shield again, and instead was forced to roll out of the way to avoid being slammed. The subtle "whoosh" of air in her ears as Nora zipped past her made her hairs stand on end, and she quickly turned to face her again. Nora was closer to Ren now than she was, and that made her very nervous. She wasn't in control of the situation at all, and it looked like Jaune wouldn't be able to lend a hand anymore. She hated to think it, but she knew that it was time to think about withdrawing. It had been a longshot anyways. Neither one of them had really expected it to work. Still, though, defeat was a bitter pill to swallow.

If Nora sensed her surrender, she showed no sign of it. She leapt at Pyrrha again, claws ready to rend anything in their path. She was an impressive distance off the ground, and Pyrrha knew that she could use that to her advantage if she were fast. She coiled her legs beneath her, readying herself for the critical maneuver. As Nora flew towards her, she rolled again, just barely making it under the girl. She felt one of Nora's feet graze her back before she righted herself again, and struck out with her spear at Nora's back.

Nora landed, cursing for having missed her mark, then felt a dull, piercing pain in her lower abdomen. Her whole body shook as the feeling seemed to roll through her nervous system, then she steadied herself. Her gaze drifted down, and she was somewhat taken aback to find the sharp, now bloodied point of Miló poking through her shirt. A red stain was working its way across the fabric, steaming and hissing in the cool night air. The pain faded, and she smiled as she felt the spear move slightly as Pyrrha tried to pull it back out. She tensed the muscles around it, as well as the ones that were already starting to knit back together around it. That spear wasn't going anywhere.

She turned back to face Pyrrha, and felt some mild surprise when she found tears starting to roll down Pyrrha's face. She smiled, tongue flicking out, practically tasting Pyrrha's tears. "I thought we were friends!" Her voice was a mocking drawl, and she felt a rush of pleasure as she saw the grief in Pyrrha's eyes multiply. She hated to hurt her friend, just like Jaune. It was a shame that she did not share their reservations.

Laughter filled her ears, but its source was a mystery. It sounded like Tiny's laughter, and it was something that he would laugh at, but she also felt the spear still moving, telling her that it was her laughter. She didn't care. The desire to hurt filled her again, and she lunged out at her.

Pyrrha wasn't ready this time, and Nora was able to grapple on to her easily, wrapping her legs around her midriff in a vicelike trap, and set about destroying the one who had tried to take her love from her.

Sharp nails tore through flesh easily, and Pyrrha's screams were soon the only sounds that were louder than her own laughter. Beautiful red blood flowed from the divots that she carved from her face. The cuts were shallow at first, but as Nora continued to mutilate Pyrrha's soft face, her smile grew and grew. It felt so good to do this. How had she never done it before?

One of Pyrrha's eyelids disappeared, and the orb of fluid beneath was easily ruptured by her vicious onslaught. She was just about to target the next eye when something punctured her again, this time much more smoothly than Miló had. Her body stopped responding to her attempts to manipulate it, and she fell limply to the ground, fighting to regain movement. Jaune's sword was pulled from her spine, and every part of her body below the point that had been stabbed gave a great spasm. A shoe was planted firmly in her shoulder, and Miló was pulled out as well, snapping the tendons that had already formed around it.

Her wounds instantly started to heal, but the complex structure of the spinal cord that had been severed would take time to heal. She started to regain control of her arms, and used them to drag herself to face her opponents. All she saw was Jaune running away, Pyrrha in his arms, holding her face and crying. Nora wanted to chase them, but her legs were still completely inoperable. It was probably just as well. They had left Ren, and he was her priority. She had to remind herself of that fact. No matter how fun that had been, Ren was her focus.

She clawed her way over to him, wounds popping and hissing as they healed, and looked him over. He seemed unharmed, and stared up at the sky with a blank expression. A deep, loving feeling came over her, and she aligned herself on the ground next to him, looking up at the stars as well. It was nice. It wasn't long before she was pointing out shapes in the stars, and naming new constellations with her favorite person. She wished that they could do this all the time, but soon she would have to go out and get food for him, and even before that it would get too cold outside, and she would have to take him back inside. Her arms went gently around him, and she snuggled up to his arm, smearing some of Pyrrha's blood on his green sleeve. She didn't want the moment to end.

* * *

Cinder grinned as she looked down at the people who had assembled at the small hall that served as the village's center. It was the majority of the population, and she could tell that they were all curious about what the meeting was about. They had no idea that she was about give them pleasures beyond their wildest dreams. She certainly liked the idea that the voice in her head had proposed. She had never started a cult, but It couldn't be too different from the things that she had already done. She just needed to remain confident, and make use of the powers that had been granted to her.

The room was dark, every possible distractor removed. There weren't even chairs in the room, something that was causing a fair amount of grumbling among her guests. Neo and Roman were waiting outside, and would lock the doors as soon as the action started. Then she would "convince" all of these wonderful people that to follow the demons was the only real way to be happy. After the "demonstration" she had planned, nothing that they could do with their own bodies would compare to the delights demons could give. It was a wonderful plan.

The murmuring increased slightly, and Cinder knew that she would have to speed the plan along. Even if everyone was not quite present, people would start leaving soon. She wanted to get as many as she could in the initial wave, and simply gather converts later.

She signaled for the lights to dim further, and they did, leaving the room in nearly complete darkness. The murmuring increased again, but this time was full of curiosity, and some trepidation. If these people knew what they were about to feel, they would be shouting for her to start already. They didn't, though, and continued to puzzle over what was going on.

Cinder walked out from behind the curtain that separated the majority of the main stage from the rest of the hall, and conjured a flame in her hand to provide illumination. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure that all of you are curious about what you're doing here. Let me not tell you, but show you."

The flame in her hand sputtered, flickering for a few brief seconds before dying altogether, leaving them all bathed in darkness. A new energy filled Cinder's palm, and started to cast a red glow away from her skin. Eyes reflecting the light gazed back up at her, faces slowly turning from skeptical to awestruck. This wasn't the main event, but rather a kind of appetizer; readying their minds for the ecstasy to come. It was simply something to make them more malleable. They could close their minds to the loosening influence, but they didn't have any reason to yet.

She spoke as this phase progressed, knowing that what she said now would act as guidance during the conversion process. If they didn't have this, they wouldn't know what to do, and would likely go wild, like animals. While it would be amusing, it wasn't what they needed to do. "There are beings that you've never seen, and that you could not possibly imagine. Lucky for you, though, I can show you them. They only want one small thing in return…" her voice came to a small peak, emphasizing the word "small". She looked around at them, and intensified the loosening energy, enjoying the looks of reverence. "If you give them yourselves, they will give you anything you wish, provided you serve them well enough. It's a small thing to ask, really, in comparison to what wonders they could give you. I would like to give you a small sampling of what you could feel from them."

She took a few small steps back towards the curtain. "And, luckily enough, I've a very willing volunteer here to help me." She made a gesture, and the curtain slid back, revealing a somewhat medieval looking bed, tilted at an angle to show the man who was strapped down, a gag firmly placed in his mouth to prevent any unwarranted noises. Tears were streaming down his face as he fought against his bonds, and he tried to prompt his audience to help with his restricted actions. Cinder knew that now was a crucial point in the process, and started to change the energy she projected. Instead of opening her watchers' minds, she now projected her own deep contentment at the sight of the bound man, ensuring that they would not do anything to interfere, and actually watch what was coming with some enjoyment. The glow grew brighter, and all looked on, smiles growing across their faces.

Cinder walked to the side of the bed, and leaned close to the man. He pulled away from her, bonds stretching but keeping him stationary. Cinder produced a ceremonial-looking knife from her side and took a few sashaying steps towards him. His eyes widened, and he fought harder against his bonds. She traced it along the side of his face, relishing in the sheer terror she saw his mind start to drown in.

She leaned in close, and in a sultry whisper, said "Don't worry now. You'll love it, I promise." His continued fighting seemed to suggest that he didn't believe her, but this didn't bother her. He would, soon enough, find that she wasn't lying. He would spend his last few moments writhing in pleasure, she would make sure of it.

The knife's edge glinted in the light from her opposite hand as she brought in to rest, point down, in the middle of the man's chest. The cold metal drained the heat from his skin, making it prickle around it, and Cinder drew it in a small circle playfully, not yet slicing the flesh.

The man tried harder and harder to free himself, and Cinder started to return her attention to her watchers. "Now, as you can see, this fine specimen of a man is eager to join us. Soon, he will feel what we can do, and he will share that feeling with all of you. Don't you want that?" Voices rose from the crowd, all in the affirmative. All were very excited, and Cinder smiled when she saw that they were even somewhat hungry to know.

Without further hesitation, she called fourth the power of the demons that she had been given, making the rune that Neo had so expertly drawn on the stage glow. She felt her own strength start to waver, and knew that she would have to complete the ritual faster if she wanted it to succeed. The blade plunged into the man's chest, and a geyser of blood erupted from the incision, spraying out with a force that Cinder hadn't quite expected, showering down over the faces of those watching. She pulled the curved blade back out, and the fluid shot readily out onto those watching. Cinder saw the man's face, and knew that his eyes rolling back in his head wasn't from pain. His hands worked eagerly, and his limbs strained against his bonds in vein attempts to touch the wound. She could feel his pleasure funneling through her, and out to the watching eyes. And she could feel their pleasure funneling back, and into the rune, bringing the two separate worlds closer and closer together. Voices cried out again from the crowd, and people started to react. They acted as if some euphoric haze had settled over the room, scenes of great debauchery soon broke out, people doing things very inappropriate for a public place like this. She knew that it was working.

The feeling of pleasure didn't start to fade, instead only growing as the depravity in the crowd intensified. Cinder couldn't quite see what was happening among the churning crowd, but she could certainly see clothes flying away from bodies.

The power in the rune started to grow beyond what seemed tolerable, and a strange, whispering voice seemed to permeate the air. Cinder wasn't sure if the others could hear it, but she could, just on the fringes of her mind, and she wanted to hear more. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be a concern, as the pleasure that went into the rune intensified with every passing second. The voice grew louder and louder, until it was almost roaring in her ears. In spite of this, she couldn't tell exactly what it was saying. It almost sounded like it was a different language.

Just as the sound started to peak at the point where it couldn't get any louder, it was covered by a tremendous ripping sound. Cinder looked back at the rune, and found a vertical slit in the air above it, something indescribably odd between the two points of reality that had simply ceased to be. Her eyes didn't find anything to focus on within it, but they soon didn't have to time, as a blast of energy from the tear knocked her off of her feet.

The sounds of the crowd died down briefly, and as Cinder picked herself up, she saw spindly limbs and twisted figures start to crawl from the hole, working their way into the crowd among the people, and joining in the "fun". She took the moment of relative quiet to announce to her new followers exactly what she wanted them to do. "Now, go! Do you want to keep this feeling to yourselves? It would be greedy to do so! You must go, and share it with everyone you can find!" Her arms had gone over her head at some point, likely for emphasis, and they slowly fell back down. Her words took effect instantly, and the numbers of people surged towards the doors, throwing their whole force against them. She recalled with some amusement that they were locked, and wondered if the people would be able to break them down. It seemed for a small moment that they wouldn't be able to, but then the doors exploded off of their hinges, and they spilled out into the streets of the town, demons following eagerly behind or pushing them out of the way.

Cinder was about to follow when she felt something that made her draw in a sharp breath. Her legs gave out from under her, and her body filled with the energy that she had found herself coming to adore. Her nerves seemed to blaze into a fiery life, and she felt herself be flooded by the power. The initial shock of the thing wore off, but the feeling of empowerment didn't. Cinder stood back up, now feeling every muscle in her body as she moved. A smile came across her face as she started to walk away from the portal, knowing that it would stay open. Shouts, screams, and praises from the streets started to sound out, and she knew what was happening. Those who had not shown up to the meeting were being converted, their souls being filled with the demonic longing for more than their flesh could give. Cinder could feel her own power growing with every person that fell to the feeling. If this was how things were going to work, she could get used to it.

As she exited out into the streets, she looked to the darkened sky. They were dim, but the telltale lights of an airship keeping distance with the village hovered in the sky among the stars. She smiled at it, almost daring its occupants to come to them. They would feel the burning lust, and would succumb to the feeling, bolstering their ranks. In fact, she almost hoped that they would come. If it allowed her to expand her power, she hoped that all the forces in the world would come at her.

* * *

The leaders of the world gazed at their respective screens, horrified at what was happening. It was clear that it was bad, but beyond that, it was obvious that whatever was happening was contagious. It spread from person to person with alarming speed, and they had no reason to believe that it could be cured.

Ozpin spoke, breaking the silence that had settled over the people. "As you can see, this is a matter that requires our utmost attention. If we allow this to continue, we may very well lose what little ability to contain the situation that we have now. As you already know, losses in attacking the initial portal are expected to be high. I do not think that we can let it spread. This would result in even greater losses and, given what we've seen here, poses a massive threat to not just Menagerie, but the world at large. My recommendation is an immediate quarantine in this village, and immediate research into an effective means of combating the spread of this."

General Ironwood nodded, saying "I agree. If this continues to spread unchecked, as I have no doubt that it will if we remain idle, it will do damage that will in the long term be irreparable, and possibly even lead to our downfall. Something has to be done."

The leaders considered for a moment in silence, before the women speaking for Menagerie said "But how? What could be done that would make it agreeable that they stay? If they truly will spread it as much as you say…" her voice trailed off, hanging in the air and leaving an uneasy sensation in the stomachs of those who listened. Slowly, and obviously hesitantly, Ironwood said "I think that making it agreeable is already out of the question. Speaking not as a military commander, but as a teacher, I think that the time for an amicable solution has passed. They must be forced."

Ozpin appreciated that his friend had said it instead of him. No doubt it had not been easy. Another few moments of heavy silence passed as they all simply stared at the data feed from the airship, watching as ordinary people were turned into raving lunatics.

Then, finally, the woman said "Fine, given the circumstances, I believe that this is our only option. This site must be quarantined, and the artifact must be destroyed as soon as possible. I'll make the arrangements immediately."

Ozpin and Ironwood both let out a sigh, and nodded. They were relieved that she had seen fit to treat the situation with the seriousness that it commanded, but knew that there was going to be plenty of work ahead of them in getting the forces for a full-scale assault on the artifact. They had to do it, though. Naze had made it very clear that nothing good would come if the demons were allowed to carry out whatever devious plans they had laid out.

The leaders disconnected, and so did Ozpin and Ironwood. It was one victory, but they would need many more to make a larger impact.


	36. Chapter 36

Author's Note:

Always happy to deliver the new chapter of joy. However, there were no reviews on it. Please guys, I really do appreciate those, no matter what you say.

Feedback is really important , so if I don't get that, I start feeling like no one's reading.

* * *

Jaune carried Pyrrha as quickly as he could to the "chapel" that he knew the Paladins would be at. She moaned, holding his hood to her face in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He could feel the warm fluid starting to soak through the fabric and onto his back. This only quickened his pace into a maddened sprint. He was suddenly very glad for all of the hours that he had lagged behind her, sweating and panting as he tried to keep up with her in their jogs. Those hours were probably the only reason that he hadn't yet collapsed, and would not let himself collapse.

He wanted to comfort Pyrrha in some way, but he didn't have the breath to spare to speak. Instead, he simply squeezed her tighter, hoping that it would be enough. Her muffled noises subsided slightly, but continued. Jaune pumped his legs harder beneath him, and finally, the lodge of the Paladins came into view.

It was the only building that was an active light source in the area, casting a warm glow out from its windows, and from the large hole in the back. Jaune approached the building without trepidation, holding Pyrrha tighter. When he reached the door, he held Pyrrha slightly off to the side, and brought a foot up into the barrier. It wasn't the most powerful kick that he had ever launched, but it felt like the most important. The door swung open, its hinges loosened significantly, and Jaune proceeded to barge in, shouting "I need help!"

A number of individuals looked up at him from a table on the far side of the room, food laid out in front of them. He had obviously caught them at a bad time, but he didn't care. He ran towards them as they stood, and looked at him with mixtures of confusion and worry on their faces. "Please, my friend is hurt, and needs help now!"

He met with them a short distance away from their table, and soon found the food being pushed off the tables and onto the floor to make room for her. She was laid out flat, and with some struggle, her hands were lifted away from her face.

The damage revealed was horrific. Deep gashes and profuse bleeding were bad enough, but the damage to her eye was obvious. What used to be a beautiful green eye was now a bloodied socked, filled with the deflated orb that had once held a series of lenses and fluids that had once allowed her to see. Attention was soon entirely on Pyrrha, and Jaune was thankful. He felt his stomach start to churn uneasily, and knew that, now that it was safe, he didn't need to keep such a solid hold on himself.

He retched, contents of his stomach spattering on the floor, and fell to his knees. Tears started to flow from his eyes. He had been so unable to help, and he got Pyrrha hurt. The temptation to look over his shoulder at the bloody scene was there, but he had to quell the feeling. If he saw it again, he would surely lose his stomach again.

With slow, shaky movements, he wiped his mouth off on his sleeve, and carefully picked himself up off of the floor. It took him a moment to make sure that he had his balance about him, but when he did, he stole a cautions look behind him, careful to avoid any of the disturbing things that he had already seen. Thankfully, there was a burly man directly between him and Pyrrha's face, making it impossible to even inadvertently catch a glimpse of the injury.

He saw a face that seemed familiar to him. He hadn't seen it himself, but it had been described for him. Amber, if his mind was serving him correctly, was tending to the injury itself, speaking softly to herself and casting a warm glow out from her hands. Jaune was about to lean to the side to allow a better look at what she was doing when one of the other Paladins started to make his way over to him.

Jaune watched him approach, and when he came into conversational distance, motioned for Jaune to walk with him, saying "Come on, let's talk." Jaune followed, but cast a concerned look over his shoulder. He wanted to make sure that Pyrrha was alright. He had already failed her once, he didn't want to do it again.

The man clapped his shoulder and said in a reassuring tone "She will be fine. Or, well…" he ran a hand awkwardly through his long brown hair. "At least, she won't get any worse. We've got our best Priestess on her, so there's nothing to worry about. Just come on, and tell me what happened." Jaune let out a tentative sigh, then nodded. It would be for the best, not just for the man, but for himself as well. He still needed to order the events in his head anyways.

The two walked in a small circuit around the building, Jaune recounting the events that had lead up to the tragedy, and his new friend listening intently. When they finished their loop, both stopped, and Jaune finished the tale. The man simply gave Jaune an awestruck look before shaking his head and saying "I must say, I admire your courage!" This hadn't been the response that Jaune had expected, and he raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The man shook his head, and said "You saw what that girl could do, and yet you went after her anyways! You're a brave man. I doubt that I would have been so decisive. And besides, you tried your best! What could be expected of facing such an overwhelming force? You tried, and you stood up for yourself. That is all that really matters." He looked over Jaune's shoulder, back over towards the table. "Ah, it looks like Amber has finished with her. Are you good to go over there?" Jaune nodded, feeling a little insulted at the question, but knowing why he asked. The puddle of vomit was still on the floor nearby.

The two started towards the table again, and Jaune tried to ready himself for the worst. When they reached the table, his stomach turned again. Pyrrha was sitting on the side of the table, speaking to Amber, who was sitting next to her, asking if she was alright and cleaning off the sides of her head, wiping the blood off with a white rag. She had another rag tied around her head, covering up the eye that was injured, and the rest of her face was left exposed. Jaune was relieved to see that the wounds all over the face had healed without leaving so much as a scar. The rag over her eye, though, gave him a bad feeling.

Pyrrha nodded, indicating that she felt fine, then turned to face Jaune. A small, unconvincing smile came across her face, and she lifted a hand to greet him. "Hello. I…" her voice trailed off awkwardly, and she brushed a few errand strands of hair form her eyes "I want to thank you. For bringing me back, you know."

Jaune shook his head, a certain look of disbelief coming across his face. "What was I supposed to do? Just let Nora keep wailing on you? No way! Anyways, I'm just glad you're alright." He moved forward, and wrapped his arms around Pyrrha. She did the same, but gave Amber a reluctant look over Jaune's shoulder. She didn't know how she was going to tell him, but she had to.

As Jaune broke the hug and stepped back, she gave him a slightly shifty look. "Look, Jaune, there's something that I feel like I should tell you. I'm glad that you think I look fine, but I'm not really totally unharmed." Jaune raised an eyebrow, then his gaze shifted slowly to the rag. The color drained from his face, and his hands went slowly to his face.

Pyrrha put her arms out towards Jaune in an effort to set him at ease, saying "Jaune, it's not your fault. You did everything you could." Jaune wasn't listening to her, however. He had turned to look at Amber, a look of horror on his face. "You couldn't fix it? Why couldn't you fix it?"

Amber's face adopted a much more stressed expression, and she put her hands up, saying "I'm sorry! I did the best I could! I tried to fix it, but the damage was too extensive! I can't repair everything, the damage wasn't just to the eye structure, but to the nerve itself. If I had tried to heal that, she would be in pain almost constantly. She chose herself to give up the possibility of regaining the eye.

Jaune's anger faded, and he looked back to Pyrrha with a shocked expression. She nodded, and said "Jaune, it's alright. I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

Jaune heaved a sigh, letting the feeling ooze from his body. "Alright, if you say you're good, I won't. We still have to save Nora and Ren, though. We can't do it by ourselves, so we have to find someone to help. Who can we get?"

* * *

Nora twisted her back, vertebrae snapping back into place with loud popping sounds. Suddenly, she could feel her lower body again, and she made use of this trait instantly, picking herself up off the ground. She wrapped her arms around Ren, and carried him back into the building that she had deemed their nest. The bundle of blankets and one lone mattress that she had found some time ago would make for a much more comfortable place for her Ren to cuddle for the night.

Ren felt almost weightless in her arms as she carried him. When she laid him down and pulled the blankets over both of them, she felt something troubling. There was something wrong, but she couldn't place what it was. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on sleeping, but the pervasive feeling wouldn't leave her. She felt that she had to do something about it, but she didn't know what that could be.

She turned her thoughts to Tiny, and asked what she needed to do. "Why do I feel like this?" The response was a low whisper, quiet to avoid disturbing Ren, perfectly imitating her voice perfectly. "You are feeling this because you almost lost Ren. If you want to fix it, you need to be sure that you'll never lose Ren again. There aren't many ways to do this, but there is one that you could do right now, if you wished."

Nora was eager to fix the problem, and wanted to hear the solution. Tiny whispered the solution to her, and slowly, she wanted to do it. As Tiny spoke, using her voice, she learned the details. Doing it would even bring them closer together.

It was, in essence, a way that she could meld their souls together. If she did this, they would become almost one person. It was almost like what Tiny had done with her. She wanted to make Ren feel as good as Tiny had made her feel. It was the least she could do in exchange for all of the years of friendship. She would need time, though, but she had plenty of that now. It would be so wonderful to have Ren inside of her. And there were other benefits, too. If Ren resided inside of her body, he wouldn't have to worry about finding food, or being uncomfortable, or being cold ever again. It was an existence that she would want for him, and she was sure that he would want to take for himself.

She could not deny his whims, and had to do it. When Tiny finished explaining, she turned to Ren that started to try it immediately. It was difficult, she would have to learn how to bear her soul outwards, and pull Ren into herself. There was no way that it would be easy, but for Ren, the work would be worth it. She wanted to give him everything.

She rolled over, practically on top of him, and started to try. Nothing happened, but she wouldn't stop trying until she was able to do it. She had to. If she was able to do it, she would have done everything that she needed to. Then she could simply drift, not having to worry about keeping Ren safe. Her body was strong enough to keep both of them safe.

She spent the rest of the night trying, and even though she wasn't able to make any progress, her spirits were bolstered by the fact that it was even a possibility at all. Her mind started to focus on it more and more, leaving little room for anything else. It wasn't long before she had almost forgotten about Pyrrha and Jaune entirely, thoughts replaced by thinking of the future. It was all that really mattered, after all.

* * *

When Ozpin was awakened in the dead of night, he was somewhat irritable. When he found out that it was one of the leaders of a kingdom, however, he quashed all irritability as well as he could as he made himself presentable.

When he brought the view screen in front of him, he found the face of one of the leaders on the other end. Who it was, he didn't know, it was far too late to associate names with faces and jobs. The person, female, if his bleary vision didn't lie, wasted no time in saying "Ozpin, you posed your plans, and I certainly know which of your solutions I would like more. If you want outright support, however, you would need to compile a list of names of those who would be returned to fight. Do that, and I would find myself much more inclined to take that option."

The transmission cut out abruptly, leaving Ozpin in the harsh glow of the screen, eyes still not fully adjusted. He killed the screen with the push of a button, and walked back to his bed, knowing that he needed sleep. As he made his way back to his bed, a wavering voice came out of the darkness, and he could instantly tell that it was the voice of a shade. It said, without any fanfare or indication that it was there, "Worry not, Ozpin. I will accrue possible names, and submit them to you promptly."

Ozpin was far too tired at the moment to care that there had been a shade in his room. Instead, he simply laid down in his bed and started to sleep again. It would be a few more hours until he had to wake again and do any work, and he intended to get plenty of sleep before then.

* * *

Once he started to think of how he would gather the souls, he realized that he would likely need more than his own information. He would need names, memories, direction in some way. If he was left simply sifting through souls, it would take a long time to find the souls that he needed. The living, though, would've heard of some of the best warriors through simply living in a civilization in which heroes were romanticized.

He would have to find someone who was knowledgeable however, and doing that could pose a challenge. Without knowing a good place to start, he decided that talking to the one most recently-living individual in his employ.

Yang was sitting on her bed, Pyromancy in hand, when Naze's voice rang through her head like a gong. The sudden voice almost caused her to lose control of it, but she managed to clutch her fingers down, smashing the flame down and cutting off its power. "Yang, tell me the names of some of the more powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses in recent history, as well as where I might find their graves. The need may arise for me to have those experienced in fighting Grimm, to allow the living to focus on the more demonic threat. If you can't do that, then find someone who can."

The commands were terse, to say the least, but Yang knew that it was important. She nodded despite the fact that Naze was nowhere in sight, and responded, "Alright. None really come to mind now, but give me an hour or two, and I'll have a list." She picked herself up off the bed and carefully started to make her way towards the door, trying not to wake her friends. The library would be the best place to start looking for information like that, but she didn't know if it would be open at this late an hour, but if it wasn't she could probably find another way in.

When she left her room, she closed the door softly behind her and started to make her way off to the library. Before she could leave, however, her eyes went to team JNPR's door. Still, she had not seen the faintest signs of life from that room, and it was beginning to make her very nervous. They couldn't be doing well since losing Nora and Ren. She hadn't seen them since they came back from the hospital. She placed an ear against the door, listening intently for any sign that they were inside. She found none, and let out a sigh, continuing on her way towards the library. She was worried about Jaune and Pyrrha. They were both pretty stable and down-to-earth people, but the emotional stress of losing half a team would get to anyone, she was sure.

The walk to the library was a fairly quick one, street lamps illuminating the way through the night. The doors turned out not to be locked, and she was soon nose-deep in a wide variety of texts flashing by on screens. She took notes down on her scroll about everything of interest she found, and soon found herself oddly enjoying herself.

What she was doing was essentially a research assignment, something that she had never been fond of during school, but now there was something different about it. Reading about the exploits of heroes in the past, the insane things that they did to protect what they loved, and of their eventual demises at the hands of various causes. Most of them died in battle, but remarkably the majority's remains were recovered afterwards. She had never learned this, but it turned out that there were special procedures in case someone fell in battle. Retrieval and confirmation of death was one of the most important missions, given to some of the best.

It was a while before Yang even realized the speed at which she was working through texts. In around twenty minutes, she had ground her way through at least thirty different stories encompassing entire careers, from training to either retirement to death. A few of the men and women she read about were still alive, living in peace among the people they had protected. It was nice to see that some people did get happy endings, and she certainly hoped that her friends would get ends like that. Not that dying was all too bad an experience, she had found that out herself, but there were a lot of worse ways to go. She was lucky, really, to have gotten the death that she did. Lots of people got more painful deaths every day.

She shook her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. She had been given a job, and she actually thought that it was pretty enjoyable. In addition to names, she took down information on where they were buried, if they had been, where they had died, and where they were celebrated most.

Her list grew quickly, and it wasn't too long before the sun started to raise in the windows on the walls. She looked up, somewhat shocked, and then looked back down at her scroll. It was already almost six in the morning. She hadn't realized that time was going so quickly. She'd already gotten around three hundred people, but there was one that there was little to no information available for that she couldn't quite get out of her mind. She'd already wondered at the possibility, but had dismissed it some time ago.

Summer Rose had been one of the best Huntresses of the modern age, and had simply vanished without a trace. No one knew if she was alive or dead. She wondered if Naze would be able to figure something like that out. Surely with his immense necromantic abilities, he would be able to divine something like that easily. She recalled what she had read about necromancy in the book Naze had given her about finding specific souls. If he was going to find Summer, he would need either something that had been close to her like some personal item, or go to a place where memories of her were strong, where her spirit might have resided after dying.

An odd feeling came over Yang as she considered that. Had Summer done anything after she died, if she had died? She was so dedicated a mother that it was hard to imagine that she would let Ruby and Yang go on with their lives without watching over them, or to simply leave her father alone like that, depressed and shut down. But if she had watched over them, would she have been able to do anything? If she was just a ghost, she would have been weak. Maybe she was dead, but it was also a possibility that she was out there somewhere. Either way, it raised the possibility that she would see her mother again. Not her biological mother, of course, but she had always thought of Summer as her real mother. It was impossible not to, given how nurturing she always was.

She looked at her list, making sure that she had everything that she needed. Names, dates, locations, even a few next of kin. That should've been enough. She pushed her chair out, away from the table, and got back to her feet. It was still far too early in the day for anyone else to be in the library, so the only sound that met her ears on her way out was that of her shoes against the floor. The journey back to her dorm room was as uneventful as the one away from it had been, the sun rising slowly into the sky to replace the moon.

On her way back in, she still didn't see any sign of what was left of JNPR. She was sure now that something was wrong. They hadn't taken the loss well. Maybe they had even gone off and done something stupid. It wasn't like Pyrrha, but Yang had never seen Pyrrha really upset. Maybe she was the type to act impulsively, if in enough of a disarray. She opened her door again, and took a seat back on her bed. She was sure that Naze already knew that her task was complete, and she had faith that he would tell her what to do when he needed her.

All that she could do now was to wait for her teammates to wake up. She would practice her Pyromancy in the meantime,

* * *

When Ironwood woke up, his arm was pounding with that old ache that he had felt for years. He grimaced as he slid out of bed, and made himself ready for the day. He was sure that it would not be an easy one, as there was much that he had to do. It would take quite a bit of headache to get Ozpin's plan to go through.

He walked down from his bedroom, and ate a bland, tasteless breakfast. He didn't even pay enough attention to it to properly identify it, but he was fairly certain that he'd had it before. His mind was preoccupied by thoughts of how he might be able to show the leaders of the world that things desperately needed to happen. It would take every resource that they had available, and a few that they didn't yet, to repel the new threat.

He picked himself up quickly, and went to walk back to his office. The longer he delayed getting to work, the longer he would have to do it. Before he was able to reach his office, though, something rounded the corner and stopped him. Some part of him was glad to see the one he considered to be his very own daughter, but the main part of his mind knew that he needed to get work done. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't quite have time for Penny. He couldn't just say that, though.

"Mr. Ironwood, why do you look so upset?" Penny's innocent face was disarming, and he lost the ability to be angry. He gave her a small smile and said "There's a lot on my mind, Penny. I'm sorry, but I need to get to work." He walked past Penny, and hoped that she would simply walk away. She didn't, though, and continued to follow behind him. He sighed to himself as he heard her consistent footsteps behind him. She spoke again, this time her voice was much more hesitant. "Is there anything that I could do to help? Why not just tell me? I think that would help."

Ironwood caught himself about to tell her to go away. He couldn't do that, allow his military demeanor to seep through to his interactions with her. It was something that he always tried to be careful about. "Penny, I really do appreciate the effort you're making, but I need to work now. Maybe I'll tell you what's wrong later, for now I simply need to concentrate on my work."

It felt terrible to say, but it was the truth. He needed to work, there was a lot that depended on it. If he didn't start in right away, then Ozpin would no doubt be cross with him, and there would be many more repercussions as well. He couldn't just sit the day off. He had to work. And he couldn't allow Penny to know what it was he was working on.

His mind inevitably drifted back to the incident that had resulted in her almost crashing entirely. It was a jarring reminder of just how fragile his little girl could be. She had to be sheltered and protected, she was not fit for the harsh outside world. Not yet. He could try to help her get there, but he could not bring her there himself. She had to develop, like any child. And she had to be protected from the horrible traumas of the world. Or else she would be consumed by them. He couldn't let that happen.

When he reached his office, he sat behind his desk and started to do his work. It would be a long day, without a doubt.

Penny watched Ironwood go, no longer following him. She wanted to help him, but if he refused to tell her what was wrong, then she couldn't. Why wouldn't he tell her, though? Did he think that she wasn't strong enough? She was, she was sure. He just needed to have a little faith in her.

Maybe she could find out what was going wrong on her own, and try to fix it then. That would show Ironwood that she was more than capable of handling herself, as well as make him happy. She resolved to figure out the problem herself, even if it took her some time. There had to be something that she could do to help Ironwood. The challenge would be to find out what was going wrong. She didn't know exactly how she would find out.

There was always Ironwood's secret room. It was locked most of the time, but there was the small chance that he had forgotten to lock it again. If he hadn't, Penny could try something that she never really had and try to unlock it herself. Chances of that happening were similarly bad, but it would be better than nothing.

She started walking immediately towards the room, feeling reasonably paranoid as she did so. If any of the guards saw what she was doing, there was no doubt that they would go straight to Ironwood. Then she would have not only failed to help, but also made things worse. When she finally got to the long hallway that precluded the door, her heart feel in her chest. Two guards were posted outside of the door, and were looking at her with wary expressions. They already knew what she was going to try and do, and they didn't want it to happen.

Penny sighed. She only wanted to help, but they were making it impossible to do so. She couldn't do anything for them if she didn't know what was going on, and that seemed to be their goal. With a very heavy sigh, she turned, and started to head back to her room. If she couldn't do anything to help, then the best thing that she could do was get out of the way. It still felt wrong, though. She needed to do something, and she was being denied that opportunity. It almost made her want to scream. She wondered if her friends knew what was going on. Ruby was a smart girl, maybe she would be able to tell her what was happening.

Penny didn't want to disturb Ironwood any more than she already had, though, and she knew that asking his permission to go would make him worry. Instead, she decided to not ask if she could go, and to simply do it. If she was fast, she would be back before anyone knew, and there would be no harm done. A smile came across her face as she set her new course of action in her mind. It was the beginning of the weekend, so Ruby wouldn't be in classes today. She started off, and began her journey.

Getting through the facility was easy, it was the gate that would pose an issue. She knew that the guard there would be wise to the fact that she wasn't supposed to go anywhere, and not let her pass. She had to find another way through.

It was a few minutes of covert looking before she managed to find a fault in the security systems, where there were no cameras, sensors, or personal to tell of her escape. It was a place where the walls of the great facility met with one of the streets of the city. With enormous strength and deft movement, Penny launched herself over the wall, turning and twisting herself in mid-air before coming down on solid concrete, knees bending to dull the force of her impact.

When she looked up, she realized that she was getting a multitude of puzzled expressions from those who were walking by, and decided to not dally in getting to Beacon. Her footsteps were quick, and before too long she found herself precisely where she meant to be.

It was still early in the morning, and given that it was the start of the weekend, no students were awake yet. There wasn't one among them who didn't savor the sweet opportunity of sleeping in. Penny didn't blame them, but if none were awake, that would make getting into the dormitory impossible. Instead, she would either have to wait, or find her own way in. Knowing that time was of the essence, she opted to find her own path.

A brief moment of analysis told her that the tree near the side of the building was sturdy enough to hold the majority of her weight, and was close to Ruby's room. It would be an optimal path, and take her quickly to Ruby.

She approached the tree, and tried to decide the best way to climb it. She had never done something like this before, but she had seen other people do it. Usually they made use of a low-hanging branch, or some other method of starting the climb. This tree didn't have any low hanging limbs, and she didn't know any of the other methods of climbing a tree. It was too vertical of a jump to make, and if she tried to bound off of the building, there was a good chance that she would damage its sides. Her only choice was clear.

She placed one hand on one side, and another on the other, then squeezed as hard as she could with her fingers. Her fingers dug into the bark, and she felt some of it split under the pressure, but there was nothing to be done about that. She hoisted herself up, using her legs to hold herself in place, before moving her hands up, and digging in again. It was a slow process, but she eventually reached a good height, and let the tree go, pushing off with her legs. She landed nimbly on the lip outside of the windows, and immediately started to shuffle to the side towards Ruby's window.

Her back was to the wall as she made her way forward, soon finding herself just outside the room in which her friend dwelled. She turned herself carefully to avoid falling back to the ground below, and was surprised to find Yang staring at her through the window, a large smile on her face.

Penny waved at her, and Yang started to move towards the window, making to open it. It took a few seconds of fumbling with the locking mechanism, but the window popped open, and Penny stepped inside the room. Ruby was sleeping on her top bunk above Weiss, sprawled out over her covers in a rather tangled way, and Penny was about to go to wake her when Yang put a put out. "Let her sleep for now. She needs it." Her voice was a hushed whisper, and Penny matched her volume automatically. "Alright."

Yang looked at Ruby for a second, silence making the presence of Penny somewhat awkward. When she looked back at Penny, she was staring back at her, blinking infrequently. Yang went to sit down on her bed again, motioning for Penny to do the same. "Why don't you tell me why you're here?"

Penny nodded and smiled happily, taking a seat next to Yang and starting to talk. "Well, I came here because I wanted to ask…" Yang made a few wild motions, eyes widening slightly and going to Ruby across from them. Penny tilted her head, ceasing her explanation, before something about Yang's gestures started to make sense, and she realized that she had not been whispering. She put a hand to her mouth and whispered "Sorry." Before starting over again. "I came here to ask Ruby if she knew what was going on that was making everyone so nervous and tense. See, Mr. Ironwood has been acting very strangely recently, and he refused to tell me why. No one else would tell me either, so I thought that Ruby might be able to tell me."

Yang recalled what had happened last time Penny had come around with questions, and understood entirely why Ironwood wouldn't be prime to tell her. She didn't know if there was a reason that it had happened the last time, but she didn't think that it was necessarily her place to take that risk. She didn't know it if was Ruby's place, either, but she would let her make that judgment.

Ironwood being nervous was something that made sense. He was at the head of efforts to get people ready to battle demons. Yang had heard enough about it from Naze, and she had been in favor of sending everything that they had against them right away, stopping them from becoming a threat at all. Naze had said that he didn't want to "baby" the living though, and she supposed that she could see why. Still, it was going to cause issues, and both of them knew it. It was the path that he had chosen, though, and Yang couldn't do anything about that.

Ruby started to stir in her bed, and both girls looked up at her somewhat expectantly. Her eyes drifted open slowly, lazily rolling around the room before coming to rest of Yang's bed and its occupants. "Penny…?" Her voice was groggy, and she sounded more than a little confused. Nevertheless, she turned over in her bed, righting herself, and blinked a few times. "Penny, what are you doing here?" Her voice was now muffled not only by sleep but by a mass of blankets in her mouth.

Penny stood from the bed and walked over to the side of Ruby's bed, looking up at her friend with a curious expression. "Ruby, I've been wondering something. Why does everyone seem so nervous? Mr. Ironwood has been tense, and I think that it has something to do with Naze. Mr. Ironwood told me not to talk to Naze, though, so I couldn't ask him."

Ruby lifted her head from her bed, and after a few moments the rest of her followed, leaning back against the cool wall behind her. "Didn't he tell you not to talk to me, too?" Her question hung in the air for a moment before Penny nodded, and said "But you're my friend! You said that I could talk to you about anything!" Suddenly, a scared expression came across her face, and she said as if dreading the answer "Are we not friends anymore?"

Ruby shook her head, saying in a somewhat exasperated tone "No, Penny…" her voice trailed off as she dragged herself closer to the edge of the bed, and she dropped to the floor in front of Penny. Her knees almost gave out under the sudden stress, weak from being so recently asleep. She caught herself with her arms, though, and was standing straight up quickly. "Penny, we're still friends. I just don't know if I can tell you that."

Another confused look came over her face, and she said "Ruby, I think you know what's going on. You offered to help me, once, now I want to do the same. I want to help! It seems like something very bad is happening, and if I can do something about it, I should. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

Ruby looked to Yang tentatively. She had a better idea of what was really going on, but they had all heard the news broadcasts and seen the videos. Bad stuff was starting to happen, and no one was really sure how they would stop it. Ruby sighed. "Penny, have you been watching the news?" Penny shook her head. She wasn't normally allowed to watch the news. She did try, occasionally, but she always got caught rather quickly.

Ruby bit her lip, considering the best way to tell her without triggering the violent reaction she'd had last time. The best way to do that was probably to make it as simple as she could, which was good, because she barely understood the situation herself. "Well, there are a lot of bad things…" she paused to look over at Yang, making sure that she was being accurate. "…making people do bad things. They aren't like Grimm, so no one really knows how to fight them yet. The General is probably stressed out because he's trying to find a way to do that. It's really important that he does find a way to do it, because if we don't…" her mind went to what Yang had told her about what a demon could do to a person, and what she had seen one do to Nora "We're in trouble."

Behind Penny, Yang nodded, indicating that she agreed with what had been said. Penny nodded, indicating that she understood. "But I could help fight! You know that I'm good at fighting!" Ruby nodded, and stepped closer to Penny, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Yes, I know you are, but you might not be the kind of fighting we need. It's hard to explain, but I think you should just wait until Ironwood is ready to tell you himself. That's the best that you could do."

Penny fixed Ruby with a sad gaze. It was obvious that she wanted to help, and that being told she had to take a backseat didn't soothe that urge at all. "Alright Ruby, if you say so." Her eyes flicked to the clock in the corner of the room, and she tensed up, realizing how long she had been gone. Someone was sure to be noticing her absence by now.

Her arms came up, and she shuffled on her feet nervously or a second before saying "I'm sorry Ruby, but I need to go now." Ruby glanced up at the clock, then back at her friend. "Alright, just be safe, okay?" Penny nodded, then spread her arms in what was the request for a hug. Ruby accepted, wrapping her arms around her friend, and sincerely hoping that she didn't squeeze as hard as she had the last few times. She didn't, and Ruby felt a genuine link between them. She wanted to help, but there was nothing that she could do. Penny let go, and started to walk towards the door again. "Goodbye Ruby, goodbye Yang." She waved, then left through the door. Ruby watched her go, then yawned. It was tempting to go back to sleep, but she felt like she wouldn't wake up until noon if she did that. There was much that she wanted to do, and she would miss most of it if she simply slept.

* * *

Roman leaned against the window, watching the crowds of people outside. The look on his face made it clear that he was worried about what was going on out there. He shook his head, and said to Neo behind him "I don't like this. There's something too weird about it. I've seen a lot of drugs, but nothing that makes people do this." He looked back at her, and waited for a response.

Neo nodded, agreeing. She felt a kind of unease as well. Cinder had been out among her new "followers" for some time now, and they were both starting to wonder if something hadn't happened to her. Neither one dared go outside, though, for fear of being dragged into the auditorium and turned into whatever those people were. Mindless, it seemed.

Neo and Roman had both agreed to do everything they could to prevent the other from falling into whatever madness it was. They both wanted out, but the airship hovering around the town had made it clear no one was going anywhere, blasting every person who tried to escape into oblivion. As they were, they saw no means of getting out. Roman never would've thought that one of Cinder's plans would go this far, and now that he'd seen it, he'd had enough. He wanted out of his deal with Cinder. Crime on a smaller scale was fine, arson, armed robbery, maybe a murder here or there, but not this. Whatever this was. He still wasn't sure what was going on. All he knew was that he had a good view of the chaos from his room, and that he didn't want to so much as touch the water.

Neo was right there with him, as she always was. Happenings had been getting freaky, and when they got too freaky for Neo, it was time to get out. There was still no way out, though, which was the main obstacle of the thing. If they somehow did manage to dodge the freaks outside, they'd still get blown to smithereens by the airship.

He turned away from the window and sat on the bed, thinking hard. He had a tough choice to make. If he got caught again, there was no way he would get away from being tossed in a cell, but that could be preferable to going into whatever addled state was overtaking the town.

He looked at Neo. She was looking at him, concern on her face. It was comforting to see, if only for the fact that it was the only face he had seen recently that wasn't twisted into bizarre expressions. He spoke again, breaking the heavy silence. "I think we need a way out." Neo nodded again. "But how? I mean, you've probably got the ability to just waltz right on out whenever you want, but I wouldn't be able to get past the first freak outside."

Both thought hard about their predicament, but neither came up with a good solution. Finally, after about an hour, Neo's head perked up like a dog's, and a ghostly voice from somewhere behind both of them said in a wavering voice "I think we might be able to make a deal."


	37. Chapter 37

Author's Note:

Did you know that I did another 1-shot? It's called Through Dark Woods, and features more sadness and violence! Go read that, and tell me what you thought! Also leave a review on this. Do it.

* * *

Roman eyed the semi-gaseous apparition with a raised eyebrow. He was usually cautious of any deal, and doubly so when it was offered by a mysterious shadowy figure. Still, he never outright turned one down. There was always the possibility that some profit could be made. And it wasn't like he had an awful lot to lose at this point. Not even Neo's little teleportation trick could help now, it didn't go far enough to get them safe.

"What kind of a deal?" His voice was guarded, but still open to negotiation. He knew that Neo had tensed up since the figure appeared, and would be ready to act at a moment's notice. If anything went awry, he could count on her to get him out.

The figure responded in a slow, wavering voice. "You seek to be free from your current employment." He nodded, and the thing continued. "Then serve me, and it can be guaranteed that you be safe from her…" its voice trailed off for a moment like it was thinking, then returned. "Increasingly hazardous ways."

The offer sounded good, but Roman knew that there was more to it then what was presented. There always was. The first important detail that was being left out was who he would be working for. "And who, may I ask, is making this offer?" He sounded somewhat sardonic, but he didn't care. If that was enough to drive this person away, he didn't want to work for them anyways. The wiry figure responded almost instantly, with none of the mystery that he had expected. "Naze the Eternal."

The first thing that went across Roman's mind was a thought that he suppressed; he was fairly unimpressed. He had seen the footage from when the thing had appeared in public, and this wasn't him. Perhaps the ghostly figure was speaking as a proxy for him. That would make more sense. The second thing that occurred to him he did announce, because it was something that greatly concerned him. "Aren't most of the people who work for you dead?"

While the thing floating immaterially across from them didn't have a mouth, Roman was sure that it would've smiled if it did. Instead however, it responded with "Most, but I've no opposition to working with the living. There would be no sense in working apart while our goals are so close. You want to be safe, I want Cinder's plans to fail when they need to. We could work together on this, and I could make it worth the effort."

Roman's eyebrows raised again, and he said "Are you bribing me?" Naze's response was to say "No, I'm enlisting a saboteur. I can get you out of this town, then give you something that will keep you safe from Cinder's new playthings. As for her…" the thing's eyes shifted to Neo "…changelings are remarkably resilient in the mental department, she will require no additional protection. Now, do you accept?"

Roman was still unclear on the terms their agreement would take, but he could see the potential for the partnership. He didn't want to agree to anything quite yet, but there was no doubt that he didn't want to be in the little town anymore. Things had gotten a little too weird. He took a moment to compose a counteroffer, then said "How about you get me out, and then we talk?"

The shadow figure nodded, and said "This is agreeable. It will be arranged soon." With that, the figure started to fade into the wall. Roman put a hand out, saying "Wait! I thought you said you were going to get us out of here! Now you're just bailing?"

The shade was about halfway through the wall when he said this, and stopped when he finished. It turned back to him, without any readable body language, and said "Patience, if you would, Roman. As I said, these things must be arranged. You will be safely retrieved, simply not now. You will be warned beforehand. Until then, simply remain in here, away from those already corrupted by Cinder." Roman wanted to say something else, but he figured against it. He didn't want to irk his next potential partner.

As the rest of the shade disappeared, Roman considered the offer. He would be working for a dead man. Strange to think about, but he supposed that as long as he got some pay, he didn't care. It would also bring him against Cinder, but he found himself somewhat excited about that. She'd pushed him around for a while now. Causing her some grief would be nice. A smile slowly worked its way across his face. A partnership between the two could certainly be a good one.

* * *

Naze knew that he couldn't simply tell Ironwood to let someone like Roman Torchwick through the blockade. Instead, he would have to find a secret way to get them out. His thoughts swirled around in his head chaotically for a moment before he started to pick distinct options.

The simplest thing that he could do was to have gravedigger ghouls construct a tunnel through which they could escape, and collapsing it behind them. Of all the options, that seemed to be the easiest. It would allow them time to sit and think, as well, allowing for easier negotiation. It would also give him time to discuss the plans with Ironwood and Ozpin about resurrecting heroes.

He would have Yang deliver her list to them, when she had it fully prepared. She'd done the majority of the research, but there was still organizing of the information to be done. She took to the work like a fish to water, though, and he knew that it was a good thing she enjoyed it.

The ghouls were dispatched, and would start their digging soon, reaching their goal within several hours. Other factors of the plans had to be checked over as well, Divinity generators being prepared for the living, scholars preparing to go out and share their knowledge, there was plenty to do. Naze started to walk through the halls of the great necropolis he had built, going to those places the generators were being constructed.

Progress was good, and whole of the generators would be completed soon, ready to be given to the living in order for them to be able in the fight against the demons. Naze thought of the few times he had found himself embroiled in conflict with the beasts. It was always a different game with demons than it was with any other foe. They didn't abide by the same rules. They were not beasts of life, or of matter, but of energy. Most were born solely of the power or will of a greater demon, and those greater demons often born from even more powerful ones. There were, and those greater demons often born from even more powerful ones. There were those at the top of the chain, rivaling gods themselves in power, but the times they showed themselves were precious few, and they were rarely as vulnerable as gods. Their power was not limited by how many believers they had. In fact, their power was one of the few things that remained mostly a mystery to Naze. He knew about how they invaded, and some basic information on how they functioned, but there was a great deal he did not know. Where their power came from, if their chain of power ever ended in a single entity, this was why he had been so eager to take the artifact for himself. Perhaps he had acted rashly.

He blamed the reawakening emotions inside of him. It was a blight upon his mind, and it could not end soon enough. Were there a way to purge the remnants of his soul, he would do so in an instant. He dared not attempt to modify his phylactery though. It was very risky though, with a fair chance that, no matter what precautions he took, the phylactery would be destroyed. If that were to happen, it would be the end of him. He would simply cease to be, no fading into the void as others souls did. The only time that his phylactery had ever been truly threatened had been one particularly vicious Paladin assault.

Naze pulled himself out of his thoughts of the past, returning himself to the present. Undead workers assembled great machines, placing the final parts of the generators on and attaching them to each individual system. They would not be activated until being given to their intended recipients. A short distance away, the scholars prepared simple lessons in basic magics, going over it with one-another to ensure that they had not accidentally included any complex workings. Naze walked over to them, and gazed over what they did. Simple things, like elemental magics and basic differentials of those were what most of the lessons comprised of, as well as exercises that could make manipulating mana, or aura, as they would be forced to call it, easier.

Naze approved of these. While it would not crate any radical changes in culture instantly, if they studied it in-depth, they would find a kind of magic for every facet of life. No problem couldn't be solved with magic, it simply needed the right kind.

Naze, satisfied with the progression of the plans, turned his focus back to the orb in his hand. There were other issues to attend to, and information still to gather.

* * *

The shade weaved its way through the crowded city, looking, as it always did, at everything. Thoughts rattled around in its mind about what it was searching for, but those weren't the only thoughts. It still had some personality with which to be an individual, just not too much.

He didn't remember what his name had been, but he was fairly certain that he had been a he. He was thinking about heroes. Not only because he had been instructed to find out about dead ones, but because it seemed to stir something in the back of his mind. Was it that he had been a hero at some point? No, that couldn't be it. Heroes didn't become shades. Perhaps had had known a hero. That seemed more likely, but he still couldn't recall quite what was trying to reawaken inside of him.

A large truck pulled out into the road in front of him, blocking his path completely, but he gave it no mind, eyes passing over its contents as he zipped through its walls. No heroes there. He continued on his way, not knowing exactly where a hero's story would likely reside. Libraries and such, of course, but his lord had told him to find more obscure heroes.

It wasn't long before he had exhausted every possible option short of eavesdropping on individual conversations. While it could eventually yield what he wanted, it would be far too slow. It was early morning, sun just starting to rise over the horizon. He wasn't entirely sure why, but there was a resentment towards that ball of orange light. There was a reason he disliked it, he just didn't know it.

Perhaps some of the more violent inhabitants of the city would have more of a chance of revealing that which he sought. The White Fang headquarters for the area weren't too far, and there was a gathering of people. Perhaps the legacy of some great hero would be discussed there. Without hesitation, he sped off, traveling as fast as a shadow flitting across the ground. Occasionally someone saw him, pointing and staring. He paid them no mind. Some were more sensitive to old and faded spirits then others. "Ghosts" was what they usually called shades, but it was far from the truth. Ghosts didn't serve a master, and often didn't have a purpose. He was the eyes and ears of his master, or at least, one pair of many. There were other shades in the city, but they had a different job. They were watching for signs of demons. An important job, but not one that he envied.

It was soon that he came to the warehouse in which the meeting was taking place. It didn't seem to have started yet, but a large number of people had already convened within the space. Around a third of them were wearing White Fang uniforms, grey masks covering their faces. The other two thirds were all wearing civilian clothing, and talking among themselves in excited voices. He guessed that he had stumbled upon some kind of recruiting event. It could work, they might mention some of those who had died serving the cause.

He settled into the air, hovering above the crowd and waiting for something to start. It was a while before anyone did come to the stage and address the crowd, but when they did, He could instantly tell that they were a rather authoritative individual. He looked out over the number of people, members or not, eyes shielded by the mask be wore.

The shade flew closer once he started to speak, not wanting to miss any possible body language cues or signals that might betray some double meaning. The man began speaking, and addressed the crowd at large. "Brothers! Sisters! I'm sure that you all know about the tragedy concerning our brave leader." He paused, and a few voices rose from those already wearing the garb of the White Fang, confirming this. He nodded, and turned his attention to those who were not. "You see, our leader, Adam Taurus, has been taken captive by those who want to see all Faunus locked up, just as he is now. This has thrown our organization into chaos, and we need your help to right it!" He pointed a finger out at the individuals. His plea was certainly impassioned, that could not be denied. Anger started to roll through the crowd, and people started to shout out against this injustice.

The shade noted that, as this happened, the man making the plea had to suppress a smile from spreading across his face. Obviously whatever he was planning was working. He gestured towards one side of the makeshift stage he stood upon, and said "Now, if you're strong enough to help us right this crime, come up, and take up the mantle of a true hero! It's obvious that these humans are only trying to keep us down! Come, and help us rise!"

The shade's attention peaked at the word "hero", but when the man failed to mention any specifics, it fell again. There had to be some way that he could get the man to talk about it. The burning eyes went to the crowd, pondering the possibility of possessing one of them and making them ask. Unfortunately, he was only a shade, and possessing a person was near impossible for him. He might be able to inspire someone to do it for him, or perhaps ask the man from a crowd, using the plentiful others as cover for his disembodied voice.

He soared down to the level the people were walking at, moving with those who approached the man. For a brief moment he tried to touch the minds of those people before giving up, and preparing himself to speak. It was a difficult task for a shade, but he would manage it. The words had to be readied beforehand, else he would lose the opportunity.

As the group neared the man, they started to speak, saying praises and telling him about their excitement they felt about joining with such a noble cause. The shade took the chance and said, in a wavering voice as he vibrated the air, "Who were some of the strongest White Fang?"

It took a few seconds for the man to finish speaking one of those who had already engaged him in conversation, but when he did, he looked up for the source of the question. He didn't find it, but saw fit to answer anyways. "Some of the strongest?" He thought for a moment, then looked up. "The strongest I can think of off the top of my head wasn't actually a member of the White Fang, but a Faunus warrior before the White Fang was formed. He was a fighter during the first Faunus Uprising. His real name was never known, but he was known as "The Nightingale". He would only battle at night, and would pick enemy soldiers off one by one, He was feared by all who would face him, and bested everyone in his path."

This was exactly what the shade needed. It intensified its attention, taking special note of every word. "The Nightingale was killed by an act of trickery by the humans that took many of their own men's lives as well. They sent hundreds into a forest, and while The Nightingale killed them, they set the forest ablaze. Even after being wounded in the forest, he was able to fight his way out, and only succumbed later to his wounds. He was one of the deadliest Faunus who ever lived, and he served to further the cause of his people, just as you will, once you start training."

The faces of those who heard this were filled with awe at the story. For such a hero to be so great would take massive dedication, and they didn't know if they had the capability to be the same as him. Some of them responded with zeal, though. They wanted to rise to the challenge, and prove that they were every bit as good. The shade stayed a little longer, trying to get more names or stories, but the masses of people around the recruiter were too large, and his weak voice was blocked out. He was forced to leave, knowing that there would be nothing left for him there. As he returned to the streets, he started to send the information to his master. It was only one, but it would have to do for now. His search wouldn't end there.

* * *

When Amber saw what Nora had done, it was hard to feel sympathy for her. No one who did something like that with their bare hands could be given much sympathy. That wasn't a very Paladin-like attitude to have, but it was the only one that she could seem to muster for the girl.

Jaune and Pyrrha had stayed the night at their home, and she was glad to stay with them, making sure that Pyrrha's wound did not worsen. The two teens, proud trainees to become Hunters, were completely dejected, and it broke her heart to see. She had never imagined Hunters as being susceptible to morale issues. They were always portrayed as unbreakable, the strongest that humanity had to offer. This was a much more humanizing experience.

Amber was sitting on the floor, back to the wall, watching Jaune and Pyrrha. Jaune was still asleep, laying still on the cot that had been given to him, breathing slowly and peacefully. It was good, because through most of the night he had been fitful, talking in his sleep and having nightmares. Pyrrha had fared much better, sleeping soundly in spite of her injury.

Now she was walking around, getting herself accustomed to the limited vision that she now had. Amber had to say, she was doing very well. If she had not healed the wound herself, she might have doubted its severity. Pyrrha had more abilities then combat, it seemed. She was able to move gracefully, and even seemed to possess some kind of sense of what was now outside of her vision. Amber decided to ask about this, saying from her resting spot "Pyrrha, how are you doing that?"

Pyrrha stopped her footwork and turned back to Amber, a puzzled look on her face. "Do what?" Amber pointed to her feet vaguely before clarifying "It looks like you can see everything close to you, but you can't, right?" Pyrrha gave her a small laugh, then shook her head. "No, I can't see. Do you know how aura works?"

Amber considered a moment, then nodded. "Yes, to some degree. I can't really use it myself, other than the Light, so I probably don't think of it in the same way you do." Pyrrha nodded, and started to explain little about it. "My aura tells me when I'm about to bump into something, warning me of the danger. It's not quite sight, but it's not too dissimilar." Her expression changed, and she tilted her head, slightly confused. "Why, what is aura like for you?"

Amber considered the question deeply, unsure of how she would respond. She had never felt what Pyrrha's aura felt like for her, so how could she describe the differences? She decided that the only way she would be able to really convey what the Light did for her was to compare it to the time when she'd had no light in her life. With that mental image in her mind, she took a deep breath and started talking. "When I didn't have any light in my life, I was sad, depressed, and my life was pretty bad. I never even really went outside. But then I found the Light, and, well…" she gestured to herself "I think that the change is obvious. To me, I guess, the Light is hope. I was in a terrible rut, but I always hoped that things would get better. When I found the Light, it gave me more energy, and more power to do things that I never really knew I wanted to do. I couldn't even speak to a stranger before, but now I do it pretty regularly." She let out a sigh, feeling for the glowing warmth inside of her. She looked down, and found that her hands were shaking in spite of herself. It was difficult for her to talk about, especially to someone who she knew as little as Pyrrha.

Pyrrha started to walk over to her, interested now in the conversation more than her retraining of her body. This made Amber feel a little better, but her hands still moved uncomfortably. Pyrrha sat down across from Amber on the mat that covered the floor and shook her head. "I can't remember a time when I couldn't use my aura. It's always been there, and I've always worked at strengthening it." A curious expression came over her face again, and she said "You lived without being in touch with your own aura for that long?"

It was uncommon, she knew, but for her it was a reality. Most people were able to start using their own aura during or slightly after puberty. She was one of those rare exceptions. She nodded, and Pyrrha shook her head. "I can't imagine what that must have been like. Well, you've become very strong, maybe not physically, but I can really feel how powerful your aura is now. I never would have guessed that you had a problem." Amber smiled. That meant a lot to her, coming from a Huntress like Pyrrha.

The two of them sat, looking at each other silently for a moment before Pyrrha's gaze drifted over to Jaune, and a slight air of distress came over her. Amber asked "What's the matter?" in an inquisitive voice. Pyrrha shook her head, and put a hand to her face. Her voice was muffled, but Amber could still make out the words. "He's going to blame himself for what happened to me, I know it. He already has, hasn't he? I just wish I could make him see that it isn't his fault. I don't want him doing that to himself."

Amber nodded. It was true that Jaune had been showing guilt. His dreams were disturbed, and he had talked less while awake. She wanted to do something about it, but she didn't know if there was anything for her to do. She might be able to provide some temporary relief, but the only long-term fix would be him talking with her, and them settling the problem.

Jaune started to stir, and Pyrrha scooted over to him, putting a hand gently on his head. His eyes opened slowly, and Pyrrha leaned over him, looking into his face. Amber had managed to track down a medical eye patch, and the small disk adhered to Pyrrha's now useless socket. It was white, and seemed to obstruct a large portion of her face, in spite of being fairly small. Amber wished that she had been able to find a more elegant solution, but it was the only thing that she had found. Pyrrha had joked that now she could have one more accessory to go with the bronze circlet she always wore. It was good that she managed to stay positive in a situation like this, though. It would help a great deal in her recovery.

Jaune peered blearily back up at Pyrrha for a moment before cracking a forced smile and saying "Morning." In an unconvincingly cheerful tone. This obviously was something of a blow to Pyrrha, who reacted as if he had spoken some curse, turning away from him and putting a hand to her face again. He straightened up instantly, and, to his credit, seemed to be fully awake. "Pyrrha, what's wrong? Is there anything I can-" He made to put a hand on her shoulder, but as soon as he touched her, she rounded back on him, grabbed his arms, and pulled him into a kiss. Amber felt her cheeks blush bright red, and she felt the need to get up and do some chores. She was just about to stand when the kiss broke, and Jaune was left looking rather stunned. "Jaune, it wasn't your fault! Please, you have to accept that!"

There was a silence between the two, in which Jaune apparently required several seconds to process the radically different signals he had just received. Pyrrha waited patiently, but as Amber started to lift herself from the ground, she shot her a sidelong glance that seemed to say "I want you here". Amber complied and sat back down, hoping that things wouldn't get any more awkward. She felt as though she was intruding on their privacy. When Jaune responded, he said in a questioning voice "Pyrrha, what's the matter? What brings this up now?"

Pyrrha looked him delicately in the face, and said "Jaune, you were having nightmares. I don't need to hear from you what they were about. Please, you have to forgive yourself about this. Otherwise, you'll drive yourself into the ground." Jaune got a hard expression, and his eyes drifted from Pyrrha's face to the floor. Silently, he nodded. "Ok, I will."

Amber wasn't the best at detecting lies, but she had told more than enough of those kinds to recognize someone pretending to accept help. Her own family had been on the receiving end of hers, and Pyrrha was being lied to now by Jaune. She knew better than to call him out, though. That would only make the situation worse. She had to wait for the right moment, when he was alone. Pyrrha looked like she didn't fully believe it either, but she backed off. "Alright, good. I just…" her voice drifted off as she searched for the right words to express the turmoil she felt when she saw Jaune looking at her with regret. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Amber felt as though she were being very intrusive now, and the urge to leave grew even further. She didn't, however, and merely tried to push herself against the wall further so that she might appear less there.

Pyrrha sighed heavily, then put an arm out towards Jaune, pushing herself off the ground. "Come on, Jaune. I want you to help me with something." Jaune raised an eyebrow, and cast an inquisitive took at Amber. She shrugged, having just as little a clue as he did about what was in store. "You're going to help me get over this." She said, pointing to her eye patch. "And then, we're going shopping."

Amber felt a smile start to cross her face again. She didn't know if that meant Pyrrha was actually going to look for some sort of stylized eye patch, but there was some small part of her that hoped she found a really nice one.

Pyrrha and Jaune walked off towards the exit, and Jaune looked back at Amber as they did so. "Thanks for letting us stay! And for fixing us up!" She waved, feeling a sense of fulfillment wash over her. She wanted them to do well. Not just in her recovery, but in everything they set their mind to. They could do it, she believed in them, if they stayed together.

* * *

Jaune quickly realized that Pyrrha's injury was something of an odd thing. While she couldn't see with it, she could still detect things close to her, such as a curb that she might trip on. This was the result of years upon years of training. But, while her functions in that regard were relatively unaffected, she had still lost considerable abilities. If she was looking for a paper, she could simply walk right over it, without the faintest idea that it was there.

Another something had come to his attention. While she was somewhat disabled, she was still lightning fast. One exercise that she suggested involved him throwing dodgeballs at her. Her challenge would be to remain at an angle where she couldn't see the balls coming, but still be able to dodge them. She did this with relative ease, Jaune didn't hit her once, but once she was tasked with catching the balls, she started to fall apart. She started to get hit by everything, and her confidence started to go down.

Jaune could see what was going on fairly clearly. She was able to move fast enough to dodge them because a dodge was something that could be pulled off quickly, and didn't take much finesse, but a catch required more coordination, and was impossible to make happen quickly enough to outpace the ball.

It wasn't long before the frustration got to her, and Pyrrha started to get upset. Jaune suggested that they take the opportunity to go shopping, and with some convincing, she agreed.

The two of them set off towards the shopping district, and Jaune asked what they were looking for. Pyrrha, who had calmed quickly after nearly losing her temper, smiled and pointed to the white pad on her eye. "I thought that this looked a little drab, so I figured that we could find something better."

This surprised Jaune greatly at first, not because Pyrrha was concerned with its look, but because he hadn't known that one could simply purchase eye patches. It seemed quite a strange thing to stock in a store, but Pyrrha laughed, assuring him that it wasn't all that odd. Hunters lost eyes, it was a simple fact. Most were able to avoid such a specific injuries, but those who weren't were an untapped market. It could be a very lucrative business, if done right. And of course, the shops that stocked them had more than just eye patches. They were usually general Hunter supply shops.

It wasn't too long after that that the both of them were looking over options near the back of a store. Pyrrha wanted to make sure that she got one that was comfortable, and fit her well. Aesthetics were a secondary concern.

One thing that surprised Jaune was the number of designs and styles that were available. He had expected them all to be simple, like a pirate's eye patch, but there were a multitude of differences between them. Some were like he expected, a simple flap held in place by a single strap, but most were larger than that. Pyrrha seemed to gravitate towards the larger ones that covered around an eighth of the face, bending with the curvature of the face. After some time, she decided on a style, and started to look through designs. The one that she wanted was her personal symbol, the shield and spear that she had used throughout most of her life. When she asked the person manning the counter however, she found out that custom designs like that took around a week to come in. Jaune didn't think that this was much of a problem at first, but that was when it came out that Pyrrha thought the eye patch she had was already starting to feel uncomfortable.

It was around an hour that they had been doing this by that time, and Jaune had been simmering in guilt the whole time. He felt awful for what he had caused, but did his best to hide it from her. On top of the guilt, he didn't want her to know he was still pained about it. That would only make it even worse. If she knew, he would feel like he was disappointing her even further. He kept a plastered-on smile throughout the entire time.

Eventually Pyrrha let out a sigh, and said "I don't think we're going to find anything that I really like too much. It would probably be best to just order the one I want and wait for it to be delivered." She looked over at Jaune, and noted the brief expression of distress that he quickly covered up. She didn't say anything about it, but she turned away, feeling grief herself over Jaune still not having forgiven herself. Both of their drops in mood were interrupted by a smooth, monotone voice for behind both.

"Why wait?" Both of them turned, finding Naze standing a small distance away, an even look on his pale face. In his hand, he held an eye patch, and appeared to be offering it to Pyrrha. She looked at him a second, stunned, before asking "What are you doing here?" Her voice sounded somewhat suspicious, and Jaune couldn't blame her for it. It was pretty weird that he show up like that now.

Naze responded by offering the patch to Pyrrha again, and saying "Nothing too much. You've made contacting you rather difficult, you know. But I can't say I blame you. You've a quest, and you set off to complete it. Not uncommon among people like yourselves, but allow me to help you; Nora is too strong. You won't be able to defeat her, and even if you did, you would lack the means to reclaim her. You can help, though. Whether you are aware or not, demons are affecting others around the world now, and I'm sure that with your firsthand experience with these creatures, you can imagine how catastrophic a large scale infestation would be. What I propose to you now is that you abandon your allegiances with your friends, if only temporarily, and serve me. I would have you combating the problem directly, and it would provide you with the experience and equipment to confront Nora and emerge victorious. How say you?"

Pyrrha looked to Jaune with an apprehensive expression. It sounded like they were going to be used, but the lacked direction as it was. This was the only thing they could really do, as if they attacked Nora again, they were sure that they would lose more than an eye. Hesitantly, Pyrrha reached out and took the eye patch that he was holding out to her.

It was made of a lightweight metal, thin and colored bronze, the same as her circlet. Whatever metal it was, though, was not bronze, as it was resilient, and didn't bend at all in her fingers. She turned it over a few times, inspecting the rest of it. Her sigil was inlaid in the front, standing out in a different hue than the rest of the metal, a slight depression marked its edges. The bands that would hold it on her head were some kind of soft elastic material, and it was already shaped in smooth grooves. When she tried to chance the contours, the metal refused to move. She couldn't imagine that something so ridged would feel good against her skin, but she went to put it on anyways, removing the one she had already.

The cool metal soothed the muscles of her face, and the structure of the thing made it fit perfectly. At first she simply enjoyed it, but then something occurred to her. "Why is this fitted so well?" She was suspicious again, and Jaune started to question the same thing.

Naze's response was a nonchalant shrug, and the words "Master craftsmen have a way with perfection. Now, your answer?"

Pyrrha looked back at Jaune again, not wanting to answer for him. He gestured for her to come to the side with her, and they soon started to speak in hushed tones. "What are we going to do? I mean, we can't just give up on Nora, can we?" Jaune was obviously in distress about it, and Pyrrha felt the same way. Pyrrha sighed, and said "Jaune, I hate to say this, but think about this rationally. We had every advantage last time, and she still managed to…" her voice trailed off as she realized that saying any more on the subject could make Jaune regret taking her along again. Instead, she shifted to another subject. "We're bound to learn something from him, and it's obvious that we need to get more powerful before we try again. IF we do this, we'll come out stronger than before, and be able to save Nora! It's an indirect route, but the only one that we can take."

Jaune sighed. Her reasoning was irrefutable. "Alright, fine." He stepped over to Naze again, and nodded. "Alright, we'll do it. Just tell us where to go."


	38. Chapter 38

Author's Note:

As always, I request the reviews.

* * *

A single knock on the door made both Neo and Roman jump. They both stood, and turned towards the source of the noise, springing to their ready positions. If it was one of Cinder's crazies, they would be ready to fight. No further sound came, though, and Roman looked at his partner with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged, signifying that she didn't know what was going on, and Roman started to step towards the door. He could look through the eyehole to make sure that there was no danger before he opened the door.

As he brought his face towards the piece of wood that separated their room from the hallway, he heard Neo shuffle a little closer to him. If there was anything on the other side of that door, she wanted to get at it before it got at him. He appreciated the concern, and certainly was not going to tell her to keep away.

When his eye came close enough to the small lens, he was somewhat taken aback by what he saw. A corpse, squat, and what looked like half rotted, was gazing back up at the lens. It was a little shorter than the position of the hole, closer to Neo's size than Roman's. He couldn't get the slight implication that it was a child's corpse he was looking at out of his head. The body had some certain parts of it rotted away, missing the majority of its organs and whatnot, but Roman could see that it still had most of its muscles on its arms and legs.

He looked back to Neo with a small, insincere smile before saying "I guess our escort is here." He opened the door, and immediately was assaulted by one of the most horrendous odors he had ever had the misfortune of smelling. It was a combination of wet dirt, sulfur, and rancid meat. He immediately turned away from the door, coughing and spluttering, his eyes tearing up as he did so. He was vaguely aware of Neo placing herself between him and the newcomer somewhere behind him, but he was too busy reaching for a handkerchief inside of his coat to give the situation much more attention than he already was.

Once he had gotten the handkerchief out and placed it over his mouth and nose, he turned back, breathing what was not quite fresh air, but at least tolerable. Neo was standing as tall as she could against the zombie, her umbrella raised in what Roman knew to be a defensive posture. He stepped towards them, half stumbling, and put a hand on Neo's shoulder. It was mainly for support, but he made it look like he was simply speaking to her. "Come on now Neo, I'm sure he's…" he looked towards the ghoul again, then modified his statement. "…it's here to get us out of here, right?" He gave the thing a questioning look, and it gave its head a few jerky nods. Roman smiled beneath the protective cloth, and clapped a hand on Neo's shoulder. "See? It's alright. Our new friend here is going to take us out of here." Again, the twitching, rotting corpse gave a barrage of nods, and Roman gestured towards the hall. "Lead the way then, friend, and let's have a talk with Naze."

The ghoul went scuttling down the corridor, and the two of them followed. Both kept their wits about them, careful to keep an eye and ear out for any of Cinder's toys that were creeping around. Luckily however, it seemed that they were all out, doing unspeakable acts of one kind or another.

The ghoul led them to a small backroom, where there was a hole in the floor, tiling having been cracked apart and pushed aside. Next to all of this, there was a shovel planted firmly into a pile of dirt, as if waiting to be used. The ghoul took the shovel in hand and slipped into the hole without a moment of hesitation. Roman looked at Neo, the handkerchief still pressed firmly against his mouth and nose. "Well? Do you feel like going first, or should I?" Neo knew that he going first would make him more vulnerable to anything that might be waiting for them down there, but there was also the smell to consider. If he followed directly behind their new guide, he could be immobilized by the stench. Admittedly, being in a tunnel at all with the source of such a smell in such a cramped environment with no airflow was not possibly a good thing, but she had faith that Roman could do it. All he needed to do was keep going.

She slid into the hole, and found that it was completely dark inside. It wouldn't be an issue for her, but Roman would probably refuse to enter a place like that. Not because he was afraid, or anything similar, but because the possibility of a trap was much greater. He would go if he had her assurances, though. She poked her head back out of the darkness, and offered a hand up at Roman. He eyed her, peered past her into what quickly turned to solid blackness, and gave a low whistle. "Is it like that the whole way down?"

While she didn't really know the answer to that, she did know that in the distance she had seen, there had been no light source. Her eyes were perfectly capable of functioning in the dark, but Roman's were not. He would have to be guided through the darkness. She nodded, and Roman sighed. "Well, there's no way I'm going down there and just crawling. You're going to have to lead me." She nodded, and smiled when Roman took her hand. He was nervous, she could feel it, but she could also feel that he trusted her. The feeling was sweet, but she didn't have that time to savor it. Instead, Roman joined her in the hole, and muttered "Alright, let's get this over with. Lead the way."

Neo started off, following quite some distance behind the ghoul, pulling Roman's hand behind. He made a few muffled sounds into his handkerchief as he moved, but he kept moving. They moved along the tunnel, Roman hunched over in the cavern, and Neo walking normally. Dirt occasionally fell from the ceiling of the cavern occasionally, dirtying either Neo's hair or Roman's suit. Neither one cared too much, though. They would much rather escape from Cinder's growingly insane clutches and deal with a little excess dirt.

They continued down the tunnel for what felt to Neo like roughly half an hour, and to Roman like several hours, before the light at the end of the tunnel finally became visible. Neo felt Roman's pace quicken when he saw this, and she couldn't say that she blamed him. She didn't mind the cramped conditions, in fact she found that she liked it. It was like a den, simply feeling safer than any wide open area. Roman, however, was not comfortable. She could feel his nerves starting to prickle, telling him to get out as quickly as he could. Neo's hand comforted him, but he was still itching to get out.

When the two of them reached the end, Neo held Roman back, wanting to go out first to ensure that there was no kind of trap. She clambered up and out, pulling her way from the dirt, their guide having done the same when it reached the hole. After a brief fraction of a second, her eyes adjusted to the new levels of light, and the scene that met her was one that she didn't know entirely well how to deal with.

Furniture had been laid out in a clearing of trees, a table and three chairs, all made of some odd dark green metal, simply sitting still in the clearing. On the table was a small pendant, an emerald jewel inlaid in a silver frame in the shape of a serpent. She was about to step closer to examine the object further when she was hit by a wave of power. It was unsettling, and made her feel a mixture of nauseous and on-edge.

Her eyes scanned further then the table, and fell on the source of the power. Naze, not some ghost speaking on his behave, nor some body that he controlled from afar, but the lich himself, stood at the opposite end of the grove, peering at her with eyes so piercing that she thought she might faint. Roman emerged from beside her, and immediately felt a surge of fear pulse through his system. He practically cowered behind Neo, hoping that she would be able to protect him.

Naze stood still for several moments, then gestured to the seats. "Come, sit." His voice hit their ears like some combination of crunching leaves in the silence, and grinding, screaming metal, yet was somehow barely louder than a whisper. Neither one moved. They both only stood, staring and shaking.

Naze continued to stare at them, and Neo was able to grab ahold of herself, her mind pulling itself out of the haze. She knew that she couldn't fight something like that, nor could she hope to escape, let alone doing either of those things with Roman present. She turned, took Roman's hand, and led him over to the chairs.

Whatever aura Naze was giving off that inspired such fearful thoughts, he started to quell it, making both of them feel much more comfortable as they took seats on the cold metal. Naze spoke again, jawbone moving but without any lips, words simply coalescing out of the ethereal sounds that he made. "You wanted to negotiate, and so we shall. Now-" he moved towards them, robes gliding across the ground, and grass rotting beneath his feet. "-what is it that you want? Wealth? I assure you, there is plenty of that in our coffers, and we've little use for it. Power? There is boundless magic you could learn, but you'd need the patience for it. Servants? Only tell me the soul, and I shall make the proposition."

Roman stammered out a few unintelligible syllables before coughing, clearing his throat, and shaking his head. "I… uh, what's this?" He pointed numbly to the pendant sitting on the table. Naze's haunting, glowing eyes flicked down to the object briefly, then back to Roman's face, and he said "A small thing, with the capability of absorbing demonic power. It will act like a sponge, keeping you pure by taking corrupting energies in your stead. Yours, if you agree on our deal." Roman raised an eyebrow, and said nervously "And if I don't?"

Naze waved a hand dismissively, saying, "Then you may return to the one who would sacrifice you to her new masters at the drop of a hat. Believe me when I say that it will be a question of "when", not "if". It always is with demons."

Roman eyed Naze in a suspicious manner, and asked "And what was the job again? Just so we're clear on this." Naze nodded, and said "A wise practice, always. Our agreement will be, on your part, to keep me apprised of Cinder's plans, and when the time comes, to sabotage her efforts, ending her crusade at its most crucial point."

Roman nodded, following his so far. "And then?" His question hadn't hung in the air for more than a second before Naze was responding. "Then you will be freed from our agreement. Any short-term benefits that you received will be taken back, and I shall expect nothing more from you. You will be allowed to do as you see fit."

Normally Roman would be suspicious of an offer like that. If someone was hiring help, it was typically a bad idea to let it go. But he also got the feeling that Naze had plenty of people to do his dirty work, and that coming to Roman to do his dirty work was more of a convenience thing. If he really could expect such a clean severance, it would be wonderful. Normally he was the one trying to bargain someone's assistance.

"Alright, and how do I know that I can trust you on that?" The question didn't have any latent accusation, but was more of Roman testing the temperament of his soon-to-be employer. Naze made an odd noise, then proposed the counter question "What's to stop me from killing you now, reanimating your body, and forcing you to do this? I've no particular reason to, and I should think that you would like that." Roman's face paled. He hadn't thought of that being an option. Luckily, however, Naze had said that he wouldn't. Roman knew that he wasn't bluffing when he said he could, though.

Naze spoke again, saying "But it matters little. Let us reach an amicable agreement, shall we? Name what your loyalty to Cinder is worth, and I shall match it." Roman thought, but his mind came up blank. It still wasn't free of the impeding haze that surrounded Naze, and the question was so large that springing it on him like this made it almost impossible to think of an answer. In his puzzlement, he looked over at Neo.

The pint-sized killer was giving Naze a wary look. He knew that she was trying to read him, like she did other people, but was having trouble. What surprised Roman, though, was that there was something odd about her expression. There was something about Naze that was puzzling her, but he couldn't tell what it was.

Realizing that Roman was looking at her, she shifted her gaze to him and thought for a moment. If they were going to be leaving Cinder behind, they would need plenty of money. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out one of the cards, turning it so the picture on the side faced him, clearly showing what she meant. Roman nodded, and turned back to Naze, saying "Ah, yes, lien! We're going to need lien, and lots of it."

Naze responded by saying "I'm afraid that we have no lien, but I do believe that gold has significant value these days. Payment could be arranged easily in gold, or in any other precious material, if you have a preference. Or, alternatively, if you desire lien that much, exchanges could be made. That would take time, though, and I would not have it for you as quickly."

At the mention of gold, Roman's jaw dropped. Gold wasn't insanely valuable, but it was certainly something that could be used as currency. If he was being offered a complete payment in gold, Naze must've had enormous amounts. But gold could be trouble, too. One hundred liens-worth of gold was heavy, and took up a lot more room then a simple card that lien would normally take. In the end, he found himself leaning far more towards the somewhat boring lien option. "I think I would rather take the lien."

Naze nodded, and asked "Very well. What is your price?" Without any initial restriction, Roman felt nervous. This was an important part of the deal. He didn't want to lowball it, and leave himself with a small gain, but he also didn't want to name a price horrendously high. But it would be another good test of his new employer to see how much he was willing to spend on him. A small smile creeped across his face, in spite of the fear he still felt, and he said in almost a joking tone, "Fifty million lien." The price was absurd, and would make him about the second richest man on the planet, but Naze had said that he only needed to name his price.

Neo looked at him, shocked, not believing that he had said that. He folded his arms though, and kept a steady gaze on Naze. Naze looked at him, and his gaze seemed to intensify, starting to drill through Roman's head. It wasn't anger, but it was intensity. "I'm afraid that causing an economic recession is not within the realms of possibility. Allow me to offer a sincere apology, and amend my original statement. I will pay any price, so long as it does not cause a global economic crisis."

Roman sighed, and said under his breath "It was worth a shot." Now having to find a reasonable solution, he spoke again. "Fine, how about two hundred thousand?" It was still a huge amount of money, but wouldn't have quite the catastrophic effects that his other offer would. Naze nodded and said "Much better."

The three looked at each other for a few more moments before Naze asked "Anything else? I would caution you to be careful, as if you take too much, Cinder might suspect." Roman, in spite of the tense situation, waved a hand dismissively as Naze had moments before. "Don't worry about it, I'm an expert at keeping things hidden. That old hag won't know a thing." Naze responded with a terse "Quite" before Roman set back to thinking about what spoils this could earn him.

There was so much for the taking, he didn't know where to start. The money would cover living costs for a while, but there was no fun in that. He needed something else. He needed something that might entertain him after all of this was over. Sure, being part of the cabal that was going against more or less every other major force had been good while it lasted, but something would have to take its place. Maybe he could just settle down, and go back to the simple life of thieving, mugging, occasional murder, pretty small time stuff. On the other hand, he had liked being in command of the White Fang while that little romp had lasted. Maybe he could start his own gang of degenerates and criminals, which would be good too.

He shook his head, jarring himself out of his happy thoughts. There was business to be done. As hard as he'd tried, he couldn't come up with anything other than money. It seemed like a waste of a wonderful opportunity, but that was the name of the game. "Alright, I think that's it."

Naze nodded again, and motioned towards the pendant. It slid across the table towards Roman, and he picked it up by the chain. The serpent design seemed to coil around the gem, and there was a very clear sense that the thing was really alive. Curiously, Roman couldn't tell it the thing was trying to protect the stone from those who might take it, or protecting those who would take it from the stone. That was probably the intention of the thing, but he dismissed the thought as he slipped the chain over his head. "You're sure this thing will work?" he asked, figuring that it would be best to check.

"So long as the gem remains intact, no demon could corrupt you." Came the response, and he tucked the thing under his shirt, hiding it completely. Next he stood, pushing the chair out behind his and putting a hand out towards Naze, saying "Deal?"

Naze eyed the man's hand for a moment before bowing his head slightly and affirming "Deal." Roman felt suspicious that Naze hadn't shaken his hand, but as his gaze wandered, he saw the grass where Naze had stepped, and thought better of touching him at all. Neo also stood, still giving Naze the same odd look as she had before, but Roman was now itching to get out of here. He was reaching his limit of exposure to Naze's presence that he could take without breaking down, and he didn't want to do that in front of him. "Alright, well, it's a pleasure doing business with you, I look forward to our partnership in the future, and I have to say, you run things smoother than anyone I've dealt with before. Good job."

Naze stood, putting most of his weight on the ancient wooden staff at his side, and Roman observed the countless trinkets rustle across his chest as he did so, each one radiating a different kind of bizarre power. The faded grey robes blew slightly in the light breeze that moved through the clearing, and Roman thought about if those had actual uses, or if they were just for show, and the power he felt from them was just a trick.

He tore his gaze away from the lich, and cast it around the clearing. Outside of the trees, the brush was thick, and it would be a hard job of getting through it without a direction to head. They didn't even know where they were. This was a concern that Roman voiced immediately, saying "Hey, uh, how are we supposed to get out of here?" Naze looked to Roman for a few seconds, as if placing him in some mental category, and then said "Transport to the nearest town is arranged."

As he said this, a line of the trees that surrounded them cracked and broke down, landing with solid crashes a short distance from the group. A thing that most resembled a chariot, open backed and with two wheels, was pulled behind a horse several heads taller than Roman, with a thin layer of skin hanging off of a skeleton that looked like it had been assembled using various bones, not all from the same creature. It came to a dead stop in the clearing, and seemed to look at Roman and Neo with empty sockets.

He gave Naze an incredulous look, then thought better of asking if he was serious. Of course he was, he didn't joke. Besides, the ride looked at least safe, with large handlebars, and a sturdy looking construction. Roman sighed, and started walking towards it. If it would get him away from Naze, he would do it. He couldn't take much more.

He pulled Neo along with him, and stepped aboard. As he did so, Naze said, echoing Roman's earlier words, "A pleasure doing business with you." Roman took a hold of the bars, and felt Neo's arms wrap around his waist. There was enough room on it for both of them to stand side by side, but he wasn't about to complain.

In a sudden jolt of movement, the horse reared up on its hind legs, making its harness groan and displaying an unnatural rage of movement with its forelegs, before slamming back into the ground and charging off, dragging the chariot along behind it. It crashed into the trees, and felled even more as it tore its way through the forest. Naze watched them go, hearing Roman shout at the top of his lungs. The meeting had gone well, and he had recruited two more for the inevitable battle with Cinder and, perhaps, her demon masters.

That would be a very interesting conflict, and Naze looked forward to learning all he could about the beasts before sending them back to the twisting nether that they called home. Thinking of battling demons led his thoughts to the two others he had brought to his cause. Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. They only served him so that they could get Nora back, he knew this, but that could be a better motivator than any amount of money. He offered a service that no one else could provide now, not even the Paladins. They themselves had proved this quite well with their spectacular failure to purge Nora. She was only more powerful now, and would continue to grow so until she was killed, or fully transformed into a demon. If she did turn into a demon, it could be an entirely new problem, separate from Cinder's crusade. And it would require more recourses to stop. As much as he hated to do this, he figured that it was about time to take that matter into his own hands. He would have to be clandestine, though, to avoid creating expectations. He was no savior, and didn't want to be regarded as one.

* * *

Yang walked towards the tower in which Ozpin's office was located, confident that she would do well. She had compiled the list of names, made sure that it was all formatted correctly, checked and re-checked her facts, and finally was ready to present them. It would feel good, like a weight being lifted off of her. She was glad to be doing good, though. Not only for Naze, but for the rest of the world as well. She hoped that all of the souls whose names were recorded in the scroll clutched loosely at her side.

The doors slid open and after a short introduction to the receptionist, she was in the elevator towards Ozpin's office. It wasn't long after that the doors slid open again, and she found herself in the office of the man who had tried to help Naze out in his efforts.

Gears turned as they always did, and he was sitting behind his desk, sipping coffee as he looked over a few papers. From the elevator Yang couldn't tell what the papers were, and when she started to walk towards the man, he tucked them neatly in a folder and filed them away. Obviously whatever it was wasn't for her eyes.

He looked up at her and said "Ah, Miss Xiao Long, I've been expecting you. Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chair across from his desk, and Yang took a seat, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Professor. I think you're really going to be impressed with this." She took a brief moment to pull up the list on her scroll, and handed it across the desk to him, saying "I'm the one who did most of the research, but I won't be making the offers. That will be the ones who have been doing it for hundreds of years. They're good at that kind of thing. I tried to get as wide a range of people as I could, and I can get more, if it becomes necessary."

Ozpin nodded, and started to look over the list. Yang watched his face carefully for any reaction, and found herself somewhat impressed by how even his expression was. He was probably really good at poker. He continued to read over the list for several minutes, leaving Yang to simply sit and wait. As patient as she liked to think herself, this was straining her abilities. Instead of doing anything that might distract Ozpin, she started to look around the room.

His desk was ordered impeccably, as she guessed that it always was, and the mug of coffee in his hand was still steaming. The few papers that were still on his desk looked like typical boring teacher stuff; teacher reviews and letters about funding. Overall it was nothing that Yang could bring herself to care about, even if she tried. Instead of continuing to read that, she looked up.

The gears that turned above them made a dull rumbling sound, and Yang could understand the appeal of the background noise they created. If it were her office, though, she wouldn't be able to focus. She would probably be worried about them falling down on her, or stopping, or something else weird like that.

She looked from the ceiling to the window at her side. The view of Vale from this office was probably one of the best in the city, the sprawl stretching for miles and miles in one direction, and the blue, smooth sea in the other, were calming sights. It was strange, to think about the fact that out there somewhere, there were horrible monsters pouring out of a hell portal and corrupting the souls of innocent people out there, mostly unopposed. Maybe she should've gotten this list to Ozpin a little sooner. It might've prevented more suffering.

Finally Ozpin nodded, and handed the scroll back to her. "It looks very good. I am impressed with the volume and detail that you managed to get for every individual." Yang smiled, glad that he appreciated it. "However, there was one entry that I do have a question about. I noticed that Summer Rose was on your list, without very much detail. I think I know the answer to this, but I still must ask. Is there any personal reason that you want her brought back? I know that she was a strong Huntress, but it is impossible for me to imagine that one as impassioned as yourself has been able to separate reason from emotion so completely."

Yang sighed, hoping that this didn't make bringing back Summer impossible. "No, I suppose I can't say that it was just logic. It's just that…" She searched for the right words, and decided to plea with Ozpin to let it slide. "Please Sir, Ruby has had a lot of heartache. I think that she deserves to see her mother again. And I want to see her again too. You can understand that, right?"

A wry smile came across Ozpin's face, and his gaze shifted to something invisible, far away. "Yes, I can. I knew Summer as well, she was a good woman. I would look forward to seeing her again." He blinked, and his attention seemed to return to the office. "You'll have no opposition from me, and I highly doubt that anyone else reviewing this list will have any either. I will formalize this and send it out right away, thank you for doing this."

He inserted a small data stick into the port on the side, and transferred the information before pulling the device out and handing the scroll back over to her. Yang nodded and stood, asking "So when do you think that we can start this whole thing? You have to make an announcement first, right?" Ozpin nodded, taking a sip of his drink, then saying "Yes, the announcement will be made once the list is reviewed. There is some backlash expected, but it should be manageable. If things get out of hand, then force will have to be used to make sure there is no interference with your efforts. I sincerely hope that it doesn't come to that."

Yang nodded. She hoped that it didn't too.

With her business concluded, she stood up, and bid her farewell to Ozpin before walking back towards the elevator and heading back down to the ground. She was glad she had finished that. Now she could get back to Ruby, Blake and Weiss. Her friends were important, and she wanted to make sure that they were alright.

* * *

When Ruby looked up from the weapons magazine she was reading, it was because Yang had returned from her errand. She hadn't said what she was going out to do, no matter what Ruby had done to try and get her to tell.

When Yang walked back in, Ruby was quick to put the magazine down and jump up from her bed, practically flying over to her sister's side. Rose petals even flew from her cape, the strange dark blood patterns on her cape moving around in the threads as they always did. The petals reminded Yang of her mother, and the fact that Ruby didn't know what was being planned. She didn't know that her mother was coming back from the dead soon.

She felt bad that she had to keep that a secret, and didn't know if she could keep it that way. She was alright at keeping secrets for others, but with Ruby, there was a certain pressure to tell her everything. If she didn't, how could she expect Ruby to be totally honest with her? It wasn't just hypocritical, it was dishonest.

Ruby threw her arms around her sister and looked up at her with enormous, puppy-dog eyes, saying "Can you tell me now?" As much as she wanted to give her the good news, Yang shook her head. "I don't think so, Rubes. Sorry." She ruffled her sister's hair, and walked past her towards her bed. Ruby made a small whining noise and said "Come on! What's the big deal? I'm not going to tell anyone."

Yang sighed as her sister's begging started to get to her. If she kept this up, she wouldn't have a choice but the tell her. She needed a way to get her to stop, and she wanted to check if it was alright it she did tell Ruby. "Ruby, please, I don't think I can."

Her sister looked down towards the ground, and said "Oh, alright, sorry." Yang sighed again, and replied "I'll ask if I can, though. Just hold on." Ruby smiled, and nodded vigorously. Yang turned away from her, and started to reach for Naze.

He wasn't too busy, as the response came immediately, not in the form of any word or command but only in attention. She posed her question without hesitation, and awaited the response. "Can I tell Ruby that we're going to bring her Mom back? I mean, it's kind of wrong to spring something like that on her all of the sudden. I have to tell her."

The reply wasn't forthcoming, and she started to grow nervous. Then his voice came, bouncing around in her head like a gong. "If you feel that she can keep a secret, then fine. Her silence will be your responsibility."

Yang smiled, and turned back to face Ruby, wanting to give her the good news. She had just pulled herself up into her bed, and was about to start reading her magazine again. When she saw Yang's face, however, she stopped. "What?" She knew that smile. It meant that there was a secret for her. Yang said "I just asked, and I can tell you." Ruby smiled, and leaped off of her bed again, hitting the ground and bounding towards Yang's bed again.

As she took a seat, Yang looked around the room, making sure that there was no one else in earshot. She wanted to tell Blake and Weiss too, but they had a lot less to do with this then Ruby. Satisfied that they were in private, Yang turned to Ruby again and said "Aright, you can't tell anyone about this. And I mean that." She turned, whole body facing Ruby, and her sister did the same, sensing that what she was about to learn was important.

Yang started to speak in a deathly whisper, leaning in close to Ruby, saying "Alright, you know that things are going bad around the world, right? Like… with the demons and stuff, yeah?" Ruby nodded, and Yang continued. "Well, you also know how important people like Hunters and Huntresses are, and how if we didn't have them, the Grimm would pretty much flatten us in a few days, right?" Ruby nodded again, and again Yang continued to speak. "Good. Well, pretty soon, Hunters and Huntresses are going to be sent to go fight the demons, and Naze is going to give them some help, improving their weapons and stuff so that they stand an actual chance." A look of confusion came across Ruby's face, and she said "Wait, what about the Grimm? Won't that leave the cities and towns wide open?"

Yang nodded again, and had to keep herself from smiling. "See, that's the good part. Naze isn't just leaving us on our own on that one, he's going to support the Kingdoms' defenses while their armies are away. And instead of using the knights and stuff he already has, because, well…" she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly "…they're terrifying bringers of death, and it would give him a pretty bad name it that's all people saw, he's going to use Hunters." Ruby stared back at her uncomprehendingly. "What do you mean, "use Hunters"? I don't…"

Yang interrupted her, but she got the feeling that it clicked in Ruby's head before she even started talking. "He's going to bring Hunters and Huntresses back from the dead. Which means-" the words "you can see mom again" were never able to leave her throat, because Ruby practically threw herself at Yang, a vicious hug being used.

Yang laughed, but stopped when she felt Ruby press her face into her shoulder, and her body start to shudder. Yang gently rubbed her back and patted her head, comforting her as she slowly came to grips with the fact. Eventually, Ruby's sobs slowed, and she started to sniffle as mucus ran down from her nose. She pulled herself away from Yang and held herself at arm's length, looking Yang in the face. Her eyes were red and puffy now, but they didn't seem to be sad. Her body still shook, and her mouth was twisted into a shape that certainly seemed to suggest sadness, but its corners were pulling up.

She spoke, her voice now a little harder to understand, "R-r-really?" Her spluttering made Yang feel bad, but there was certainly a good feeling when she said "Yes, really." Ruby's mouth pulled into a definite smile, and she wrapped her arms around her sister again, now letting the tears run down her face freely. Yang continued to rub her back, and whisper comforts to her about how everything would be alright. She didn't think that there was any need for this, but it still felt right to do.

Eventually Weiss and Blake returned from whatever it was that they had been doing, and their eyes immediately were attracted to the sight of Ruby bawling in Yang's arms. They froze, unsure of what to do. They didn't know if it was something that they could help with, or whether it was a matter that giving their friend privacy would benefit from. Yang's eyes flicked over to them, and she made a small motion for them to leave the room before mouthing the words "two minutes" and motioning for them to leave again. They nodded, and the door closed softly as they went back into the hall.

Yang then started to push Ruby off of her gently, saying "Alright, come on. I know you're happy, but you're making a mess. She got up with her, and guided her into the bathroom, helping her clean her face, reorder her hair, and make sure that she looked as she had before receiving such a sudden blow.

Then she walked back out, obviously trying to hold herself together, and the door opened again. Blake was the first in, and as she walked through the threshold her eyes were already on Ruby, who was in the process of climbing into her bed once again. She then looked to Yang, then started to walk over to her own bed, announcing in the somewhat awkward silence "We're back. How'd it go, Yang?"

Yang nodded and gave a small smile, saying "It was good. I got it done, and I think I did a pretty good job." Blake nodded, and Weiss walked into the room again. Her gaze lingered on Ruby longer than Blake's had, but Ruby didn't seem to notice. She pulled herself into her bed, grabbed her magazine, and clumsily pulled her hood up over her eyes. Weiss was reminded of the week where Ruby had been depressed, and felt an acute worry that the unpleasant experience was about to be repeated.

At a sharp elbow from Blake, she gave a small, indignant "Hey!" before realizing what she was doing and walking into the room with her. "We got the assignment sorted out, Oobleck is going to fix the grade." The paper seemed of so little importance now than it had around an hour ago in the face of whatever was troubling Ruby.

Yang nodded again, and said "Alright, cool. So what are you going to do now?" Her voice was even, as if nothing was wrong, but there was a certain emphasis on her words that made Weiss feel like she expected something from her. She looked back at her teammate, not fully comprehending what she wanted, before slowly responding "Oh, uh… we were just about to ask if you wanted…"her voice started to trail off, and Yang started to motion to a poster behind her. Weiss tried to quickly tell what she was indicating when she pointed her finger directly at a small background element. "…to go out for ice-cream?"

It sounded a little more inquisitive then it should've but it seemed that that mattered little anyways. Ruby's head did move slightly at the mention of one of her favorite treats, and Yang smiled. "That sounds pretty good. Hey, Ruby, do you want to go with?"

They could all see that she wanted to go, but there was something holding her back. Yang spoke to her sister, imploring her, saying "Come on, Ruby! You love ice-cream! Let's go!"

Slowly, Ruby slid out of her bed, and under her hood, Yang could see a smile. She smiled too, as Ruby dropped back to the floor and started walking by her side. She put her arm around her sister, glad that she had decided to join her.

* * *

"I know, Jaune, but we have to get Nora back."

Pyrrha agreed with him, she didn't want to work with the undead, but if it would get them Nora back, it would be worth the discomfort. Jaune sighed, and dropped his shoulders down. "I know, but it just feels wrong. I mean, we're being used, right? Isn't that kind of obvious?"

Pyrrha shook her head, and said "No, we aren't being used. Not yet, anyways." She looked around at the inside of the Paladin sanctuary. They had come back after being told to find a place to wait until Naze needed them. "But we will be, when he needs us." She heaved a heavy sigh. "I wish he would hurry up." It was a feeling that both of them knew well. They were impatient, and wanted to get on with their quest. Nora was still out there, and Ren was still at great risk. They couldn't feel comfortable with that, especially after what they'd seen in the junkyards. Nora was turning into a monster, and Ren was caught in her clutches, unable to escape.

They had been promised that communication would come soon, and that soon after that Nora would be fixed. It had been at least three hours since then, and they were starting to fidget. Every time the door opened, their gaze shifted over to the door and their ears perked up like hounds. It was always just a Paladin, or some other person coming to hear about the Paladins, though.

Just when they had started to give up on the possibility of being called, and were about to agree that going on their own would be a better option, a whispering, wavering voice sounded from somewhere behind them, and they both rounded to find one of the ghostly figures that Naze seemed to use as lookouts and couriers peeking through the wall. It only spoke two words, and they had the feeling that only they could hear them. "Go outside."

The thing faded back into the wall, and the two looked to each other. Jaune's expression was confused at first, then his eyes drifted over to the eye patch. It really did fit amazingly, hugging up against the curves of her face like a glove, and the symbol in the middle was exactly hers. She had expressed that she liked it, and had even admitted that she had forgotten she was wearing it to some degree, but she had also said that she liked it very much.

He could feel his face turn red, and tried to turn away to hide it. This didn't work, though, and Pyrrha put her hand on his shoulder. "Jaune…" she wanted to say something, but the words didn't come, and the plea died in her throat. Instead, she just stood, and turned towards the door. "I guess that is the signal we've been waiting for. Come on, Jaune, let's go." Jaune stood, and nodded mutely.

The two of them walked towards the exit, and were about to leave the building when a voice called from across the room. "Are you leaving?" Amber was making her way towards them, looking concerned. Both Jaune and Pyrrha stopped dead in their tracks. They had hoped that something like this wouldn't happen. Jaune swallowed the hard lump in his throat, then spoke up. "Yeah, we're heading out again. Don't worry, we won't be doing anything like we did last time." Pyrrha nodded, backing up his story. "Yes, we learned our lesson with that one."

Amber looked between them, the concern clear on her face, before saying "Well, I wish you the best of luck. Be careful out there, stranger things happen every day, it seems." Jaune nodded, this time telling the truth. "Yes, we will be. Thank you for everything you've done." Jaune reached out a hand, and Amber shook it, a sad smile on her face. "I hate goodbyes. Let's just hope to see each other again, shall we?" Jaune nodded, and Pyrrha shook her hand next. Then, their farewells completed, Jaune and Pyrrha resumed their course towards the door. When they entered into the light of day, they stood there, confused for a moment, before Pyrrha pointed and said "Over there!"

The shadowy figure was staring at them from between two buildings, and made a rather ominous visual. That was the only hint they had of where to go, though, so they followed hesitantly. The alleyway that they found themselves in was dark, and covered in filth. It didn't seem like a good place to meet with anyone, but they supposed that there was little risk in anything bad happening to the undead. Maybe it was the case that they simply didn't take into account that Jaune and Pyrrha were still very much alive, but there was nothing to be done about that. As they followed the shade, it kept a constant distance with them, making sure that they never got too close.

Both of them got the feeling that they were being led straight into a trap, but neither one really believed that it was. If Naze wanted to kill them, then he could have done so at any point. There was no need for faking an alliance. Perhaps this was how all of his minions functioned, in the dark about their motives. It wouldn't surprise Pyrrha, it seemed like something Naze would do.

But, finally, they came to the dead end of the alleyway, left with nowhere else to go. Both of them looked around, puzzled, for anything that might indicate what they were supposed to do. "What's up with this?" Jaune asked, frustration as clear as day in his voice. Pyrrha understood, but she was more anxious than frustrated. There had to be something out here, waiting for them. Maybe it was some kind of test. But was it some logic test, like a riddle? Or would they have to battle something back here to prove their worth?

After a few minutes of looking around, footsteps from the far end of the alleyway set both of them on edge. They turned, and readied their weapons, preparing for anything. Jaune glanced sideways at Pyrrha, wondering if she was alright with fighting. She was strong, but she might still have not been used to missing her eye. Something like that could easily make fighting difficult.

The footsteps grew closer and closer, and eventually a form could be made out. A man, about average height, and a short woman. No other details were readily available, but as the two groups continued to grow closer, they saw more and more of each other.

The face of Roman Torchwick, identifiable from so many different newscasts, peered at them as he stopped walking, looking both of them over with a critical eye. He had a cigar in his mouth, and a cane at his side. His bowler hat was tipped slightly down at an angle, and he walked with a sleazy grace. The woman at his side walked slightly behind him, a parasol held gently in front of her. She had strange colors on her clothes and hair, pink, brown, and white, and her expression was a constant smile, like she was aware of something no one else was.

Jaune was about to tell them to leave, else they would attack, when Roman removed the cigar from his mouth, tapped the ash off of the end, and rolled his eyes. In the tense silence, his sarcastic remark seemed to carry far. "Wonderful. More children I have to work with."

Jaune was caught off-guard by this, and lowered is sword and shield. "Work with?" He sounded incredulous, and Roman sighed. "Look kid, I don't like it any more then you do. In fact, I probably like it less. At least you get to work with someone famous."


	39. Chapter 39

Author's Note:

As always, I craves the reviews. Thank you to The Baz for the the demon name, the others will be used soon.

Its spring break, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready.

* * *

Cinder looked with some disdain up at the airship that hovered over the town. She hadn't minded it much at first, but as the need for their expansion grew, their environment grew more and more oppressive. They needed space and, more importantly, new members. Everyone in the town had already been shown the pleasures that they could have, and knew that there was no greater feeling than sharing the gifts of their Mistress, Cinder.

She smiled at the thought of the name. "Mistress Cinder" had a nice ring to it. But she had bigger things to worry about. The voice from the portal had told her many things, some about the world, some about itself, and even some things about her. Its name was Cramus, and it said that it could show her pleasures beyond anything she had ever known. She had been skeptical at first, but it had been quick to silence her doubt with its own euphoric touch. It was the most wonderful thing that she had ever felt, and as soon as it had stopped, she had yearned for it, hungry.

It had told her of what she had to do. She had to gather forces and build strength until they were strong enough to break through the blockade that now surrounded the town and spread their wonderful message to more people. If they were able to reach a major population center, they would be able to gather enormous power very quickly. The end goal, so Cinder had been told, would be to summon Cramus itself into the real world. It was then that Cinder would know her greatest reward, and take her place at her lord's side. That was what she wanted, and she would strive for it with all her might and cunning. She had felt true bliss, purer than anything else, and she wanted more.

She needed Neo and Roman for a few things, though. Their coming had to be prepared wherever they would go, and there were no better to do it then those two. Unfortunately, however, they were nowhere to be found. They had apparently disappeared from their room, and no one had seen them since they had gone in. They had retreated from the rest of those around the town in an attempt to preserve their minds, and Cinder supposed that she could see why, if she looked hard enough. It could be a frightening prospect, surrendering oneself to such overwhelming pleasure, but if they simply gave it a chance, they would see how wonderful it could be. She intended on showing them soon enough, whether they wanted to know or not. But perhaps that they not know was better that they delay, it would keep them inconspicuous while working among those who Cinder had not yet reached.

The issue remained, however, that she needed them, and they were nowhere to be found. She didn't want to think that they could have deserted her, but it was not out of the question. She had thought that they had been wavering recently.

She raised her hand, and one of her followers came to her side. They were panting and sweating from the rigorous activities they had been engaged in before. She looked to the side to observe the follower, and saw that it was a nude woman, perhaps a few years younger than herself. The nudity didn't surprise Cinder, nearly everyone was nude, excluding her. Clothes had proved to only slow things down. "Go and start a search for my dear friends Roman and Neo. I would very much like to speak with them." Her voice had a sultry edge to it that at some point she'd had to add consciously, but since being touched by Cramus, it had become a permanent mannerism. She quite liked it, too, as she saw the woman start to quake when she heard it, as if Cinders words were caressing her. "Yes, Mistress!" She said in a high pitch voice before going running off.

Cinder looked back up at the airship. She would have to find a way to down it before the great expansion she hoped for could commence. Her master had not told her how to do something like that, but she thought she already had a few ideas. She had several gargoyle-like demons under her thrall, and they would be more than capable of carrying her and her people up to it. After they reached the ship, it would be a simple matter of showing its crew what incredible and carnal pleasures they could give.

They would fall, legs like jelly, groveling for more. They all would. Not just those on the ship, but everyone. Cinder would bring Cramus's delight to everyone. And they would all serve under her. The future looked good, and she could hardly wait. All she needed was for Neo and Roman to return from whatever hole they were hiding in.

There was some annoyance boiling inside of her, but she was able to easily quell it with a few directed thoughts. Her breath escaped her for a moment as a wave of pleasure slammed into her brain. She had been expecting it, but that didn't make it any less of a shock to her body. The thoughts about Roman and Neo faded away, replaced by only thoughts of her master. She wanted to badly to please it, and if she disappointed it, she would be devastated.

The sound of claws clinking lightly against the floor of the building alerted Cinder to the presence of one of the demons that served her, and she turned to face it with a happy expression. It was impossible almost to not feel that way anymore. She was glad to have something bound to her like the demons were, though. She didn't even have to speak commands to them, she could merely think what she wanted them to do, and they would do it. It still felt good to issue commands face-to-face though.

* * *

Jaune and Pyrrha both stared at the two nefarious criminals who they were apparently going to have to work with to save Nora. They didn't want to have to do this, but Naze had said that they would need help, and they knew that it was true. They had hoped, however, that there would be someone else that they could get help from. This didn't prove to be the case, though, and the criminal Roman Torchwick explained to them what they would be doing.

"Alright, so here's the deal; Naze said that this Nora chick is going to cause a lot of problems real soon if nobody gets a reign on her, and no one else can spare the force required to do it. Luckily, we, pretty much nobodies in the political world, are able to do something. Now, from what I've heard, you tried something like this, but it didn't turn out too well for you." He gave Pyrrha a look like he was making a sly joke, and she rose an eyebrow at him. "But anyways, I'd like to get this thing done, and get beck to serious business."

Jaune gave the felon a distrusting look, and asked "How long have you been working for Naze?" Roman look up for a moment, considering the question, then pulled his sleeve up and looked at a watch on his wrist. "About three hours. Surprising, I know, I have a way of finding odd partners, but this one approached me. I can't tell you much about our little arrangement, but I can say that I'm liking the idea." Jaune didn't seem to trust him any more than before, but he shook his head and tuned, walking down the alleyway in the direction that he had come from. "Well, come on. We've got a lot to do, so we might as well get started."

Neo stood still for a moment, looking at them, before motioning for them to follow and doing so herself. Jaune looked to Pyrrha uncomfortably and shrugged his shoulders. They didn't have anything better to do, and if this was what Naze was wanting them to do, then it was probably the only way to get Nora back. He started walking after them, putting his weapons away. Pyrrha did the same, but didn't feel right about it. They shouldn't work with criminals. That was wrong. Heroes didn't work with criminals.

The new four walked down the road for a small distance before Roman and Neo dropped back, starting to talk with Jaune and Pyrrha as if they were old friends. "So tell me, how did this whole thing start? I'm going to guess that it wasn't just that you woke up one day and she had claws and fangs, right? What happened?"

Jaune and Pyrrha gave each other pained looks, and Jaune started to explain. Before he could, though, Neo elbowed Roman in the side, causing him to grunt indignantly and look to her with an annoyed expression. "What? Can you-" His complaining was cut off when Neo pointed to one of the people on the other side of the street who was holding a scroll up towards them, either recording a video or taking pictures. Roman spat a particularly unpleasant string of curses and pulled the others along more quickly. Neither of the children needed to ask why. If anyone found out that they were around, then it would be a big issue. Hunting Nora would be made far more difficult if people were hunting for them while they hunted for her.

Jaune let that thought rattle around in his mind for a few moments as his pace quickened. "Hunting Nora" didn't seem to be good. He didn't want to think about it that way. They were trying to help her, not hunt her. They had to find her, though, and that would be a lot like hunting. He sighed. There was no real other way to think about it.

The four entered into an alleyway nearby, and Roman gathered them around him, saying "Alright, so we obviously can't just go waltzing around town. We could get a taxi or something, but I wouldn't trust the driver." A thoughtful look came across his face, and he said "I suppose that we could kill them after, but that could get a little messy-" Pyrrha spoke up immediately, a solid expression appearing on her face. "No. We aren't killing anybody. Naze wouldn't want us to."

Roman draw in a heavy breath from his cigar and gave a small laugh to himself. "Relax, girl. I wasn't serious. At least, not too much. Say…" he leaned forward towards her, examining her face. "…haven't I seen you before? Not on a job or anything, but somewhere else."

Pyrrha looked somewhat taken aback by the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken, and stammered a few times before saying "I don't know where you would've." Roman shrugged, and said "Oh well." Before returning his attention returned to the group at large, and he said "Anyways, we've heard where she is, and that's some distance from here. It's going to be rough getting there without any witnesses, but I don't really care too much afterwards. If we're sensible, we can get there and finish this before anyone can follow us. How long do you think it'll take to get her under control?"

Jaune and Pyrrha looked each other again, both trying to evaluate Roman's question. "Well it's not going to be easy, if that's what you're asking. In fact…" Jaune thought of the times that Nora's smell alone had immobilized him, and gave Roman a warning about it. "She has this weird thing with her smell. It makes you paralyzed, or something. It only seems to work well on guys, though, so you should probably keep your distance from her."

Roman nodded, then looked over to Neo. "You won't have any issue with that, right? I wouldn't think that you would, but you can never be too careful."

Neo gave Roman a raised eyebrow, and a sassy look as she shook her head. A smile came across Roman's face around his cigar, and he said "Good, you'll probably be able to handle this on your own, then. But I guess we should tag along as well."

The sarcastic comment earned something of a simpering look from the girl, and Roman quickly started to move again. "Alright, let's get this over with. I really don't want to have to work with these kids any longer then I have to." He then looked over his shoulder like he had only just realized that the comment could be offensive "Oh, nothing against you two, though. I just don't like kids very much." Jaune rolled his eyes, and said "Yeah, right." In a sarcastic voice.

The group started to weave their way carefully through town, avoiding major centers of population wherever they could, and hurrying through those they couldn't. It was more then once that they looked back to see policemen on their trail, questioning people and sometimes even walking directly towards them. This never failed to speed their pace, and they hurried along their way. For all the disdain that Pyrrha and Jaune felt for their new partners, and hesitance to trust them, they found that they were at least not bad partners. They kept vigilant watch for threats, and always warned when something bad was drawing near. Their new little group was never take off-guard.

It was a long trip across town in such a fashion, though, and it was a few hours before they finally reached the part of town that the many burned out, crumbling factories and refineries occupied. When they did, Jaune pulled the group to a stop, saying "Alright, if we're going to do this, we need a plan. Just trust me, charging in there without one won't be good at all. So, what's it going to be?"

Pyrrha gave Jaune a confused look, and asked "Don't you have a plan? I mean, if you don't, its fine, but I would have thought…" She let her voice trail off as Jaune gave her a knowing look. "Yes, I've got one, but I figure that Mr. Outlaw will want his say to go first."

Roman smirked, and gave Jaune a slightly surprised look. "Was "Mr. Outlaw" really the best you could do? I mean, I should think that I provide far more character flaws to make fun of then "outlaw". Neo-" he look to his companion "-am I really that dull?" The girl gave him a reassuring shake of the head, and he breathed a deep, fake sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I was worried there for a second." He let the mocking attitude fade, and looked back to Jaune, whose face was slowly turning a bright shade of red. "Oh loosen up, kid. If you're always so serious all the time, you'll give yourself a heart condition by the time you're thirty. Have a little fun every once in a while."

Jaune fixed Roman with a scornful gaze and said "This isn't something to joke about. This is us getting our friend back. Not that I'd expect you to get that, of course. You probably don't have any friends." The comment was obviously meant to invoke some emotional reaction from Roman, and it did, just likely not the one that Jaune had intended. Roman erupted into laughter, and said "You got me, kid. I'm actually a horribly depressed husk of a person. This is what a life of crime has reduced me to." He hung his head in mock-shame, and then looked to Neo again. "Right Neo? You actually hate me with a fiery passion, and you're just bound by a blood-pact to help me in everything that I do and act like you love me, right?"

Neo nodded again, this time looking right at Jaune, her expression containing much more than a simple agreement. He wasn't sure how he saw it, but somehow the girl's eyes seemed to convey both a joking familiarity, and a kind of probingly viciousness, like she was trying to see how much he could take.

He was about to speak some increasingly sharp words when Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder, and said softly "Jaune, calm down." He looked back at her, about to tell her harshly about why he needed to give them a piece of his mind, when he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. She was right, he needed to keep a level head.

Now breathing deeply, he looked back at the other two who were trying to provoke him. "Alright, look, either tell us your own plan, or listen to mine. Either way, Naze won't be happy if we fail."

This comment seemed to hit Roman at a much deeper level, and the smile faded slightly from his face. He cleared his throat with a cough, and then looked back to Jaune with an expectant expression. "Alright then, what's the plan, "Boss"?" He gave the last word an emphasis that Jaune didn't like, but he didn't react to it. That would only encourage the man.

"Alright, so the last time we found Nora, she was in a kind of nest with Ren, one of our other team members, with a bund of blankets and pillows and stuff. I don't know if she'll be in the same building, but even if she is I doubt either me or Pyrrha could find it. If she is doing the same this that she was before, she probably won't outright attack us. If that's the case, we should take to time to position ourselves carefully, and make sure that there's no way she can get past us." They all seemed to accept this as a base for their plan, and Pyrrha asked "What positions would those be?"

Jaune thought for a moment before asking Neo "How good are you at not being hit?" As soon as the question left his mouth, a smile stretched across Neo's face, and Roman started to laugh again. "Kid, you've got no idea. That's one of her specialties." Jaune didn't quite know what he meant by that, but it was good anyways. "Alright, do you think that you could hold Nora's attention while the rest of us do what we can to stop her?" Again, an amused expression came across both her and Roman's faces, and she nodded.

Jaune continued, ordering the formation in his head. "Good, so you'll be right up front. Your job is to keep her busy, not to do damage. If you can do both, great, but you don't need to. Pyrrha, you'll be the next closest. You have to lay down the hurt. I know It's going to be hard, doing this kind of thing to Nora, but it's the only way we can get her back." Pyrrha gave him a sad nod, indicating that she understood, and he shifted his gaze to Roman. "Now, are you any good at range?" Roman nodded, and held up his cane, a small targeting circle popped up off the bottom. Jaune could now see that the thing was hollow, and probably served as some kind of projectile weapon. Jaune didn't know what it could do, but given the look on Roman's face, it could do everything a wanted felon could need it to do. He supposed that was enough, and nodded. "Alright, you'll be the ranged support. Wherever you see an opportunity to do any damage without any friendly-fire, take a shot."

Roman smirked and nodded, apparently finding Jaune's mention of friendly-fire somehow amusing. Pyrrha stepped forwards before either Roman or Neo could say anything, and said "What will you be doing, Jaune? I mean, there isn't much you really can do because of her smell, but certainly you aren't just sitting back here." He knew that she didn't mean any insult, but there was some part of him that was insulted by the insinuation. He replied, saying "No, of course not. I'll be hanging around wherever she's most likely to run to. If we find her where she was last time, I'll be by the stairs, and try to give you enough time before she gets past me for you to catch her again."

The plan seemed solid enough that it could work, especially with the addition of the two experienced fighters, but there was still something about it that was off to Jaune. Something didn't feel right. He hadn't expected it to, he was trying to hunt someone who had been one of his closest friends. That didn't make it feel any less bizarre, almost surreal, to plan it out. Memories of having to plunge his blade into Nora's back in order to save Pyrrha were still fresh in his mind, and brought an uncomfortable twinge to his body. He didn't want to believe that it was his own sword that had punctured her spine, or his own hands that had driven the weapon, but that was a reality that he was simply going to have to accept.

He felt Pyrrha's warm hand on his shoulder again, and was jolted out of his thoughts. He came to the sudden realization that he had been staring off into nothingness for several seconds, and quickly started to bring himself back. "Uh, right, so we're good to go, right?" He had not meant to ask a single person when he asked, but he was looking directly at Pyrrha when he said it, so when she answered, he didn't mind. "Yes, we can go in anytime."

The look on her face betrayed that she was worried about him, but she didn't want this to show. Jaune appreciated that she was concerned, but would rather have her focus undivided on the mission at hand. They would need it, he had no doubt.

He swallowed down one particularly hard lump in his throat, and said in as solid a voice as he could manage, "Alright, let's go then."

Mustering all of the strength from inside himself that he could, Jaune stepped into the ash and dust covered district of town that had died before his birth, leaving its skeleton behind, a sprawl of decrepit concrete and rusting rebar. Somewhere in there was Nora, and he wasn't going to fail this time. He was going to bring her back.

* * *

Ruby had tried very hard not to let it show that she had been crying, but she felt that her efforts were in vain. Yang was the only one who was really treating her normally, Blake and Weiss seemed to be acting carefully around her in a way that she hadn't seen since the fallout of Yang's death.

She didn't like it. She felt like she was being treated like one of those creepy porcelain dolls. She didn't like those dolls, either, so being treated like one was extra weird. She was getting ice-cream though, which did make it a little better. It was odd of Weiss to suggest something like this, but Ruby certainly wasn't going to complain about it. She was going to complain about the weirdness that she was being treated with, though.

She dropped her spoon back into the now empty bowl purposefully, making a series of loud clinks against the smooth dish. Her friends looked back up at her in surprise, and like they were expecting something. Yang in particular grinned and said "Ruby, if you never slow down when you're eating that stuff, you're going to get brain freeze every time."

Ruby looked blankly back at her sister for a few seconds, the remark totally distracting her from what she had been about to say. Then, and she realized that Yang was probably referring to the two or three times earlier that Ruby had stopped eating to clutch her head and make an odd noise somewhere between humming and growling while pushing her tongue against the roof of her mouth, trying to warm it. She didn't really know if that would help the resounding pain, but she'd heard that it did.

She shook her head, and said "No, no, not that! I want to know what's up with you guys! It's like you all are walking on eggshells again. I don't like feeling like I have to be careful, or that you have to be careful around me. So what's up?"

Her question hung in the air for a few moments, during which Blake and Weiss looked to Yang with expressions that seemed to be asking permission. Ruby also looked at her sister, but with a more puzzled expression. Yang shrugged, and said "Go ahead." In a dismissive tone, prompting both Weiss and Blake to look back to Ruby with slightly tentativeness. "Well, Ruby, we…" Weiss started out, but it was clear by the way that her voice tapered off that she didn't know how to explain. Blake picked up where she left off, though, and said "We saw you crying back at the room, and walked back out. We didn't want to intrude into a fragile moment or anything, so we went back into the hall, and waited for a few minutes out there. We figured that since you were crying, there was something wrong."

Ruby felt the blood drain from her face. "You saw that?" She asked in a slightly quavering voice. She didn't mind too much that they had unintentionally intruded on a moment like that, but it did upset her a little that they wanted to hide that from her. If there was a problem, she wanted to know. Weiss nodded, then reached across the table for Ruby's hand. The gesture of affection was somewhat alien to the Schnee, but she was able to accomplish it without too much trouble. Her hands were warm in comparison to Ruby's, but Ruby had been holding her bowl whereas Weiss had let hers rest on the table. "You know that if there is something bothering you, you can tell us."

The caring words didn't seem to be entirely right coming from her usually cold partner, but that only made them more touching. Ruby felt the blood rush back into her face, and her cheeks burn red as a result. She spoke again, pulling her hand away from Weiss's, trying not to sound as awkward as she felt in correcting them. "You know, guys, I was crying, but I wasn't sad. I was actually really happy, because Yang told me something amazing."

Both of the others were surprised by this, and at the mention of Yang's involvement, looked over at her with inquisitive expressions. Yang shook her head and put her hands up helplessly. "Sorry girls, I can't say. Only Ruby was allowed to be told because she's my sis, and it kind of pertains to her a lot more directly. I really want to tell you, but I can't." Weiss and Blake looked slightly offended, in spite of their efforts to not, and Yang instantly tried to make them feel better about it. "But don't worry! You won't have to wait long to find out what it is. It's going to happen real soon, and things are going to get a lot better after. I can't say any more than that. I really want to, but I can't. You know, undead business."

Both of them nodded, the signs of being insulted fading. There was nothing to be done it was undead business. It did remind them that Yang wasn't quite how she had been before, though. Now she worked in the service of a lord that they knew nearly nothing about, and for goals that she wasn't allowed to share. It was slightly disconcerting to say the least. But they still knew that it was Yang they were dealing with, that much hadn't changed. They could always be confident that she would never betray them, so they trusted her on this matter as well.

Ruby looked at Yang again, and said "Can I tell them? I mean, you know that they won't tell anyone if you tell them not to." Yang shook her head again, saying "Ruby, I know you're excited about it, but the answer is still no. I'd rather stay on the safe side of this one than take a risk. It's not because I don't trust you guy's-" she looked at her other teammates "-but you know, top secret." She placed a finger to her lips and made a low hushing noise jokingly. This did prompt a few smiles, but Ruby still felt a little wrong about keeping a secret like that from her closest friends. She knew that Yang had to feel the same way, but if the reason she wasn't talking was really so important that Yang wasn't going to try so much as to subvert it, she knew that it was probably best to drop it.

Blake looked back to Ruby and said "Well, in any case, we're sorry that we made you feel awkward. We will try to not let it happen in the future." Ruby smiled at this, and happily went back to her ice-cream, shoveling spoonfuls of the stuff into her mouth with vigor.

Yang watched as her friends started to go back to their frozen treats, happy that they were enjoying themselves. She looked at the bright colors of the stuff not just in their bowls, but all around the shop. She wished that she could taste again. She hadn't tasted anything since she had died, and it had never occurred to her much until now how much she utterly missed the sensation. Technically, she could still taste things, the nerves in her tongue still worked, but it wasn't the same. She couldn't get the same feeling from it. It wasn't something that she felt would make the next however many years she worked for Naze unbearable, but watching her sister and friends enjoy their treats was certainly a little unpleasant without being able to join in.

She shook the thoughts from her mind, considering them somewhat childish. So what if she couldn't have any of the ice-cream? Ruby was happy, and that was more than enough for her. She sat back in her seat, just taking the time to admire her sister's antics. Ruby was putting spoonful after spoonful into her mouth, before dropping the spoon on the table and putting her hands to her forehead, making a muffled squealing sound. Blake looked like she couldn't care less, and Weiss gave her partner an incredulous look. "Really? I would have thought that after so many…"

Yang let Weiss berate her sister over something as small as this. It was kind of funny, and Ruby didn't seem to be learning her lesson. As Weiss let Ruby know just how foolish she was, and Ruby continued to put ice-cream in her mouth as Weiss explained, Yang's thoughts drifted to Summer Rose.

Ruby had been too young to remember her, but Yang had gotten to know her very well. She was a better mother than she could have ever asked for, and simply seemed to know how to deal with children, maintaining a graceful composure and perfect compassion the whole time. Yang didn't have a single bad memory about her. But what would she be like now?

She hoped very dearly that Summer had remained unchanged for all of those years, but from what she had learned about dying from those back at the ziggurat, death had a way of changing people. She hadn't experienced any of it, because she was given power from Naze almost immediately after dying, but Summer would have had to experience the gradual decay, and slip into the void. That could have done any number of things, from make her a depressed, hopeless person, draining the happiness from her, or she could have fought tooth-and-nail to stay, which would turn her bitter and angry. She very sincerely hoped that the woman who had raised her had not succumb to either of these. It would be a horrible shame if she had.

Yang tried to picture the woman in her head. She had always worn a cape, a bit like Ruby's, and her hair was about the same kind of red and black that Ruby's was. Ruby took after her in almost every way, now that Yang thought about it. She didn't have Taiyang's muscled build like Yang did, nor the brazen and outgoing personality. Especially not the personality. No, Ruby was much more introverted, but once you got her to open up, she was every bit as insane as the rest of them. Maybe even a little more.

Even with all that knowledge, however, Yang still didn't know how Ruby would react if it turned out that Summer was changed somehow, not the perfect and pristine maternal figure Yang had always made her out to be. She sighed to herself, knowing that all the worrying in the world wouldn't affect the outcome of the question. Either Summer was or she wasn't, it was that simple.

Yang remembered something else, from when she and Ruby had been children, eating dinner or something, Yang didn't recall the specifics of the situation. It was her sister's words that stuck out to her. She had asked "Yang, where is mom?"

She had tried to explain as gently as she could that their mother was dead, but Ruby wouldn't believe it. She kept insisting and insisting that Summer had to just be out there, either doing something, or waiting for the right time to come back. Yang had explained it off as the tireless workings of the toddler's mind, she had been much the same way, but now that she thought about it, she kind of doubted that Ruby had ever outgrown that belief. All the times that she had visited Summer's grave didn't necessarily mean that she'd accepted it. After all, no corpse had ever been found.

But what could be strong enough to take Summer down? Yang had never really seen her fight. At least, not any battle where she had to really let loose, but she had heard stories about it, and apparently it was something scary when she did. A fighter nothing short of ferocious, and cunning to the nth degree. She had been on a solo mission, and those were far more dangerous than normal ones, but still, what could have possibly overcome her talents? Whatever it was, Yang had the feeling that she would see it before she was finished working for Naze.

There was no sense hurrying towards that, though. It would happen when it happened, and she needed not to dwell on it. Patience was a valuable thing to have, especially for one undead such as her.

* * *

When Penny realized that Ironwood had been absent all day, she felt a great deal of worry for the man. It was very unusual for her to go a full day without seeing him, he usually made it a point to pay her a visit at least once every twenty four hours. This, in combination with the recent increase of military activity that she had seen on the news not just in Vale, but in every kingdom, made her worry even more. It was obvious that there was something very bad happening, but no one would tell her what it was, and all she wanted to do was help.

She had tried to sneak her way to Ironwood's private room, but had found that the hall was quite heavily guarded, with at least ten men standing between her and the door. She was asked to leave, and had done so without much of a struggle. She already knew that it would do no good.

Now she sat in the lab, in the same chair that she always seemed to find herself back in. A massive computer hung above her, built into the ceiling, and people bustled around, asking each other questions in tones too hushed for Penny to make out. Wires and cords in the back of her head made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but she knew that they had to be there. The last time she had been seated like this, she had lost the ability to dream.

It had been explained to her that the program that had given her this ability had taken a sudden and unexpected turn, endangering her. That was why it had to be removed. Luckily enough, she could still remember the dreams that she'd had. They were so strange, and seemed to make little sense. She had been told that they would be random, but why, then, did they have enough structure to be cohesive experiences? It was something that she had abandoned hope on figuring out, as none of those she had asked had been able to explain even their own dreams with any degree of certainty. Perhaps dreams really were just inexplicable.

But none of that helped her with the situation at hand. She wanted to help, or to at least know what was going on, and she was being denied that at every turn. It was aggravating, to say the least. Penny had never felt the urge to inflict harm on another without first being attacked herself, or seeing one of her friends be attacked, but the lack of information was the thing that had brought her closest to feeling that urge.

She even got the feeling that her friends were hiding things from her, although she had said nothing about it. When she had asked Ruby about certain things, her heart rate had quickened, her eyes had dilated, and she had started to sweat just a little. These were classic signals of lies, but Penny didn't know why she might be lying.

It seemed that the only one who was perfectly upfront with her was Naze. He had been honest with everything she had asked him about, even telling her that he was undead. She appreciated that more than anything else he had done. She wished that she could talk to him now, and get a straight answer as to exactly what was happening, assuming that he knew.

She remembered he had spoken through a ghostly figure, and wondered if that figure was still around. She recalled having to look very hard to see it, and her eyes weren't looking that hard now as she sat in the chair. She intensified her visual scans and started to look around the room. It wasn't more than a few seconds that someone behind her took notice of what she was doing and asked in a puzzled and, if she was reading she tone correctly, a hint of wariness, "What are you doing, Penny?"

They could see her thoughts, the layers upon layers of algorithms and code that served to replace what she didn't have naturally, when she was plugged in like this, but they had to analyze them for some time to tell what all of that really meant. It was simpler to just ask her what she was doing then stare at a screen for tens of minutes just to decipher a single moment of thought.

"Just looking around." Came her innocent response. It wasn't a lie, It really was what she was doing. It was simply what she was looking for that she wasn't going to tell them. She heard the man lean slightly to peer at the screen that shared her eye's vision, then say "Alright, you just tell us if you find anything weird, alright?" His voice sounded somewhat sarcastic, but Penny nodded as much as she could with the cables and said "Alright, I will!"

That one was a bit of a lie. The shades that Naze could communicate through were certainly weird, but she wouldn't be telling them if she did find one. She felt bad about it, they had done nothing that made them deserve being lied to, but then again, neither had she. Her eyes flicked around the room for a while, before finally coming to rest on a dark corner from which two bright orbs were staring back at her, gaseous body crouched in the darkness. She only saw it for a second before it receded back into the wall, but that was enough to reassure her that she would be able to speak with him once she was alone.

She wasn't the only one to notice the shade, though. The man behind her who had asked her what she was doing seemed to be surprised for a moment before hurriedly hitting a few keys and saying "Uh, Penny, did you just see something?" She shook her head, movement again restricted by the cords, and said "No, why?"

The man made a long, drawn out hissing sound through his teeth before calling to one of the others around the room, saying "Hey, Em, come look at this." The woman's footsteps approached the source of the man's voice, and she gasped in surprise. "What is that?" She asked incredulously. He responded by saying "Hell if I know." Then took a few steps over to where Penny was sitting, squatting slightly so that his eyes were at the same level as hers. He wasn't looking at her, like Penny thought he would be, but rather in the direction of the corner. He stared for a few moments before shaking his head and turning back to look at her. "You're sure you didn't see anything?" She nodded resolutely, and the man let out a heavy sigh before standing back up and walking back to his screens, patting Penny on the shoulder as he went. He said "Alright, kiddo." To her, then immediately started talking to the woman, saying "What is that, do you think? She says she didn't see anything, but look. Right there, like eyes." The sound of their talking covered up the sound of her hiccup. She heard the man shiver a moment, then ask "Could it be some kind of glitch? You'd think it would just corrupt the image, but…" His voice faded away, and then he turned back to Penny, saying "Alright, we're going to get you out of there." Penny smiled, happy that she was going to get to talk to Naze sooner rather than later. She did feel slightly guilty for betraying their trust, but she needed to know what was going on.

The cables were undone, and she was soon on her feet again, walking away from the large room that housed the computer used to analyze all of the data that she generated. It was like an all-in-one medical device for a human or Faunus. The elevator back into the main structure of the building that she had called home slid down, and the doors slid open smoothly. She stepped inside, and the doors slid shut behind her as the small box started to ascend. Before the elevator even reached the top of the shaft, a dark figure rose through the floor, coming to rest next to Penny, looking at her in a way that seemed to portray supernatural focus.

"You desired to speak?" The voice that spoke the words was like nails on a chalkboard, and Penny knew that it would probably be a most unpleasant sound for anyone else to hear, but she was able to endure it. "Naze, I want you to be honest with me."

The figure starred back at her for a moment, eyes drilling through her and picking her apart, before making a small nodding motion. "Of course, Penny. What is it you wish to know?"

Penny seemed slightly daunted by the scope of the question, but started to answer anyways. "I want to know what's making Ironwoo-" her voice was cut off when the doors to the elevator opened, revealing another man in a lab coat on his way down to the computer room. He looked down at her, smiling, and said "Hello, Penny."

Penny nodded back, saying "Hello." Before walking out, watching as the shade floated right past the man. He went into the elevator, and the doors closed, sinking him down to his goal. The shade retook its position next to her, and said "You were saying?"

She recalled where she had been and picked up from there. "-What's making Ironwood so nervous. I know that there is going to be a fight, but with what? And how can I help?" her question was punctuated with one of the saddest expressions that she could muster, and by her shoulders sagging down as if the weight of her desire to help was physical.

The shade hovered in the air for a second before replying "The treat that not only Ironwood faces, but the world at large does, is that of demonic incursion. There are currently no forces that are equipped to efficiently deal with this, and the number of people strong enough to combat this is minimal. Hunters and Huntresses are the only individuals with the will strong enough to repel this attack." Penny's eyes widened in shock. This was bad. This was very bad. If Hunters and Huntresses were the only ones who could stand in their way, which meant that there was a precious small number of troops that might be able to make a difference. It also meant that Ruby might find herself fighting in this fight which, if as dangerous as it sounded, could end very badly. She didn't want Ruby to get hurt.

The shade continued, saying "As for the second question, I am not familiar enough with your abilities to accurately assess how much of an asset you might be in the battlefield. Are you a competent fighter?" Penny nodded eagerly. She was more than competent, she had defeated every foe she had come against ever since she had exited her testing phase. If she could lend her blades to a cause like saving the world, like she was meant to do, it would be a wonderful thing.

"Good, good." The shade said, voice not having softened at all. "Yet Ironwood would likely not allow you to enter a battle so dangerous. You would have to do so against his will, and he would do all in his power to bring you back." Penny knew that was true as well. She loved Ironwood, he was her friend, but he was overprotective of her. She wanted to go out and help save the world, but he wouldn't let her so long as he had any say in the final decision. Maybe it was time that she took the decisions about her own future into her own hands. It was natural for any biological child to seek their independence after maturing, and she had done a fair amount of that. Maybe, then, it was time to take the offer that Naze had made a significant time ago.

As if preempting her thoughts, the shade said "You recall what I told you about freeing you from him, I assume. If you wish me to, say the word, and you will be allowed to do battle under me, or to contribute to the combat as you see fit. The process would be quick, and Ironwood could remain uninformed, if you wish. The decision is yours."

Penny was about to speak when the heavy footfalls of armored boots started to clack against the floor not too far away, and a guard rounded the corner, walking slowly. It didn't look like he was doing anything in particular, merely patrolling the halls. He gave Penny an odd look, likely having heard her voice earlier as she talked, then turned and walked the other way, continuing his patrol.

Penny started to walk to where she knew there would be more privacy, her room, she motioned for the shade to follow, and it did, whisking silently across the floor behind her. Once they reached her room, the door shut behind them, and Penny rounded back on the shade. "I want to help, but I don't want to leave him. He cares about me, and he wants the best for me. I want to ask him first, and if he says no, then I might go with you. Is that alright?"

The shade bowed its head again, and said "As you wish." Before seeming to fade out of existence. Penny was left alone in her room with nothing but her thoughts.


	40. Chapter 40

The air they drew into their lungs seemed to be heavy with the soot and dust from the crumbling factories and broken refineries. Jaune and Pyrrha didn't remember it being quite so heavy, but they weren't quite as on-edge as they were now. Now their bodies were coiled like springs, and their minds were ready to do whatever it took to bring Nora back.

No one wanted to speak a word, not even Roman was willing to break the silence. The only one who seemed totally unaffected by the oppressive tone of the place was Neo, who was taking lighthearted steps through the alleyways and paths, kicking up small clouds of filth as she did so, the smile never fading from her face. In spite of her nonchalant attitude, she still moved silently, ears perked up to hear anything that might lead them to the possessed Nora.

Neo had taken the lead of the group once they had entered into the ruins. After all, she had the set of abilities that made her ideal for finding someone on conditions like these. The whole time she had gravitated towards the center of the district, and was sure that she was starting to close in on the girl. Her sensitive ears could tell that there was something nearby, breathing heavily and making occasional grunting noises. She could hear the sounds bouncing off of the numerous hollow buildings, echoing and resonating, confusing her senses slightly, but it was not enough to hide its source. It took a little more focus than it would have normally, but she didn't mind. The only thing that really annoyed her at all was the feelings of her two new companions. Their fear was palpable, especially to her. It spiked with every sound, no matter how small it was, if they heard it, they reacted.

Roman dealt with the situation far better. In true alignment with what Neo had come to expect from him, he barely felt any fear at all. He was on edge, of course, ready to react to whatever he needed to, but his head was cool and level, keeping out a watch for anything suspicious.

The other two were far worse. The blonde, Jaune, seemed to be on the verge of panicking. Whatever had happened here before must've been very unpleasant, as it seemed to have left a lasting impression on his mind. The girl, Pyrrha, was far more stable mentally, but found herself inconvenienced by the loss of her eye. Her frustration at not being able to see as well as she once had was made clear by her heavy breathing and frequent twitched of her head to the side. Neo knew that it would likely not factor much into her fighting, though.

Her own role in the fight would be an enjoyable one. To provide a target that couldn't be hit was something that simply rang true with her. She would find it amusing, no doubt, and perhaps even find a foe who could keep pace with her. That would be interesting, and something that she had looked forward to for some time. No human had ever really been able to do such a thing, but perhaps one empowered by a demon would.

Her steps stopped as a sudden wave of power swept out from somewhere in front of her. The emission was not strong enough to be felt by her cohorts, but she sensed its touch as clear as day. It was the one that they were looking for, but what she could have done that would generate such a pulse, Neo didn't know. There had been a sense about it, like a soul, but it was no kind of soul that she had ever felt. Something was definitely off about it, skewed in some subtle manner, but what it was, she couldn't say. The pulse did serve to point in the direct location she had to go, and she was quick to start approaching its source.

When the building the pulse came from came into view, both Jaune and Pyrrha reacted in predictable ways. Both tensed up, and memories of pain started to enter their minds. She could feel them tense up and start to hesitate.

She shot a look backwards at Roman, giving him a signal with her eyes that he needed to make sure they wouldn't quit now. Roman gave her a knowing nod, and immediately started to speak to them in a special tone of voice reserved for when he was manipulating people. "Hey, how are you kids doing?" There was a brief pause, during which Jaune and Pyrrha seemed to briefly try to come up with a response. Before they could, though, he continued speaking, voice hushed so that it wouldn't carry too far. "Because, I really can't tell you how much of a shame it would be if you were to abandon your friend in this horrible hellhole. I mean, if you did that, then her safety would be left up to me and Neo. And, not that I doubt our own abilities, but we have been known to overindulge in the whole violence thing from time to time, and murder has happened."

The two looked back at him with disdain, fully aware of what he was saying. If they left or gave up, he probably wouldn't stop at incapacitating her. If that were to happen, they would lose Nora forever. They couldn't let that happen. Everything they had tried to do up to this point had been trying to get Nora back. Pyrrha had lost her eye in the struggle. They couldn't abandon their efforts now.

Their resolves hardened, and Neo looked back to Roman, smiling. He had a way with people, that was certain. The two kids would be an important part of the fight, she knew, but she knew that they would be stretched to their limits. Whether those limits were physical, she didn't know, but she was sure that it would be a mighty struggle.

They started their approach, and Neo started to make out more sounds from the building. An unsteady, heavy breathing, along with infrequent squealing. She knew that it had to be Nora, but what she was doing Neo couldn't guess. She pointed, affirming that Nora was in the building, and started to lead the way towards it again. Behind her, she could hear Roman drop behind Pyrrha, arranging the group in the order that Jaune had suggested.

Neo continued to creep across the ground, and the other's followed behind, practically following in her footsteps. They still made a huge amount of noise by comparison, but it was something that Neo had learned to tolerate. What she knew would cause problems, though, was if they followed her inside the building. When she reached the entrance of the building, she turned back to her teammates and motioned for them to stop. They did so, and she entered the building alone.

Another person might've had to watch out for the rock or glass on the ground, but Neo's natural abilities made it easy for her to evade them. She didn't even have to look down at the floor as she practically skipped across the floor. Her boots continued to fall precisely where they needed to, and it wasn't long before she was on the stairs, making her way up to the source of the noises. The stairs were equally as silent as the floor, and it was not long before she saw the one that she was here to face.

Nora Valkyrie, her body flattened against that of another that she presumed to be Ren, was quite different then what she had expected. She didn't look human, her body was stretched into odd proportions; her arms were long, and ended in claw-like appendages. Neo could see even from the distance she was at the veins that pounded heavily, harder than a human heart could drive. Her hair hung down slightly past her shoulders, messy and unkempt. Muscles rippled across her entire body, not distorting her general shape, but making it clear that her strength would be unmatched.

Her arms were wrapped around the boy, who was looking spindly and frail. It was a clear contrast between the two. His eyelids hung halfway over his eyes, and beneath them the pink colored irises lolled unmoving. They weren't focused on anything, not even Neo, and were simply staring off into space.

Nora was facing away from her, so Neo couldn't make out any more details about her, but she could make out more about the energy she was feeling. It was soul energy, not unlike the kind that she could feel when people used their auras, but still different somehow. It was like there was a raw energy moving from one to the other, like she was feeding off of him. Neo had never felt something like that before, but it made her uneasy. Souls weren't meant to be consumed like that. Not even the undead did things like that.

She could tell that whatever Nora was doing, she was almost done. Neo took a few silent steps towards her, bringing her parasol up, ready to fight. She knew that it would be to the advantage of everyone of she took the opportunity to strike the girl before she had time to prepare herself, and she readied herself to do so. The parasol rose above her head slowly as she approached from behind, and just as she was about to bring the tip of in down in a bone-shattering strike, Nora reacted.

The girl's head and torso twisted, in an exact manner, as if something guided her muscles. The two stared at each other for a moment, neither one completely sure what to do, before Neo brought the parasol crashing down on Nora's forehead.

The blow that should have robbed any teen of their consciousness almost the instant it connected jolted Nora's head back, but beyond that, it barely seemed to do anything. As with jolting her head back, it made her jaw drop, revealing rows of sharp teeth extending from the gums, and a two-pronged tongue that slithered among them. It was at this point that if Nora had any good graces left, they left her. A howl left her throat, tearing the silence apart in the motionless building. In the span of a single instant, Ren was shunted to the side, and Nora was on her feet, ready to fight with her new opponent. Neo could tell that something was very off about the girl, not just in her body, but in her very soul. She was giving off a kind of power that Neo had never known, but on top of that, it seemed that she had simply more of a soul then Neo had ever seen. It wasn't that it was more powerful, but that there seemed to be two.

The gears clicked into place, and she knew what she was doing. She wasn't merely feeding off of the boy's soul, she was taking it into herself, combining it with her own. And if Neo had to guess, she was almost done, if she wasn't already. The words that she screamed rang out, almost splitting even Neo's ears, saying "Why can't you just leave us alone?"

As soon as the horrible cry finished, Neo could hear the sounds of her allies entering the building, feet hitting rocks and glass the whole way. She could practically track their progress through the concrete below from sound alone, but there was no time for that. Her initial guesses that Nora would be fast proved to be dead on as the girl lashed out at her, claws slashing the air in swift motions. Neo could see the air before them be pushed away, leaving small, nearly invisible trails. All it took to evade the attack was a small drop of the shoulder, and to lean her body away.

It whizzed through the space that she had occupied a fraction of a second before, and Neo smiled. Nora would be more of a challenge than she had had in a long time, but she could still read her like an open book. Her muscles told of what her next assault would be, and her brain was clearly not coming up with any kind of a long-term plan for the fight. It was simply enraged, and Neo knew that there would likely be nothing beyond that rage.

Instead of backing up and putting some distance between the two, as was her instinct, she held her position, and let the girl grow closer as she recovered from her miss. She would need to remain close if she were to keep the girl's somewhat animalistic attention. She heard the others start to climb the stairs, and felt her confidence grow even more. She knew better than anyone that numbers did not mean victory, but they certainly helped in the matter.

As they came up the stairs and entered into the room, Nora struck out again, this time trying to grab a fistful of Neo's clothing. She saw the move coming far before it happened, but the speed at which Nora's fist shot out in an attempt to catch her was still surprising. She pulled one leg up, pulling much of her weight from the ground. With her other leg, she spun herself in a circle, like a top, moving again just out of Nora's range. The girl again let out a frustrated growl, but this time Neo wasn't going to simply let her recover. With one leg up off the ground, and her body spinning, she was in the perfect position to get off another powerful strike.

She the leg out, and threw her body into what would be the final spin. She pulled her arms closer to her, and a smile spread across her face as her rotation sped greatly. Then, just as Nora managed to get her feet under her steadily again, Neo's ankle struck her at the base of the neck, sweeping her totally off-balance and knocking her off of her feet. Nora was thrown to the floor, using her arms to brace the impact, and rolling so that she could spring to her feet immediately.

Behind Neo, Roman grabbed the back of Pyrrha's circlet, pulling her back so that she wasn't directly in the line of fire before shouting "Heads up!" He brought his cane to bear on Nora, and fired without hesitation. There was a shout from both Pyrrha and Jaune, mostly surprised, and then the definite thumping sound as a Dust-powered flare was spit from the end of the device. It screeched across the short distance between the two before slamming into Nora and exploding, the volatile mixture inside spurring the Dust inside to rapidly discharge.

The sound of the explosion rang loud, and small chunks of concrete were either shaken or blown off of the walls and ceiling. A small crater was left underneath Nora, who had been knocked back to the floor.

There was a moment of hesitation before Pyrrha moved in, her spear ready and her shield up, prepared to block anything that her friend could try. Nora started to move again, arms reaching out and grabbing hold of the floor, pushing her back up, but Pyrrha wouldn't allow it. Neo could feel the regret the Huntress felt over the act, and the sorrow that it brought her, but she could also feel the cold determination that overpowered those things.

The metal spear tip met with Nora's ribs, and stabbed through the flesh. It was not without significant resistance, though, far more than a regular human's would. The spear sank about two inches down before Nora reacted, twisting her side in an attempt to dislodge the thing, and screaming out in pain. Pyrrha was surprised by this, but didn't let it phase her too badly, and put more pressure into the spear. The metal sunk a few more inches deep before Nora jolted to the side, freeing herself from the impalement and pushing herself away as best she could. She didn't stop moving across the floor when she freed herself, though, and started to skitter up the side of the wall. Pyrrha found herself stunned by the sight of Nora scaling the wall effortlessly, but Neo didn't allow herself to be surprised. Instead, she lashed out with her parasol, a powerful lunge bringing the tip of the parasol into one of Nora's hand.

Nora's greater strength and durability did not help her when the bones of her hand were cracked between concrete and Neo's weapon. Not even her strengthened aura could save the fact that her hand was broken. She immediately tried to compensate for the loss of a grip, but failed when Neo flipped her parasol in her hands and lashed out again, moving almost too fast to see. The hook at the end of the parasol caught just barely on the tattered remains of her shirt, and pulled her down from the wall with far more power than Neo's small body would have been able to muster were she merely human.

Nora hit the ground again with a heavy thud, and several cracks, before remaining still for a few moments. She couldn't bring herself to move for a few moments, but then the fire inside of her chest lit back into life, and a new rage started to fill her chest. She leapt up to her feet, and turned to face her enemies again. New was the first that she saw, and the first one to meet her ire. She lunged out at her again, but this time tried something different. Instead of simply trying to power through the defense, she would try to subvert it. Neo moved to defend, using her parasol to knock Nora's hands away, but she was ready this time. She moved her hands to the side, and brought them around the parasol, grabbing Neo's wrists.

Her first instinct was to pull the woman towards her, so that she could bring her into a close grapple and do far more damage than she would otherwise. As she did this, Neo reacted in a way that Nora hadn't expected. Instead of resisting being pulled towards her, Neo pushed off the ground towards Nora, using the force that Nora was exerting to launch herself through the air. Neo twisted in Nora's grip, and brought herself in an arc over her, pulling Nora's arms with her.

Bones popped out of their sockets, and Nora shouted out in pain again as Neo continued to force Nora's arms down. Even with the bones disconnected from their sockets, Nora's muscles made pulling her arms difficult. Neo still managed to do it, though, opening Nora up for more attacks by the others.

Nora tried hard to free herself, pulling her arms regardless of the damage that she would do to herself. Her legs kicked as hard as jackhammers, and Neo knew that she needed to avoid them. She also had to hold Nora upright, as without her legs beneath her in a steady manner, she was about to topple. It was only by Neo holding her arms that she was able to stay upright.

Pyrrha took advantage of the opening, stepping forward and spinning her spear in her hand. Neo watched, semi-interested, as the weapon folded in on itself, shifting into a different form. It changed into a sword-like form, and Pyrrha stepped forward, readying the weapon to do more damage. Neo could also see the look on her face, and the tears in her eye. It was clear that she didn't want to do this, but she had to. She didn't really have a choice in the matter. It was either she do this, or Roman do the same with his flares. Roman's words about "overindulging" echoed through her mind readily, and she had to steel herself for the mental pain she was about to endure.

The red metal of the blade sank into Nora's shoulder, and Pyrrha leaned most of her weight into it, tears starting to flow freely from her eyes. The blade made a few sickening digging sounds before it started to scrape against bone, and Nora screamed loud enough to drown it out. Pyrrha screamed too, trying very hard not to simply break down.

Nora kept trying to break free, but the arm that Pyrrha stabbed stopped most of its struggles. Her kicking, however, was given a new vigor, and even Neo started to find it more difficult to hold her. Pyrrha was blind to this struggle, though, and pulled her blade from Nora again.

It made a sucking sound as it left the flesh, and Neo could feel that Pyrrha was starting to feel nauseous. She didn't let the feeling get to her yet, though, and stepped to the side in order to give the same to Nora's other arm. She brought the blade up, Nora's blood starting to run down her fingers, and brought it plunging down again.

The blade did mostly the same as it had the first time, and Pyrrha started to give way under the pressure of what she was doing. Attacking Nora out of immediate self-defense, or if she was attacking a teammate was one thing, but while she was restrained like this was another thing entirely. There was something very wrong about it, and she didn't like it. It went against everything that she had ever been taught.

Tears were falling from Nora's eyes now, too. Neo couldn't quite tell if she was genuinely crying, or if it was some attempt at manipulation. Her kicking increased in power again as she struggled against Neo, and she braced her weight in her back leg to compensate. While doing this, Neo's gaze drifted to Roman. He was standing back by the staircase, a prepared look on his face, his cane held at the ready. He was looking for any opportunity to shoot, and Neo was sure that if Nora was able to get away, he would find one. That could go badly, though, as Neo could still see the cracks in the floor from the first he had shot. If he did it again, it was possible that it would cause some structural damage. If the building collapsed, not only would it be a very dangerous place to be, but she would be willing to bet that Nora would make an escape. She had the majority of Ren's soul, she had everything that she wanted. If the building collapsed, Roman would likely be injured. She couldn't let that happen, so she had to keep a hold of Nora.

Her fingers tightened, and she could feel bones bend in a way that a human's bones wouldn't. Neo didn't quite mind, though, and only cared about simply getting the job done. Roman needed to stay safe, and it would be much easier to make happen if she kept Nora held.

Pyrrha pulled the knife out of Nora again, and fell to her knees limply, her hands going to her face. Neo could tell that the pressure had become too great, and that she would likely no be of any use throughout the rest of the battle. Once someone gave in to something like grief or terror during a battle, it was difficult for them to get out of it. She had seen it many times before, and used it to her advantage a good number of those.

When she dropped to her knees, her head entered into the area that Nora's feet were kicking vigorously. Neo couldn't do anything but lift Nora slightly in an attempt to get her away from Pyrrha. Unfortunately, Nora saw her chance before Neo was able to do anything, and her heel connected with Pyrrha's head, knocking her down flat. She gave a short screech, then went limp on the ground. Neo looked up to Roman, trying to communicate with her eyes that he needed to do something.

It was a parallel of situations they had faced together before, where someone had been holding someone else, and a third someone was beating the second someone, but now there was an added risk to the situation. Now if Neo let go, the person wouldn't just fall to the floor and writhe. Now they would get up and fight. Hard.

Roman seemed to know exactly what to do, though. He stepped forward without hesitation, taking a deep breath before tossing his cane into the air and grabbing it by the bottom. The cane looked fragile at first, but it looked significantly less so once it started to wail on Nora, bruising flesh and cracking bone like it always did against those that Roman deemed worthy of getting his own hands dirty with.

Roman took a moment to drag Pyrrha out of the way, they started to lay into Nora with everything that he had. Neo had rarely seen his act with such viciousness, but there was a sadomasochistic smile on his face. the metal cane clanged against Nora several times, each one accompanied by a screech, until he brought the cane over his head one last time, and brought it down right on her cranium. There was a loud crack, and Neo was instantly aware that Nora's body had gone limp. She let go, and made sure that her foot was in a good position to stomp on her head if she moved again.

Nora did not move again. The reason for this was quickly evident, as Neo saw that Nora's head was slightly dented in. Her eyes were half open, and her jaw was slack. She looked like she had been knocked out to an extreme, to the point where a normal human would need serious medical attention. Perhaps it would even be fatal. But to Nora, she was sure that it was nothing more than a temporary inconvenience. The wounds were already started to steam, hissing and spitting angrily as they started to close. Even the bones of her skull seemed to be realigning, and both Neo and Roman knew that killing her couldn't be as easy as a simple beat down.

Jaune came pounding up the stairs, not carrying his weapon, but instead dragging a very heavy looking industrial chain behind him. He looked from the faces of Neo and Roman to Nora on the floor, and then moved forward quickly. "Here, use this!" He held the chain out to them, and both grabbed a hold of it quickly, dragging it out of his hands. As Roman started to get close to Nora again, Jaune said "Hey, watch out for the smell!"

Roman took a moment to look back at Jaune with a leering expression, but then as his chest rose, and he got a whiff of it. His eyes crossed slightly, and he put a hand to his head, swaying unsteadily. Neo moved faster than he could fall, dropping the chain and catching him. She moved him away from Nora slightly, steadying him before moving back to Nora and proceeding to tie her up with it.

Behind her, she could feel Jaune take notice of Pyrrha lying unconscious on the floor. Fear flooded his brain, and he practically ran over to her side, hands going to her head quickly. He started to talk to her, the typical panicked person nonsense that Neo found impossible to focus on at all. All she caught was "Pyrrha? Pyrrha, wake up!"

Roman was quick to start trying to shut him up, saying things like "She's going to be fine, just a knock on the head." Then changing the subject, saying "So how did you get this chain so fast? You were downstairs the whole time, right? So was that just lying around down there, or what?"

Jaune shook his head and said "No, one of those ghost things told me to go and get it." He took a seat on the floor and rested Pyrrha's head on his lap, brushing the hair out of her face and looking at her more closely for injuries.

Neo tuned her attention back to Nora, making sure that the chain was as tight around her as possible. When she was satisfied, she put her parasol through the end links, making sure that she wouldn't be able to simply pull free. She gave them a tug, and nodded to herself. It would be hard for anything to break out of that, especially her.

Jaune looked up from Pyrrha and said "She broke out of a chain like that before. It wasn't that big, but still…" his voice tapered off before continuing, saying "Just make sure that she doesn't wake up, alright? That's all that we can really do about this, I think." Neo looked back up to him and nodded, smiling again. If the duty to beat the restrained Nora into unconsciousness every time her wounds started to heal too much, then she would take the job with joy. The fun that one could get out of beating a prisoner was quite diminished when they were unconscious.

Neo sat back, done with the restraints. Nora had been neutralized, and now they had to await further instructions. Roman prepared to say something, and she looked to him before he had even cleared his throat. He did so anyways, and said "Alright, well, we beat the child, so is our job done now? Do we have to take her somewhere, or what?"

Jaune and Neo looked at each other, not sure of the answer. Jaune was the first to speak up, bringing some degree of reason into the mix. "Well, we didn't get told anything beyond this, but it stands to reason that Naze already has the rest of this thing planned out. Whatever the next step is, it's probably already in motion, and we just don't have anything to do with it. I mean, the ghost thing told me to get the chain, so he knows what's going on, right?"

Roman gave a small nod. He didn't want to admit to the reasoning of a child, but he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. There was no other option, as they hadn't been told anything past to knock Nora out.

Roman let out a sigh, then lowered himself to the ground. If waiting was all that there was to do now, he was going to be comfortable doing it.

The five of them waited for what ended up feeling like an hour, but in reality was little more than a few minutes. When the shade finally did show itself to inform them of their new master's will, Neo was the first to become aware of its presence, seeing it as it started to slowly melt through the wall. This appeared to be before it revealed itself o the others, as they did not react. As it drifted towards the center of the room, she could see that it made a clear effort to keep away from Nora. There was something about her that upset the shade, and that was very interesting to Neo. Whatever the effect of the demonic energy that Nora gave off on a normal person, it didn't seem to have the same effect on the shade. It seemed to have some negative effect on the shade, not that she could tell too well, but if it was avoiding the energy, it couldn't have been good for it.

The shade positioned itself in the center, then seemed to thicken. When it did this, the others started to look in its direction, standing and giving it their attention. Once it had their attention, the thing started to speak in the quavering, scraping voice that they used. "An adequate job, to be certain, but hold your positions. She will be collected before long, then you may return to your individual charges. You must keep her here until then. Are you able to do that?"

Roman nodded, stepping forward and saying "Of course we are! What do you think we are, incompetent children?" He motioned behind him to Jaune and Pyrrha. "That's just those two. Neo and I could keep her here as long as you need!"

The burning, eyes of the thing turned to him, and were fixed on him for several moments before the shade simply responded "Quite." And stared to fade back out of existence. Nobody had anything else to say to the thing, so they let it go without any further pestering. They were left in silence again as it disappeared back into nothingness, staring at each other with unsure expressions.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to sit around until whoever had the wonderful duty of collecting this pleasant little girl. Until then…" he sat back down, reaching into one of his interior pockets and pulling out a neatly ordered deck of cards. "…anyone want to play?"

.

.

.

* * *

Author's Note:

Sorry for the short chapter. but some things came up, and had to be dealt with. As always, give me reviews and tell me what you thought, because this was important stuff this chapter.


	41. Chapter 41

Author's Note:

Now things are going to start popping off.

As always, please leave a review, follow, favorite, and tell your friends!

* * *

Cinder gave one final cry as she plunged the wicked dagger into the sacrifice's chest, seeing the light fade from their eyes, and their struggles against their bonds cease. Their body died as the dark crimson fluid poured from their chest, and spattered onto the floor in front of the portal. Their blood wasn't the only thing to leak out of their body, however. Their soul, the very thing that made them, was sucked away as well, slipping through the air like the blood flowed to the floor. Both substances were consumed by the glowing rip, and it was shortly after that more demons started to spill forth.

These beasts were not the spindly gargoyles that Cinder had been given before. These were larger, and more humanoid in shape and behavior. They were not missing the wings of their cousins though, and would be of great assistance in taking the nearby airship for their own. As they crawled from the portal, Cinder took the time to admire the bodies of her new servants. They were sleek, not ugly, but beautiful, and of course had a variety of horn-like protrusions on their heads and arms, the kind that she could easily see being used in battle. Each one was a foot taller than the average man, and carried itself with a kind of otherworldly grace. It was the kind of thing that couldn't quite be explained, only felt. When she compared the demons' movements to those of the humans around her, she found the latter almost robotic by comparison.

She was sure that their speed would match their grace, and that they would be indispensable in the battle to come. They would fly alongside their gargoyle cousins, and make the airship theirs, whether they had to seduce those aboard it or slaughter them.

It wasn't long after the summoning that Cinder started to assemble a force of those who she knew would take to combat best. Those who were most devout, willing to lay their lives down in an instant, and those who were strong, both physically and in aura. Some of them were given simple weapons, makeshift things that would be unlikely to do much on their own, kitchen knives and sharpened gardening implements. The village didn't have any resident Huntsmen or Huntresses, so they didn't have any access to higher-end weapons. Demons would be able to serve nicely, though.

Once the force was assembled, they were all gathered in the central square of the town, and met with the demons that would bear them up to their target. All of them shuffled with a kind of uneasy energy, as though they almost wanted to betray their mistress, but only in order to carry out her will. It was an odd sensation, and many of them wished that she would merely set them loose. Cinder did not do this, though. If things like this were to be enjoyed, every moment had to be savored. They didn't understand that, but such was why she was chosen by her lord. She would teach them even more then she already had.

The demons, for their part, seemed every bit an anxious as the people. They wanted to claim more souls, just the same as Cinder did, but they could hardly contain their urge. It was only Cinder's willpower alone that kept them on the ground, away from the airship above. There were about fifty human followers, and one hundred or so demons. Cinder thought about accompanying the relatively small force, but in the end decided that she would stay behind. It was not her place to spread her pleasure up there. Instead, she would stay back, and make sure that everything would go well from afar. It wouldn't be easy. She wanted to go, and show those people up there just how fantastic life could be, but the risk was too great. If she were injured, or worse, died, then the hope of more people knowing her wonderful ecstasy would become little more than a dream.

It was half an hour before she deemed to herself that their desire to grow and to spread had fermented long enough. When the invisible clock in her head hit its end, she walked to the large platform on one end of the square and cleared her throat loudly, announcing her presence. The sound wasn't much louder than the sounds around the square, but it held a certain ineffable quality that made it carry out to every ear. Conversations died on the tongues of those who spoke, and heads of humans and demons alike turned to gaze at her. It felt good to see all of the eyes, glimmering obediently, waiting for her word.

She spoke loud, but the velvety drawl in her voice never wavered for an instant. "My dear friends, the time has come for us to show the rest of this miserable world the heights of pleasure! Most people out there have never even imagined the things that you have felt these past few days! I think that that is one of the biggest travesties of all! So now, show them!" As she spoke, she started to believe the words. It was no longer just about control or power, it was now a righteous cause that she fought for. After all, it only took one look at the world to see how bleak and miserable it really was. And the cure for this horrible malady was now at the tips of her fingers. She couldn't simply keep it to herself.

A shout went up among her disciples, and they rushed to follow her command. The humans among them mounted the gargoyles, and the seducers spread their huge wings, pushing off the ground with powerful legs and taking to the sky with the same elegance that they did virtually everything else. The gargoyles took to the sky as well, carrying the humans on their thin backs.

Like a murder of bizarrely shaped crows, the flock of roughly a hundred and fifty bodies started to approach the airship. Cinder watched with her own eyes for a time, standing still and gazing up at the sky. The airship had proved to be an oppressive influence, firing on any who tried to leave the town. This did make the puzzle of where Roman and Neo went slightly more interesting, but it was still something that she did not need to focus on. Instead, as the bodies started to fade into the distance, she made a small shift in her mind, closing her eyes. She reached out with her mind to one of the many smaller facets that had appeared in her head that represented her demonic minions and pulled its mind closer to hers. As she did this, a new world of sensory information became available. She could see through the demon's eyes, feel the cool air rushing over the demon's skin, and smell the very scent of those that the demon pursued.

It was difficult to not let herself get lost in the sudden sensation, but she kept herself together, and made good use of her new vision. The demon she had chosen was near the front of the flock, and its wings beat with a power that could not be matched by anything. It soared through the air, upwards, and Cinder knew its thoughts as it started to push itself through the air even faster.

There were flat portions on the exterior of the airship meant for people to walk on, catwalks to separate parts of the ship, but none of those were the demon's target. Its target was the glass of the bridge of the ship. Cinder knew that the glass had to be tremendously strong, but the confidence in the demon's mind made Cinder think that it would be no match for the speeding beast.

With the demon's superior eyes, she could see inside of the glass. In the bridge, people were just starting to see that things were amiss. They had had no warning that this was a capability of those that they had been directed to contain. Rousing into action as fast as was required to stop them was impossible, and the demon clashed into the clear viewport, a kind of predatory glee overtaking it. To kill or to corrupt, it didn't matter. So long as it was furthering its cause, the ravenous appetite of the pleasure-seeker would be sated.

Cinder allowed herself to lower into the sensations at the creature started to enact her will, and reached out to all of the demons that served her. If she could feel the wonder of multiple, why limit herself to just one?

* * *

Ozpin sucked in an uncharacteristically nervous breath as he awaited the verdict that the council of leaders had reached. They had been given the list, as well as time to deliberate the outcome. His only hope, one that he shared with Ironwood, he was sure, was that they would accept. It was the most amicable solution, and one that they desperately needed. He had seen what a demon could do to an innocent schoolgirl, seemingly incorruptible, and he knew that he couldn't let it happen to anyone else.

The presentation had gone well, there had been no errors and they had seemed to be in support of the whole thing, but there was no telling with politicians like them. He wasn't normally one for ticks, but his fingers tapped against his cane impatiently.

His eyes flicked up to Ironwood's face, displayed on the screen on Ozpin's desk. They had remained on an open communication channel since the presentation, and hadn't spoken much during it. There had been a few terse words at first, but then pregnant silence had settled in. There was nothing to say. They could only wait.

Ironwood's eyes rose to his screen, just like Ozpin's had, and the two simply stared at each other for a few moments before looking away again. Normally Ozpin would have said something about the man's fresh haircut, or his ever-sharp wardrobe, or perhaps ask him how his arm was feeling, but it was obviously not the time for that. Instead, Ozpin's eyes wandered his office until coming to rest on Naze. Or, at least, Naze's avatar. It was an odd thing to think about that one's actions could be forwarded in such a manner, but it wasn't too different from the androids used commonly throughout Remnant.

The body of a teenager simply sat in the chair across from him, as stiff as a board. It had not moved in quite some time, and it was growing increasingly difficult to imagine it moving at all. Naze had made it clear that he had other matters to attend to then to sit and wait in an office, and withdrawn his consciousness from the thing, simply leaving it in place. It could be taken as a gesture of trust, Ozpin supposed, but he would have preferred it greatly that he relocate it before vacating it.

What Naze had said that he would be working on, though, was far more important than Ozpin's momentary comfort. He was going to be overseeing final preparations of the generators that would give the living their best chance against their hellish foes, and he would be ensuring the teams that would exhume and resurrect the heroes of old would be functioning at their utmost peak. He had also made an offhand comment about Nora Valkyrie, but Ozpin had not had the chance to ask what he meant by it. Thinking of the girl again filled him with sorrow and regret. Right under his nose, something horrendous had happened, and he had done so little to stop it. So little to bring her back, as well. There were no available Huntsmen or Huntresses, but that was still no excuse. He should have gone himself to combat and subdue her, and bring both her and Lie Ren back. It was one more shame that he would bear forever.

Glynda had popped into his office briefly to make sure that everything was alright, but he had made it clear through short responses and distracted attention that he was not in the mood for talking. It was truly a shame, he deeply enjoyed his discussions with the woman, but now was simply not the time. There was too much on the line. No one else seemed to be very aware of it, either. The media had not brought much attention to the demons, much to his surprise, and that was good, for a time. They would have to learn, though, and Ozpin had included in his presentation that all kingdoms should make a formal declaration of war on the new threat as soon as possible. It would bring to an end the "era of peace" that all leaders were so proud of, but it was a necessary step. If they didn't, then the scope of what was happening could be lost on the everyman.

He continued to sink deeper and deeper in his thoughts, fighting to keep them ordered and manageable, for what felt like an eternity. When finally a dull tone sounded, and a notification appeared on his screen, he gave it his full attention in a heartbeat. It was a textual message, and much shorter than he had expected, but it was nevertheless a godsend to break the tension. He opened it, and when he read the words, relief washed over him. "You're proposition has been reviewed and accepted. Coordination with Naze the Eternal will commence immediately. This council thanks you deeply for your contribution."

He looked over to the window where Ironwood's face was, and saw him reading the message in the same manner that he just had. When he looked back to Ozpin, he had a warm smile on his face, mirroring Ozpin's almost perfectly. "Well" Ozpin started "that is certainly a weight off my shoulders. I'm sure I couldn't have done it without you, James."

James gave a small chuckle and said "Perhaps, old friend, perhaps. But I wouldn't have trusted that undead without you, I'm sure." Ozpin didn't take issue with taking credit for that. It was probably true anyways. "It's a little early for celebration, though, don't you think? I mean, we are entering into wartime now."

Ozpin sighed, and nodded his head. "Yes, I am aware. It's a shame, really, but at least it is not between kingdoms." His slight glint of optimism was appreciated by Ironwood, who nodded, saying "At least there's that."

The two sat in silence for a few more moments, neither one sure of what to say. It seemed rude to simply hang up on the call, but this news gave them both plenty to do. After a few more seconds then were comfortable, Ironwood said "Well, it's been a pleasure catching up with you, Oz, but I'm afraid that this fills my schedule rather well for a while. We can chat again later, right?" Ozpin nodded, and said "Always, James."

The General nodded again. "Good, good. Give my regards to Glynda, would you? I'm sure she will be delighted to have them." Ozpin smiled at the final sarcastic remark, then bid his friend goodbye. As the call closed, and he was left in the slow grinding of the gears in his office, he contemplated what it really meant. They would be at war, no small prospect. Things were going to change, that was for certain, but in no way that he would be able to predict.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something move, and looked up to find the puppet of Naze looking at him, the same distant, slightly worrying intelligence shining through as always did when the thing was being used.

Ozpin decided that it would be best to share the news without delay. "The deal was accepted. You can start operations anytime."

Naze nodded, and said "I am aware." In the unreadable monotone that Ozpin had come to expect from statements that he made no effort in humanizing. Ozpin didn't let this deter him, though, and asked "Where will you begin? And how will you find the souls of those who have already faded?" He referred to the term "fading" like it was a well-known thing, and not a result of being told by the lich. It rose no special reaction, though, and Naze answered again in the monotonous way that he had. "There are enough teams to begin operations on every landmass simultaneously, and they should be finished rather quickly. All individuals are expected to have some delay between being risen and joining in their duties, though. Many relied on aura to fight, and must either adapt without it or relearn its use." There was a short pause, then he continued. "As for your second question, that is a matter of necromancy that you've no advanced understanding of. Suffice it to say that items or places where memory is strong of an individual are far easier to locate a spirit at." Ozpin nodded, and said "Ah, I see. Well, Yang's list was nothing if not comprehensive. I'm certain that you will have no trouble finding such things."

Naze nodded, and said "Yes, she did an excellent job. However, I do recall that there was one individual that she gave very little information about. She has not shared any further information with me since, and seems hesitant to do so. Perhaps you could inform me as to something I could use in this fashion?"

Ozpin took a few seconds to think about the question, then shook his head. "I would like to tell you about Summer, but I'm afraid that this is not my place. I must apologize, but if you want this information, and Miss Xiao Long refuses to tell you, my only suggestion would be to go to her daughter, Ruby. It seems that it should be her place to share that information."

Naze nodded, still somehow remaining monotone, saying "Very well." He stood from his chair, and bowed his head respectfully. "Then I believe our business is concluded. I wish you a good day, and luck in your pursuits in the coming conflict. The generators are being hauled out to their various destinations now as we speak." Ozpin smiled and stood, and said "Thank you. I will be sure to inform everyone that they are on the way."

The two bid each other farewell, and Naze walked into the elevator that lead from Ozpin's office. As the elevator took him back down to the ground floor, he spoke through his mind to Yang, telling her that he was going to speak with her sister. It was not something that he looked forward to doing, but if she wished to see her mother again, she was going to have to provide him the information he needed. A grave, a weapon, perhaps even a garment would be good enough. But, if Ruby could not provide these things, either because she was unable to share, or because such things didn't exist, then it was always an option to use to girl herself. An unpleasant experience, to be sure, but one that was necessary.

Yang affirmed that Ruby would be ready to talk once Naze reached them, and that she was, in fact, looking forward to it. It was a good thing, he supposed. He didn't enjoy talking with her, he didn't enjoy much of anything. At least, he tried not to. It was an emotion, and thus a weakness of his. Luckily, his emotion had started to fade as of late. It was the most positive thing that he could think of happening recently. But the emotion was still not totally gone, much to his ire. Small fragments of feelings could reside around for any amount of time, and sometimes grew back into full outbursts.

The doors slid open again, and the puppet started to walk nearly of its own accord. It only contained the smallest vestiges of his thoughts now. Instead, his focus was primarily on the things that were happening inside of his necropolis.

* * *

Azrile looked again down at the list of items that had to be checked before being shipped out. Divinity generators, and teams of ghouls with the task of retrieving the bodies of heroes where they could. People probably wouldn't be too happy about their ancestral resting places being torn up, but that was the way of war.

Bleached white fingers of bone thumbed through the list as he made sure everything was present. A few generators were behind schedule, but they would be finished within several minutes. A few undead craftsmen were putting the final touches on them, engraving runes and aligning enchantments as was needed. They were all careful to keep from activating the machines, though. To a creature of necromantic origin, divine power could be dangerous.

Aside from the few generators that still required work, the count came up exact, and he moved on to the retrieval teams. One hundred and twenty five teams, a nice, round number, each composing of ten Gravedigger zombies and a single necromancer. It wasn't quite what would be happening if the undead themselves were at war, but then again, it had been a long time since that happened. He still remembered the events freshly, though. The last time that they had participated in an all-out war, they had created teeming hordes of monstrosities, raiding entire cemeteries and collecting corpses from battle to fuel the offensive.

Those days were long past. Not simpler by any stretch of the imagination, those were days when the living were always outright hostile, and could not be negotiated with. Now that he thought about it, he had quite forgotten what it was like to be alive. He didn't regard the time he had spent with a beating heart with any kind of special feeling, so it was difficult to miss, but it was still puzzling for him to think about how the living had changed.

Even their souls had changed over time, becoming ridged and stubborn. Whether this was reflected in the way that they acted, he did not yet know. He didn't have enough experience interacting with them. It was difficult to imagine that humans could get any more stubborn.

When he had been alive, his soul was fluid. Not everyone was like that, of course, Not everyone was cut out for magic. But now it seemed that magic had left them entirely. Forgotten for thousands of years. Maybe they could relearn, maybe they couldn't. He supposed that Naze had considered this too, and still found it fit to try and teach them. Rather uncharacteristic, but there was probably a reason. He knew that Naze probably wanted to study the effects of magic being introduced. He didn't blame him, the concept was fascinating. But he wouldn't get that data if they were destroyed by demons.

He shook his head to himself. Whatever his master's reasons, he was sure that they would come to fruition. Whether in a matter of days, or centuries, they always seemed to come true.

The final touches on the remaining generators finished out, and he gave the signal to start moving them. Transport would be fast, and the living would have their generators by nightfall. The necromancers would also go to work, and start in on their jobs. Things were starting to pull together.

* * *

When Naze reached the dorm building, he glanced up to see Ruby looking out of her window at him before he entered. This might've been somewhat foreboding, if Ruby had not had her face pressed against the glass in a childish manner. On the way into the building, he passed Blake, Weiss, and Yang, all heading out. On the way past, Yang gave him a wink, indicating that she was doing this for the purpose of giving them some privacy. It was appreciated, because their presence would likely distract the girl.

As he walked up the stairs, heavy footsteps alerted him to the fact that Ruby was not able to contain herself, and was coming to meet him. He braced for the possible onslaught of words that would be flung at him, and as he rounded the corner, Ruby almost collided with him.

His reaction time was fast, as it usually was, and he stepped to the side in a fashion that would have simply allowed Ruby to go past him down the stairs. She tried to stop before this, digging her heels into the ground and throwing her arms out as she skidded towards the steps. She stopped, heels just on the edge, and teetered unsteadily, about to fall.

Naze reached out and took a fistful of her hood, noting briefly the rose peddles that followed behind her. She teetered for a moment more before Naze continued walking towards her room, pulling her with him for a short time to make sure that she was steadily upright. He hadn't said a word so far, and his silence continued as he walked. He had the distinct impression that Ruby would be the first to speak anyways.

This inclination proved to be correct, and Ruby opened her mouth to say "So you need to talk to me about Mom, right?" Naze nodded, letting go of her and saying "Yes, I require information that could aid me in finding her spirit."

She stumbled for a moment as the responsibility to propel herself returned to her, and she started to walk again. "Well that's good, because I really want to see her again!" Excitement was practically bursting from every pore of the girl's body, which was a stark contrast from the stiff, almost robotic movements. The two walked down the hallway towards her room, and she started to speak quickly the whole way, telling Naze a whole list of things that wouldn't actually help him at all. Included in the list were things like "She always told us super cool bedtime stories before tucking us in." and "Then, this one time, she let me hold the scythe!"

Naze found the volume of things that she said somewhat impressive, but was puzzled by them. He recalled Ruby saying that she didn't actually remember much about her mother. She had been too young when she disappeared to have any real memories of the woman. He voiced this to her, cutting her off abruptly, and saying "Weren't you little more than an infant at this point? How do you remember all this?"

When she heard his doubt, her face turned a shade of red, as if she was embarrassed to have been caught on such a thing. "Well…" she responded "I guess I don't really remember all this stuff, but it's all things that Yang told me about her. I guess that I've thought about them, and tried to picture them for so long that I kind of thought that they were real." Upon hearing this explanation, Naze nodded. False memories were common when one was told about something that happened to them.

They reached the door to her room, and Ruby waved her scroll past the lock, clicking it open and entering her sanctuary in a boisterous manner. Naze followed behind her, gazing around briefly at the décor. It was for the most part unchanged from the last time he had seen it. One or two more posters had appeared on the walls, and the beds that were stacked upon each other dangerously had moved by small increments. Ruby came to a stop when she reached the part of the room where the beds were located, and turned back to look at Naze again. "So, is what I told you good, or do you need to know more?"

What she had told him was a barrage of information almost totally useless for tracking her spirit down. He shook his head and said "No, I'm afraid I need more. Places or people important to her, or objects that she kept on her person. Things that she valued, or things that she might regret. Anything along those lines would be far more useful."

Ruby nodded, then looked down at the floor, taking a seat on the side of Yang's bed, thinking hard. "Let's see, things that she might regret…" After a few seconds, Ruby looked up again, a slightly sad look on her face, and said "Well, I guess that she might regret disappearing. Does that count?" Naze shook his head, replying "Not unless you know why she did it." Ruby's gaze went back to the floor, and she thought harder. "Well, our family lived on the island called Patch, so I guess that's important to her. Could her spirit have gone back after she…" Ruby paused, not wanting to say the word yet "…you know."

Naze shrugged his shoulders stiffly. "Perhaps. She could have done anything after dying, sometimes spirits are difficult to predict. What of items? Did she have anything that she was particularly close to?" Again Ruby bowed her head in thought, and this time seemed to come up with much more of a confident answer. "She always wore a cape, like the one I have. I think my Dad kept a few of them back at home. Other than those, she would be close to her weapon, but no one has that." Her voice tapered off as she finished staying the things that had come to her mind. She looked back up to Naze to see if he had reacted to them, but he had not. One more thing did come to her mind as she looked at Naze, and she said "Well, I guess she was also really close to us, if that counts. If you can use me to do it, I'd do anything you needed."

Naze looked back at her, deadpan, before saying "Is that all?" Ruby looked back at him with a hesitant expression, and replied "Well… not really, I guess. There is one more place, but I don't know if she would have known about it before going. There is a kind of grave on Patch, I used to go there a lot, and I always felt like I was closer to her there than anywhere else." Thoughts of the many times that she had curled up by the thing, crying, came to her mind, and she found her mood quite dampened. It was odd, because she knew that she was helping to bring her mother back, but she was still sad. "If you want to check that, though, there are a lot of Grimm in the area. I was able to deal with it when I was younger, so you should have no problem, but still, you know, be careful."

Naze nodded again, and told her "I think that you have helped quite a bit. And if Patch or that grave is investigated, it will be likely that your presence be requested as well. Sometimes spirits linger around loved ones."

He had acquired the information that he had come for, and turned towards the door to leave. "Thank you Ruby, but now I must take my leave." Before his first step had even been completed, something warm wrapped around the puppet's waist, and he looked down to find Ruby's arms. She was hugging him tightly, and seemed to be more at peace then she had previously. Naze stood still. He recalled the last time she had done something like this, and took the same action he had then. With slow but strong movements, he peeled the girl off of him, and set her at a distance away from himself. "Ah, yes, a hug. Thank you. Goodbye."

Some part of his mind that managed appearing to be human told him that he was being rude by simply leaving, but the rest of his mind didn't care. He had better things to do then to comfort a teenager about the loss of her mother. He opened the door, and crossed it to his own room, opening the door and closing it behind him, ensuring that it was locked properly.

* * *

Pyrrha looked to her right out of the corner of her eye, spying the limp form of Nora in the corner of the room. She didn't want her friend to wake up again, as that would cue Neo to engage in another merciless beating. She had only seen it once, but according to Jaune there had been two other occasions where something similar had happened. She had been unconscious for those events though, and only awakened within the last ten minutes.

It was an odd thing to wake to, Jaune playing cards with Roman and Neo, two nefarious criminals, but she had started to do the same, so she didn't have much room to talk on the matter. The four of them were simply waiting for Nora to be picked up. In the far corner of the room, Ren was slumped against the wall, eyes barely open and chest rising and falling rhythmically with his breath. She looked over at Ren again over her shoulder.

She was worried. Nora had done something to him, she was sure. It wasn't just the drug that she seemed to give off, this was something different. Ren wasn't right. He was missing something. She had checked him over for wounds the best she could, even after being told that both Neo and Jaune had already done the same, and found nothing. There was no physical injury that would make him act like this, so it had to be something worse. The whole thing filled her with a feeling of dread, especially because she couldn't do anything about it. Taking Ren to a hospital wasn't an option, because it would require that she leave Jaune alone with Roman and Neo. He had essentially been so while she was unconscious, but there was still no way that she was going to leave him.

Her head pounded painfully, as it had been doing off and on since she woke up. She was sure that Nora had given her at least a concussion, and she knew that she probably needed medical attention as well. She couldn't do anything about it, though, so she figured that she might as well play cards.

The game was not going well. She was on a team with Jaune, playing against the other two. No matter what they did, it always seemed that they lost. She couldn't tell if they were cheating or not, she had never really played cards before, but she couldn't see any obvious trickery. That would be the main goal of cheating, though, so she gave up trying to see if they were. If anyone were to be good at something like that, it would likely be these two. Jaune was better at the game then she had thought he would be. Apparently he had played games like this with his sisters all the time. It showed, too, as he was able to win just a few of their games. After a while, Nora had started to grumble again, stirring slightly in her chains. Everyone knew that this was a precursor to her waking up. Neo put her cards down, careful to keep the others from seeing them, and walked over to Nora's side, taking her parasol in her hands, ready to club Nora over the head.

She waited like this, and Pyrrha looked away. She knew that Neo was waiting for Nora to come into full consciousness. She didn't know why she did this, but it was probably because she enjoyed beating her. She didn't need to speak, the smile that spread across her face slowly as she waited was telling enough. Nora gave a few weak pulls against the chains that enwrapped her, and trying to speak past the rag that was stuffed in her mouth. The rag was a piece of fabric that had been ripped off of one of the blankets she had used in her little nest, and was nothing short of vile. Grime had accumulated on it, and Pyrrha was sure that either Roman or Neo had chosen the scrap because it was so filthy.

Nora's eyes flicked open slowly, and locked on Pyrrha for a few seconds as if pleading for her to help, before Neo brought her parasol down on top of her head, producing a resounding, hollow cracking sound. Nora hadn't had time to really come back into consciousness, so she drifted back off easily. However, Neo had hit her hard enough again to put another small indentation in her skull. The previous ones had healed, but it always looked like the new one was going to be serious. Pyrrha heard the sound, heard the chain go slack again, and looked back at her friend. She was indeed unconscious again, a single line of saliva running down the side of her mouth and onto the floor.

Pyrrha looked away again as Neo walked back over to her cards on the ground, picking them up and resuming the play. Pyrrha could hardly believe that she was simply going back to the game after that, but she had done it once already.

Jaune looked sick, but other than that, the game continued as if nothing had happened. This only happened for a few minutes though, before Neo's head perked up like a dog's towards the stairs, and all attention in the room went to listening.

The sound of footsteps on the floor below was faint at first, but gradually grew louder as the source of them approached, first across the floor, then up the stairs. All of them stood, getting ready to fight if they had to. They didn't know who or what this was going to be, but they would be ready. The head of the person came up through the stairs, and an old, rotting gaze met with them as the corpse stopped walking, eyeing them suspiciously before saying in a throaty growl of a voice "Yes, yes, I'm very dangerous." Sarcasm seemed to be heavy in the thing's voice, but they couldn't be sure. They still couldn't see the rest of its body, and didn't know whether it was armed or not. Its undead nature, however, made it clear that this was the pickup that they had been waiting for.

The person walked up the rest of the steps, and revealed the rest of its figure. It was clad in dark black armor, but didn't appear to have any kind of weapon on it. This strands of tangled hair hung down off of its head, and it looked like it had been left out in the sun and heat for a few days. Dry and tight skin covered the thing's head, but that was all the flesh that they could see. The rest was covered in the thick metal that they used for armor.

The best assumption that any of them could make, based on what they could see, was that it was a male that they were talking to. The man walked up, passing them without comment, and came to Nora's side. Once he reached her, he looked her over for a moment, examining the bonds that Nora had been placed in, then bending over and tugging experimentally on the series of steel rods that had replaced Neo's parasol. He was apparently satisfied with the arrangement, and in one swift motion, swung Nora over his shoulder and started to walk back towards the stairs. As he went, he spoke over his shoulder to Pyrrha and Jaune, saying in a rather dismissive tone for the situation "Your end of the deal is done. Go back to whatever it is you people do. My Lord will do what he can with the girl, and you will be informed of the options." He switched who he was talking to, and said "And you other two know what you must do now. You'll be kept in frequent contact with my Lord."

Pyrrha and Jaune looked at each other, surprised, and Jaune followed after the undead, saying "Wait! Wait, you're just going to take her like that?" The undead stopped, turning on its armored heel on the stairs, a difficult maneuver to pull off while on stairs while wearing heavy armor, and looked at Jaune with a blank expression. "What do you want, to say goodbye? She would have to be awake, and nothing good would happen when she is. This is the best way to do this. You will be informed as to options for her treatment before they are carried out. Now, the sooner I get her back, the better the process will be for everyone. Good day."

With that, the undead turned again and continued to walk out. Jaune watched him go, wanting to do something, but helpless. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to not simply let Nora be taken away, but that was all he could do. It was all that would help her.

A hand touched his shoulder, and he looked back to find Pyrrha giving him the same look that she always did when she was feeling his pain. She hated to see him hurt, and he hated to see her hurt by him. He looked down at the ground, trying to think of something that he could say. He stammered out the beginnings of a few apologies, but none of them got further than the first word. She must've understood what he was trying to say, though, because she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close, speaking softly as she did so. "It's alright Jaune. She's going to be helped. Just let her go, and she can get fixed. I know it's hard, but it's what we have to do. We have to get Nora back, and we have to get Ren back."

Jaune put his face in her shoulder, and tried to calm himself down. He needed to focus on something, and the next thing that he knew had to be done was getting Ren to a hospital. He stayed in Pyrrha's arms for a few moments, savoring the feeling, then pushed himself gently away. "You're right. We have to keep moving on. Let's get Ren…" He gestured towards the door, but found his thoughts interrupted by the overwhelming question of what he would do after that. They had abandoned Beacon, and didn't know if they could go back. And what if Ren was beyond help? Or if Nora had no hope of coming back?

These thoughts didn't echo through his head in a peaceful or manageable manner, but scraped against the inside of his skull like they were trying to get out. A stabbing pain shot through his brain, and he cringed under its suddenness. Pyrrha noticed, he knew that she did, but there was nothing that he could do about it.

He walked back up to the floor where Nora had been before, and he picked up Ren in his arms, walking past Roman and Neo without saying a word. As he picked Ren off of the ground Roman walked up behind him and said "Well kid, it's been fun, and I really feel like I got to know you better, but we've got to go. You know, adult business to take care of."

Jaune straightened up, and turned to face Roman. The look that he gave the man was one that he was usually careful to hide from everyone. For just a second, all of the pain that he was feeling shone clearly on his face. Roman and Neo both saw it, and while Neo didn't seem surprised, Roman was slightly taken aback. He didn't say anything, though, and turned back to Neo starting to talk to her again.

Jaune carried Ren back down, and set off with Pyrrha towards the nearest hospital. The whole way, Jaune felt his thoughts spiraling further and further out of control. There was nothing he could do about it, so he simply let it happen. Perhaps, somewhere in the spiraling madness, he would find a purpose.

* * *

As the two of them walked, Pyrrha wished that she could do something for her friend. Jaune was obviously suffering, but she couldn't do anything about it. She had offered to carry Ren herself, but Jaune insisted on doing it himself. She had dropped trying to convince him after he had snapped at her, telling her to simply mind her own issues. He had apologized immediately after, but it still hurt. She didn't want to do it, but perhaps the best thing that she could do was leave him alone.

She looked around as they walked, and her eyes fell on the televisions in a shop window. A red ribbon flashed across the top of the screen, and from the distance that she was at, she could just make out the words "MAJOR NEWS ALERT" in white lettering across it. She looked hard, trying to tell anything else about the report, but all other lettering was too small.

She looked to Jaune and said "Look, I wonder what happened." She pointed at the screen and hoped that this would snap Jaune out of the fog he was stuck in. He only glanced at the screen before nodding and turning his head back to the way he was walking. "Yeah." The solitary word was his only response.

Pyrrha sighed, and said "I'm going to check it out." She started to walk away, hoping that Jaune would call out to her, or do something to indicate that he hadn't been broken, but he didn't. Instead, she found herself in front of the window, peering in at the screen.

The glass between the television and her muffled the sound from the thing to a point where it was impossible to make out any of what the reporter was saying. Luckily enough, however, the subtitles were on, and scrolling lazily across the bottom of the screen as the woman spoke. Pyrrha read with great interest, and soon found out what the cause of the urgent report was.

"Later today, the leaders of Remnant are scheduled to make a major announcement. No word yet as to what it is going to concern, but speculations rage about what it could be. Most seem to believe that it is going to concern those who have been in the news frequently already, the undead. But, again, there is no confirmation of this. Tune in at eight to see live coverage of the event, we're sure that you won't want to miss it.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the screen, thinking of what it could be. The undead seemed a likely topic, but there had to be other things, too. It could be something having to do with the White Fang, or Grimm, or any number of other topics. Deep down, though, she knew that the speculation was probably right. There was nothing else quite as pressing as the undead on the average everyday citizen. They still knew little about their deceased neighbors, where they came from, how old they were, it would be easy to be suspicious of them for someone who was more than a little cautious.

Pyrrha herself didn't really trust them too much. She did trust Yang, but she didn't know if Yang was given whole truths. And Naze seemed manipulative enough to do anything, so long as it benefited him.

She let out a sigh. And she was working for him, too. He had said that she could quit at any time, and she believed him, but she didn't know what would happen after that. Would her soul be left alone? That was another thing that she didn't like. There was something wrong with dragging a soul back from the dead. It was unnatural, and deprived them of rest that they should have had.

And now Nora was in his hands. Pyrrha felt a creeping dread at the fringes of her mind, now. What if he did something to her? What if she wasn't the same as she had been before?

Pyrrha turned, and started to walk back to Jaune, who was now some distance away. She almost wished that she hadn't gone to look at the television. Now she simply felt much worse then she had before.


	42. Chapter 42

Author's Note:

guys, were almost at a hundred follows. That's awesome.

* * *

Once Nora was brought back to the ziggurat, she was immediately rushed to the chambers where research into demons was carried out. Protective sigils and powerful wards kept the series of areas more isolated than others. It was a necessary precaution, given the dangerous subject of their attentions.

Naze didn't visit often, the success of the research that took place was often limited by the subject of the studies themselves. Demons were careful to keep themselves shrouded in mystery, especially when summoned by someone with the intent of summoning them. No summonings had taken place since the undead had awakened, though, at least not by them, so they had fallen quite behind on their learning.

Little was known about the world from which demons sprang, but the undead had gathered what they could about it over the years. From the things that they could tell, demons fell into three general categories; minor demons, major demons, and Arch-demons. Minor demons were weak in comparison to their cousins, yet they made up the bulk of any invasion force. They were formed by a variety of forces, but most often their life sprang from the more powerful beasts. Greater demons were far more powerful, having the ability to control hordes of varying sizes, usually quite large. They could drive incursions all on their own, or they could band together to form an even more deadly offensive. Where they came from was almost always the same, but what they were could vary widely. Greater demons could be once-mortals who had gained the favor or proven their worth to an Arch-demon, or they could be purely the construction of an Arch-demon, a fraction of their own power given life and will.

Arch-demons were much more complex than the other two types, and far more mysterious. They ruled the lesser beings in a way that no other thing could quite parallel. Their minions were made extensions of the Arch-demon, manifestations of their will, once they were made into its servants. Where the Arch-demons came from, Naze didn't know, but it was evident that each one had a very particular sphere of influence. An Arch-demon could be a master of something simple, like an emotion, or stand for a more complex idea. What dictated which emotions or ideas were imbued with the power of an Arch-demon, they had not found out. It was clear, though, that they did not ally with each other. Demons that had been occasionally summoned told of great battles between the Lords over power, but beyond that, they knew nothing of the inner workings of the Demons' dimension.

The chambers themselves were as ancient as every other part of the Necropolis, but were also quite a bit darker. Those who worked in the area didn't generally want much light, it tended to drive demons away. The many specimens that were kept here, severed limbs or half preserved corpses, gave the place a horrendously strong odor of sulfur. None of the undead minded, of course, and nor did the demons, but no human would be able to walk in without likely suffocating.

Nora, however, was unaffected by the smell. As Naze entered the rarely-visited section of his domain, he spied the girl laying on the floor inside of a strong rune of containment. He could tell that she wouldn't be able to get out, she was too much of a demon now to pass through any barrier like that. Naze peered at her with his piercing gaze, examining what lay under the surface of the warped flesh that resulted from the demons corruption. Demonic energy obfuscated everything, but he was able to parse it without too much distortion. Nora's soul was still there, not yet having been entirely consumed by the demon, but it was nearing its limits. Soon, the demon would have absorbed everything that Nora had been, and she would be lost. There was something else as well, something that slightly surprised him. There was another soul within her. He could tell at a glance whose soul it was, Ren's, but how it had gotten there was something of a mystery.

The practice of taking another's soul within oneself was ancient beyond even Necromancy, and had fallen into taboo soon after being discovered. Precious little evidence existed that it had ever been practiced at all, and what did was horded elsewhere in the ziggurat. It was an excellent question, then, as to why Nora had been able to do it. Demons could rip the souls out of the living, such was not incredibly difficult, but they would absorb them immediately into their own power. Ren's soul was completely untouched by the demon. It was a mystery, then, how either Nora or the demon inside of her would be able to accomplish such a feat.

It was something that Naze could worry about at a later date, though. Now was the time to extract the demon, freeing Nora, then to remove Ren's soul and hold it until a later date when it could be replaced, given that the boy was still alive.

He would have to cut her soul apart, something that he didn't do much. He was perfectly willing, when given no other option, but generally avoided. It would be difficult, as demons had rather volatile energy, and it would take quite some time to remove. Not unlike a parasite, the demon had integrated itself into her soul deeply, and it would require some minor reconstruction of damaged segments to make sure that all of the demon's power was gone. He would not, of course, alter any more than he had to. In fact, he would leave most of the damage that the demon did. It was not his place to heal the soul, only remove the demon and ensure that she was semi-stable.

He took a step towards her, staff making a small hollow noise against the floor as he did so, and prepared to do his work. Before he could, the girl started to stir.

The first thing that she moved was her hands, fingers twitching as she started to awaken again. Naze watched, not putting any stop to it. She was in an utterly controlled environment, with next to no chance of getting out. He could allow her a few minutes of wakefulness, he would be interested to see how she reacted to her confinement.

Her eyes slowly opened, and she simple lay there for a few moments before seeming to realize what had happened, and springing into action. In one motion, she sprang from the ground, using her arms to fling herself in the direction of Naze. He didn't react, and Nora slammed against the invisible barrier that stood between them, created by the rune on the floor. She obviously hadn't expected to find such a barrier, because she was knocked back flat again. She hit the floor with a dull thump, and a vicious look came across her face as she looked up at Naze, rage barely contained on her face.

Naze gazed down at her, his glowing eye sockets presenting a stark contrast to the dull light of the few candles that sat at random intervals around the corners of the room. To Nora, they were like spotlights, the intensity behind them almost blinding. They sat there for a minute, simply staring at each other. Nora met the cold blue with her own fiery black pupils, trying her best to intimidate the lich. It was clear this wasn't working, and wouldn't work, but she kept doing it. She couldn't claw at him, gouge him, rip his body apart and burn everything that he treasured, all of the books that had to be elsewhere in the tomb.

As if reading her thoughts, the lich shook his head in stiff, almost robotic motions, and spoke in his horribly grating voice, "You won't get out of there, Nora. Not without someone letting you out. And I'm terribly afraid that I will not be doing this." He wondered if her response was going to be the rage-driven response that was typical of possessed individuals, or whether there would be some variance from the norm. Perhaps there was something different about Nora, or the demon that had taken up residence inside of her. Naze recalled the time not too long ago that he had pulled the demon from Nora the first time, and had asked it questions. It had seemed rather pathetic then, but now it had gorged itself on Nora's soul, and built itself up from that worm that Naze had seen. Now Naze wondered what he would find when he cut it out of her. Perhaps its shape had changed.

Nora launched herself again at the lich, but instead of trying to reach him, her only goal was to get through the barrier. She punched, scraped, and heaved herself at the wall, doing her very best to breach it. She had no luck though, and she stopped after a few attempts. Instead, she started to prowl around the edges of her container, testing for weaknesses. The whole time, she kept her eyes locked on Naze, not daring to let him act without her knowledge.

Naze could clearly see that things were not going to yield many results, and decided that it would be best to cut the confrontation that they were having. Instead, he would knock her out again, and start his work.

He put his focus towards the girl, reaching through the rune's shield with his mind, and took hold of Nora's soul itself. First he would have to snuff out her mind, then remove her soul entirely so that he would have more control. He started to tighten his hold around her mind, and felt himself slightly impressed. She did not fall unconscious as soon as a normal human would've. Instead, she remained aware much longer. The human part of her mind did fade out, but the demon fueled her mind with a fire that was much more difficult to extinguish. Naze tightened his grip even more, and started to put major power into it.

The demon was powerful, but it was no match for Naze applying himself to that degree. Even its flame wasn't strong enough to keep Nora awake. She slumped to the floor, now entirely unconscious. Naze then stepped inside of the containment circle himself, aiming to get a better position for the operation. Typically, this was one of the most dangerous things that one could do, but he was protected by numerous wards that would keep him safe, no matter what could spring from Nora.

Using a simple spell, he drew Nora's body off of the floor, and brought it into the air in front of him, hovering solidly in place. It would not only make any physical aspect of the procedure easier, but also restrain her if she were to wake up. With all the preparations that he needed in place, he set about drawing the spirit out of her.

It was a difficult thing to do without causing damage, but he was experienced enough to do it even without focusing on it, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't. Instead he devoted his whole attention to the matter, wanting to make sure that he did this well.

There were a few muscular convulsions as her soul tried to keep itself inside of its owner, but failed. Slowly, the small wisp of light came out of Nora's chest, somehow emitting a radiant brilliance that any feeling creature would have called beautiful. Luckily, Naze was no such creature at the moment, and was able to take a critical look at the thing, unhampered by emotional distractors.

It was brighter than most souls, and still condensed because Nora had not technically died yet, instead of being in the ghostly form that they took after death. It was much easier to work with them dead, but he knew that Ozpin would not want the girl back as an undead. There was another abnormality in the soul that was readily visible, and Naze knew instantly what it was. The off-colored, diseased looking darkened part that made up the majority of the thing. Even so corrupted, many would say it was a thing of beauty.

This discoloration was where the demon had integrated itself into Nora. It wasn't going to be as easy as coaxing the thing out this time. It had woven itself into her very being, and he was going to have to get it out. It was going to be an involved, extensive process, and Nora would lose some of her soul in the work, but it was what Naze had agreed he would do. She would still be able to function, at least to some degree. She would lose most of the powers she'd had, but that was the cost of what she'd done. Besides, she could recover, if she were strong enough.

Naze started to work, pulling away small portions of the demon where he could without impacting the rest of Nora's soul. One good thing about the demon having absorbed so much of the soul was that they were easy to tell apart. As he whisked away the demon with exact movements of both his power and his bony fingers, he thought about the Paladin's attempt at the same goal. They had tried to simply blow the thing out of her, like using a shotgun to remove a tumor. And that hadn't even worked, as she had simply escaped. And they called him a monster. The irony seemed only to be clear to him.

Of course, the claims weren't undeserved, only irrelevant. He'd done horrendous things for research, but those weren't the things that earned him the title in their eyes. They didn't even know about those things. A good thing, without doubt. He didn't need Paladins having any valid grief with him.

He brushed a particularly stubborn part of the corruption, and Nora's body gave an abrupt jerk, straining against her invisible restraints. Her soul was still connected to her body in a small way, even though it was outside of her body. It would remain so until she died. As Naze continued, he considered Nora's body in a more logical sense. The removal of the demon didn't mean that the features she had gained since its introduction would fade. She would have an enormous energy upkeep, it would be a struggle for her body to keep from devouring itself to burn enough energy to continue function.

It would not be too bad, though. If anything, she would only have to eat more food then she normally would. That was something that would likely not be a problem, if the size of her teeth were anything to judge by. She would not quite be human anymore after this, not that she was now, but that was something that she would have to come to terms with. She would have more bodily functions as well, such as the one that allowed a drug-like oil to seep from her pores. Whether she would be able to control something like that was going to play a large part in her reintegrating into society. If she couldn't, it would be excessively difficult, and if she could, it would still be a test of character to see if she would take advantage of others using that power. It could certainly make her abnormally persuasive to the average person. The opportunities to manipulate people would be boundless.

There would also likely be changes to her brain, changes to things like adrenaline production, and focus levels that she would have to learn to deal with. She might not even be able to return to being a Huntress. It would surely be a shame for her, but the greater source of grief would likely be the things that she had already done. The removal of the demon wouldn't alter her memory at all. Everything that she had done would still be crystal-clear to her. She would have to live with having attacked her best friends, gouging out Pyrrha's eye, manipulating Jaune with her musk, and stealing Ren's soul.

At the thought of Ren's soul, Naze looked up, and took it from Nora's body as well, placing it in a fold in his robes for later. It was odd, the physical properties that souls took when out of their hosts, but he had learned them well. The orb was far brighter than Nora's, and lacked nearly all the corruption and flaws that were present on the other. But still, there was nothing for him to do but keep it until it could be returned.

Naze separated a particularly large part of the demon and discarded it, a shrill, piercing noise of pain echoing through the room as he did so. Nora's body gave another violent spasm, and then went still again. What would be done with the demon after it was removed still had to be decided. It would likely die, but there was no solid guarantee of that. If they were able to procure a live specimen like that here, now knowing what they did about its capabilities and actions, the prospect of knowledge seemed a fairly good bet.

The discarded piece of demon hit the floor with a wet squelching sound, and started to move, expanding slightly into the worm-like thing that seemed to be its physical form. Naze watched it for a moment, waiting to see if it did anything else, but it did not. It was mostly, if not entirely, dependent on Nora, then. An excellent factor in capturing it.

He continued to work. Progress had been made, but this was delicate work. It would take at least several hours to be sure that the demon was gone without causing collateral damage. It was work that he found familiar though, and it was an excellent refresher as to what it was like to work directly with a soul, something he had not done in a long time.

.

Yang, Blake, and Weiss all walked through the streets. They had been away from their room now for hours, but still did not want to return. Ruby had probably finished telling Naze everything that she could about Summer by now, but they wanted to be safe and not interrupt, just in case. They had been all over town, and seen almost every street that made up the city. Weiss was starting to complain, and Blake was obviously eager to go back as well.

Yang supposed that it was time to return, but still wanted to give Ruby as much time as possible. So, at the mild groaning of her friends, she suggested that they take a very roundabout way to get back to Beacon. They had agreed though, knowing that it was good that they were getting to return yet at all. That was how they found themselves on the brick of one of the oldest streets in Vale. No one was talking much, they'd spoken enough to last several days in the mere hours they had been out, but when Yang spied something in the distance as she rounded a corner, she broke the silence.

She pointed, stopping, and said, "Hey, what's going on over there, do you think?" Weiss and Blake both followed her finger, and came to the source of the question. It looked like a large gathering of people were gathered around something, although what it was, they couldn't tell. It looked to be a park or something, but there was no way to be sure. "I don't know." Came an answer from Blake. "Maybe there's some kind of rally or something?"

Weiss's eyes narrowed at the distant crowd, and she said in a somewhat suspicious voice "What kind of rally? The last one we heard about…" Blake gave Weiss an angry look. She knew that her teammate hadn't meant anything by it, but it was almost instinct to be offended when discussing the White Fang. Weiss's voice trailed off when she saw the look that the Faunus was giving her, and she said "Sorry. I didn't mean that."

Blake nodded, saying "It's alright, I know you didn't." before looking back off into the distance and saying "They aren't Faunus. At least, not most of them that I can see. It's got to be something else." Weiss nodded, and also started to stare at the distant gathering. Yang's curiosity grew, and she started to walk towards it, saying "Come on! It's on the way anyways, so we might as well see what's up."

The other two gave each other slightly exasperated looks. Of course Yang wanted to go on an adventure now. She was probably trying to give Ruby even more time with this little distraction. But still, neither could say that they weren't interested to see what was going on. They agreed, and started to follow Yang as she walked down the street.

They were about halfway there when they started to tell what it was that people were gathered around. A cemetery, the graves of people long gone all arranged in a block-sized field that had been blocked from their view by the buildings around them. Yang thought that she instantly knew what it was that was going on, but she didn't want to tell the others. Instead, she wanted to see their reactions. It was exciting to know that the things that Naze had talked about were going forward like this. As they got still closer, she started to hear some of the shouting from the crowd aimed at whoever was inside of the cemetery.

"Go away!" "What do you want them for?" "They don't deserve this!"

She felt her fists clench. She didn't need to see what was going on in the graveyard, she already knew. These people just didn't understand, just like a lot of the people that Yang talked to. They didn't like the idea of people coming back from the dead, and were very vocal about it. Her first instinct was to tell them all off, and go join the undead who had to be in the graveyard, but she remembered what Naze had said about her needing to be well behaved in public. She was the face of the undead in the eyes of the public, she couldn't just fly off the handle like that.

Her anger wasn't unnoticed by her friends. Blake put a hand on her arm and said "Yang, what's wrong? Do you know something about this? What's going on?" Yang turned her head to her friend after one more second of staring at the gathering, and saw the concerned look on her face. Instantly, she started trying to hide her anger, knowing that it wouldn't be good. "No, nothing wrong. Why, do I look angry?" In spite of her best efforts, her smile looked forced, and her voice sounded far to chipper to be genuine.

Weiss and Blake both gave her strange looks, as if she had suddenly been replaced by an alien, and nodded simultaneously. This wasn't the normal way that Yang acted. She never hid anything. Obviously, she did know something about what was going on. Either that or she was having another attack of paranoia. Blake felt her body tense up involuntarily at the thought. She knew that it hadn't really been Yang doing that, but she still remembered very well being slammed into the wall and shouted at. It wasn't something that she wanted to repeat.

After a few more seconds of heavy silence, Yang let her shoulders drop, and her gaze shift scornfully back to the crowd. "Yeah, I am. I know what's going on, and these people don't. It's that simple."

Blake and Weiss looked at each other again, confused, and said "What's going on? You can tell us, we won't tell anyone." Yang nodded, and said "I know you won't, but still, I don't want to tell you. I won't have to, though, if we just go and see."

Her two teammates gave each other puzzled looks again, but conceded to Yang's request that they simply see what was going on. The three of them made their way to the center of what was going on, pushing through some of the people to make way. Yang was at the front of the group, and was the main one pushing her way through the crowd. There were a few protests muffled by the voices around them, but it was clear that Yang didn't care. When they got closer, it started to become possible to see through the cracks between people. Blake and Weiss didn't know precisely what they were looking for, but they could start to make out certain things about what was happening in the graveyard. There were occasional flashes of light, and a voice that seemed to make its way out over all of the others. They couldn't understand quite what it was saying, but they could tell that it was raspier, and more rugged than the others. They could also tell that it was not quite as impassioned, simply saying things to the crowd without much conviction.

When they finally made their way to the front, Weiss and Blake were able to see through the barred fence. The scene that greeted them was something that neither had really expected. What they could only describe as zombies, half-rotted and falling apart, bone and muscle exposed to the air, as well as the eyes of those watching. It was clear that Yang wasn't disturbed by the sight, but Blake and Weiss were not as accustomed to views of such rot. Both suddenly felt queasy, their hands going to their stomachs, trying to keep them from churning too violently.

They were able to keep their lunches down, though, and took in more about what was going on. The zombies were hunched over individual graves, shovels in their hands, tossing dirt aside from them, digging their way to the coffins that lay beneath the surface. In the center of the graveyard, there was one zombie that didn't appear to be like the others. It stood up straight, and made gestures with its hands, speaking not to the crowd, but to some unseen audience. It spoke with a strong accent, like it wasn't speaking its native tongue. The three of them looked on, two of them shocked about what they were seeing, and the other one glaring at those around her with an angry look. Weiss put a hand on Yang's shoulder and nearly shouted over the shouting around her "What are they doing? Are they stealing those bodies?"

Yang looked at Weiss for a moment like she had said something completely ridiculous, then shook her head, sending her wild mane of golden hair lashing up in a few faces behind her. "No, they're bringing Hunters back so they can keep serving! These people just don't get that! What that Necromancer is doing is asking them if they do want to come back! They don't dig up people who say no!"

Weiss looked slightly taken aback at this. She had hit a nerve, or something. Her question was a bit insensitive, now that she thought about it, but she thought it was valid. How was she supposed to know what they were doing? Blake spoke next to Yang, and said "Maybe you should tell these people that! I mean, it doesn't seem like that…" she motioned to the Necromancer, still chanting and casting spells, draped in robes that covered mostly everything except its bony face and its somewhat shriveled hands. "…guy is doing much communicating with the crowds."

Yang looked from the Necromancer to the people heckling him, wondering if that was something that she could do very well. Sure, she was the face of the undead, but was that something that these people would be receptive to? She looked around the crowd again, paying special attention to trying to tell if they would be receptive to something like that. The people were certainly angry, but maybe she could do something to calm them down. The last thing that they needed was for them to break out into a riot.

Still, though, it was worth a shot. If she could manage to do it, it could have benefits beyond just this incident. She was willing to wager that there were similar things happening wherever the undead were trying to get this to happen. She could make this one easy, and give an example of how easy this kind of thing could go.

Yang looked back to her friends, a look of slight worry on her face. "Are you guys willing to help me out here? I think it would really help if I had some support here." Her friends' responses came almost instantly, sweeping any doubt aside from Yang's mind that they would want to be associated with her in public like this. "Of course! What do you want us to do?" Yang stopped for a moment, thinking about what they could do, then put a hand out, taking a hold of the metal bars of the fence. "Do you thing that you guys could climb that?" She looked up at the solid line that ran across that top of the bars, confident that they could all stand on it together. Both of them nodded, and Yang gave them a confident smile. "Alright then, just roll with it!"

With an energetic start, she leapt up and started to scale the bars, moving her whole body to make the task easier. She didn't need to worry about injuries or discomfort, but it would be much easier in the long run if her muscles weren't torn from the climb if something were to happen, and she find herself in combat again. It would be a true shame if these people weren't able to overcome such a thing as this, but it was one of those things that Yang supposed that she couldn't get mad about if she thought about their point of view too much. She had to admit, if someone was messing with the grave of someone she had lost like that, and she didn't know what was going on, she would be pretty ticked off too.

She looked down, and found her friends doing the same, Blake being much more able than Weiss at climbing. Weiss was probably worried about getting rust or grime or something on her dress. Blake never really cared too much about stuff like that. Yang reached the top of the fence and pulled herself up, her feet meeting the flat part, and she steadied herself on top of it before taking one final look at the graveyard so that she knew what was going on before she turned to face the crowd again.

None of the graves being dug had been fully ousted yet, but the tops of the coffins were starting to show. The shovels that the zombies were using were coming somewhat worryingly close to the tops of the caskets, but Yang had confidence that they weren't going to just blow through them like that.

Weiss and Blake clambered up with her, and she turned to face the people, saying "Alright, hey, listen up!" Some of the crowd did silence at the call, but most simply kept on jeering. Weiss and Blake also tried for a moment to silence the crowd, but their voices were lost. Yang drew in a huge breath, filling her lungs as much as she could, then shouted "Shut up!"

Yang had never really exercised her voice to its fullest extent, but when she wanted to, she could have quite a booming yell when she wanted to. Her being dead only made it easier for her, as she could keep it up as long as she wanted. The shout had a much greater effect than her living one did, and most people did as they were told, and shut their mouths. Weiss and Blake both looked at their friend, slightly shocked at the zeal she used, but they knew its importance.

Yang looked out at the now stricken faces, a smile starting to spread across her face. Yeah, she could do this. It wouldn't be too hard, she just had to be a little more tactful than she had just been. Not too much, though. If she got too soft on them, she knew that they would start to jeer again. She didn't really have to get them all to stop, she just had to buy the Necromancer enough time to get one person out of the ground, and then they could explain the situation. That was all she had to do.

"Do any of you really know what you're doing here?" One of the people responded in a shout, among others, but his rang out the loudest. "We're protecting our ancestors! You have no right to take their bodies!" The people around the man started to agree loudly, but before the agreement spread too far, Yang responded, saying "We aren't taking their bodies! We're bringing them back from the dead, with their permission mind you, so that they can keep protecting your stupid-" she cut herself off at that point, not wanting to go too far with her words. She needed to not offend them too much. She stopped for a few seconds, thinking, then continued "Anyways, they are coming back to help you with the Grimm! You shouldn't be against this, you should be glad that its not just some faceless warriors that you would be scared of! This of what you would do if your whole security was put in the hands of people you didn't know! Instead, you're getting people you respect, and people who actually care about you! Isn't that what you want? Because if it's not, I'm sure that it could be fixed!"

An uneasy silence settled over everyone who was listening, even her friends. No one was really sure if the threat was true or not. Could she stop what was happening? They started to consider what it would be like if the place that would be filled by their returned dead were filled by individuals that they didn't know. None of them liked the series of images that presented themselves, and some of the crowd along the sides started to dissipate, people figuring that they had better things to do than what they were doing now. The more resolute people near the front were still glaring up at Yang, anger on their faces, but even those looks were starting to fall apart. She knew that her efforts were good, and she only had a little more to go.

She spread her arms in a comforting, open manner and said "We're really just trying to be as un-invasive as we can. We don't want to shove a bunch of people in where they're not wanted either, but something has to be done. This is the best that we can do, given the circumstances. If you think of something better, I'm sure that Naze would love to hear it, but pitch the idea to him, not this guy." She pointed over her shoulder at the Necromancer with a thumb. "So come on, calm down, and let the guy do his work. No need to make him think badly of you, right?"

Weiss and Blake shuffled slightly uncomfortably. They didn't like being looked at by so many people in circumstances like this, but they had to stay by their friend. Yang was standing solidly, not even worried about falling. There was something endearing about that confidence, but neither of them was able to focus on it too much, given the fact that they were both worried about falling off themselves. The people, though, seemed to take Yang's words to heart, and started to depart without much more trouble. A good few stayed, their arms crossed, with angry or expectant looks on their faces, either waiting to see the resurrection, or waiting to see their loved ones again. Yang was glad that a few did stay, because it would be nice for those who were waking up to be greeted by familiar or friendly faces.

As the zombies continued to dig, tension seemed to build up in the air, and she figured that she didn't need to be at the top of the fence anymore. She bent down, took a hold of one of the bars, and slid down to the ground. Her friends followed her after a few moments of hesitation, and she took a position some distance away from the Necromancer, watching what he was doing with interest. Her friends joined her, if somewhat hesitantly. There was a pervading feeling of discomfort in the yard. What was happening simply felt wrong to the two living individuals in the cemetery. The magic in the air simply grated across their nerves like a jagged razor, making their fingers curl and their hair stand on end.

They wouldn't leave, though. Not so long as Yang stayed. They had to stay by her side, until they were all good to return to the dorms. Maybe Ruby could use the time anyways. They both looked around, finding spots against the fence that they could lean on to wait until Yang was finished making sure everything went smoothly. They didn't know how long they would have to stay, but it would feel good to rest their feet, even if it was just for a little while.

.

The last vestiges of the demon's presence within Nora fell to the floor, and joined the rest of the beast's physical form on the opposite end of the rune, almost touching the wall. It was larger now that it had once been, but was still a pathetic little worm-like creature. Nora, for her part, had endured well enough. There was going to be damage, likely permanent, to everything about her, but such was the cost of what she had gone through.

Her body was still suspended above the ground by Naze's invisible bonds, as it had been for hours now. Her muscles were limp, though, and her face relaxed. A body without a soul couldn't feel much discomfort, but she would certainly feel it when he placed her soul back in. That would be the least of her worries though. She would have mountains of physical and mental trauma to overcome. Naze doubted that the previously boisterous girl would be able to do it, but things of that nature were generally hard to predict. It was possible that she bounce back from her experience, and it was possible that she turn into a train wreck, to whom death would be a mercy.

He held the soul again, suspended between his fingers. The ball glowed a little brighter than it had before, but it was also much smaller now too. The light it threw in every direction was dissipated slightly by the nature of the place it now found itself.

It was "pretty", Naze supposed, but it roused no feeling in his chest. Something that was to his slight relief. With one last manipulation of the thing, he thrust it back to its owner, and it floated through her flesh without resistance. Nora's eyes shot wide open and her whole body tensed again as she fought against the bonds, this time consciousness awakening in her mind.

Her body revolted for a few more seconds before she fully woke, and she went limp again, eyes staring straight forward as if she were reliving everything that she had done when the demon was within her. It didn't take long for her to start sobbing. Not just regular crying, but whole-bodied weeping, as if her body was trying to reject the things that it had done. Naze afforded the girl slightly more freedom, and she made use of it by curling up into a ball, her limbs wrapped tightly around herself, and trying to isolate herself from everything else.

Naze turned and started to walk, taking her with him without saying a word. Nothing he could say would comfort her, and doing so would be rather pointless anyways, as the crushed feeling would return almost instantly. The rune dimmed for a moment as he walked through it with her, but there was no other way to get her out. In body, she was still partially a demon, and that wasn't going to change. As he walked, he looked down to his orb of control, and started to move his puppet. He would have to deliver both Nora and Ren's soul to the hospital, where they had gone to try and make sure that Ren was alright. They didn't know the magnitude of what had been done to him, but they also did not know how easily it could be fixed. Yes, Ren would have some similar traumas to Nora, being drugged in the way he was and having his soul pulled out would not have been a pleasant experience for anybody. The effects of the experience, Naze would be interested to see. There were still many questions he had about demons, and although demon corrupted individuals were nowhere near as rare as the causers of their corruption, still there remained mysteries as to the process that a recovery might take. In the overwhelming majority of cases, subjects were simply killed.

In order to prepare for dropping the two things off, he put his mind towards the shade that watched Pyrrha and Jaune. Its vision became his, in addition to his own eyes, as well as those of his puppet. He allowed the information into his mind, paying mild attention to it as it came to him.

.

Ren was lying in a hospital bed, eyes closed, unmoving. The numerous medical instruments all beeped and flashed, showing that he was very much alive, but only weakly so. There was no brain activity, beyond his automatic functions like his breathing and pulse, both of which were strong. No test that the doctors had been able to complete yet yielded a reason as to why he would be afflicted like this, but both Jaune and Pyrrha had a creeping feeling that the cause lay beyond the realm of the physiological.

There was something wrong with him on a deeper level. He was missing something. Pyrrha had thought that it had just been her imagination when Nora had taken something from him, but now it seemed that it wasn't. Neither one wanted to say anything about it, though. They didn't need more failure.

They had gotten Nora to Naze, though, and that was the goal. Now they just waited for either Ren to wake up, or for Naze to contact them again. They had no idea which would happen first, but they hoped that they would get to speak to Ren again, too. Things would seem empty without him, they already did now.

Pyrrha heaved a heavy sigh, and scratched idly at the metal eye patch that sat on her face. Jaune looked up, having noted that she was doing that a lot lately. He still didn't say anything, though. He simply had no energy. It was an unfortunate thing, but having to attack Nora and to carry Ren to the hospital had drained him physically, emotionally, and mentally. He was tired. All he wanted to do was to fall asleep, but he couldn't. Not yet. Pyrrha hadn't left him alone other than when she had been knocked out, so he wouldn't leave her until something knocked him out. He made a promise to himself that he wouldn't.

He looked again at Ren, and the instruments that continued to read out his medical data. Still, there was nothing that indicated he would be waking up any time soon. It stung his eyes to see, and he looked away, feeling his eyes start to leak. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, and moved his gaze elsewhere. His blade and shield laid against the wall by the door, a slight glint coming off of the edge of the blade and hitting his eyes. He glared at the light for a few seconds before the pressure on his pupil became too much, and he looked away, blinking the outlines out of his vision as best as he could.

When he regained the ability to see enough to take in the room again, he saw Pyrrha looking at him with her single green eye. There was a hurt look on her face, and she definitely wanted to say something to him, but couldn't. He remembered getting upset with her earlier, and felt guilt about that flood his mind on top of everything else.

It grew to be unbearable, and he started to feel his mind crack. Things that had made sense before started to become riddles, and he started to move himself into the past, trying to figure things out. What if he had been able to save Pyrrha before she got her eye clawed? What if he had been able to stop Nora from ever becoming possessed? The further back his mind stretched, the more pain built up in the lower-back of his skull.

What if he had gotten into Beacon legitimately? Cardin never would've been able to blackmail him like he had. Then Jaune would've been able to do better in his classes. But then Pyrrha might not have offered to help him. If she'd never offered to do that, they might never have gotten as close as they were. But would she have gotten injured? Was it worth something like that?

Something warm joined him in the seat, pushing him to the side slightly, and he gave a startled jump. When he looked to his side, he found Pyrrha looking back at him, immeasurable sorrow on her face. The two had shared more than they ever thought they could in the past few days, and this look confirmed it. She understood just what was happening to him, and she knew that she had to stop it. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders gently, and she leaned into him, pushing him slightly over to the side. "Jaune, it's alright. Please, don't worry. Have some confidence that things will be alright! I know it looks bleak now, but give things a chance to work out!"

She sounded like she was trying to convince herself to do these things just as much as she was Jaune, but he supposed it made sense. He sighed again, weary of everything. His mind was starting to slow, though, and order was returning to his thoughts. At least he had Pyrrha to keep him sane.

The two drifted off to sleep together in each other's arms, snoring softly and sharing their comfort between them. Together, they had just enough to stave off the maddening nightmares and terrors that gnawed at the fringes of their minds now. They dreamed of happy things, and of things that they hoped would happen, about successes, and of happy accidents, and everything in-between. It was their greatest hope of all, though, that when they woke, the world wouldn't be quite as bleak and horrible as it seemed now.

.

The Necromancer finished the spell of binding, and the spirit that had been in front of him seconds before disappeared into the still sealed casket that lay at the bottom of the small hole that had been dug in front of the grave. The Necromancer glanced at the headstone briefly, the spirit's name not having come up during their conversation, and read "Tanner MacArthur" running across the top. There was a brief epitaph about how he had died at the cities borders, giving time for the regional defenders to establish defense, but the Necromancer already knew of the man's deeds. What he cared about was his service.

The lid of the casket was about to be opened when a rumble from inside made the Necromancer halt his minions. Whatever the corpse was doing in there, it wanted to do on its own.

With a sudden, forceful blast, the lid of the casket was blown several feet in the air, splinters and screws exploding out with it. A collective gasp from the living onlookers made things seem more intense, and when the dirt and wood dust cleared, the Necromancer saw that the man wasn't lying when he said that his body had been preserved.

It was clear the man was dead, but from a distance he would look no more than a bit pallid. He could tell that injections of preservatives had been used, as well as some reconstructive work on his musculature and bone. It was aesthetically pleasing, but functionally useless. The man would have to report back to the ziggurat for his body to be made fit for battle once more. That weak work, though, had obviously not stopped him from showing what he was capable of.

The corpse picked itself up from its final resting place, one leg ridged and unwilling to move on account of being mostly plastics, and clambered out, clawing at the dirt sides of its hole in order to get a grip. Once it did, it pulled itself out, getting awkwardly to his feet afterwards.

His eyes passed over the faces watching him briefly, and in the instant that they did, he saw the face of his little girl. She wasn't so little anymore, of course, but he would recognize those big, awe filled eyes anywhere. His attention was drawn back to the Necromancer, however, who said to him in a raspy voice too low for the others to hear, "Now pledge yourself, and you may go."

It was part of the deal they had come up with. He would pledge himself to the Necromancer's master, Naze, and be allowed to defend his homeland, as he had died doing. He did so, taking a knee and swearing fealty so long as their goals remained pure. The Necromancer then gave him instructions about where to go, but instead of listening he ran to the gate, arms outstretched, and hugged his daughter through the bars. His body was stiff, and difficult to control, but her warm embrace made dying seem like nothing.

It was shortly after that he bade a regretful goodbye, and started to go where the Necromancer had commanded. There wasn't much time to spare, and he would be serving his dear daughter just as much as his home by doing this.

Scenes like this one were playing out all over the world, the Necromancer knew. The first of the dead heroes being awakened and recruited. He looked around that graveyard again. The Ambassador Yang and her two companions had gone once the trouble died down, and left him to do his work alone. That was how he liked it. There was still an audience watching, but they were outside the gate, and he was not. That was good enough of a divide for him.

He set back into his work, spreading the powers of death around him to strengthen the spirits in the area. It would take time to raise those remaining in the yard, and time was something that he didn't want to waste. He set back to the work with undivided attention, and let his thoughts about other matters fade into the back of his mind.


	43. Chapter 43

Author's Note:

Almost to one hundred... c'mon guys... we can do it.

Anyways, leave reviews, as always. All of you.

* * *

When Cinder felt the last of the airship's stalwart defenders give themselves over to the torrents of ecstasy that flooded the ship, she knew that she had won. There was no opposition now, they would do just as she said, just like the others who had pledged themselves. There was no time to accept allegiances or swearing, they had to go. It was high time that she showed the rest of the world what she could do for them.

The demons ordered the ship to land, and it started to come down to the earth, loading bay doors open and waiting. Some of the people of this small town would stay behind, but most would be taken with her. She was going to blaze a path to Menagerie, and from there to the rest of the cities in which misery and displeasure grew. It was the least that she could do. She would drop others, acolytes who would also try to spread the word to places that they passed, every village and town would feel their touch as well.

It wouldn't take long for the airship to touch down, but they had to hurry. They had not taken the airship instantly, and had likely called in for assistance before giving in. More soldiers would be coming soon, and Cinder had to outrun them. As much as she hated to think it, she didn't know if she could handle it if they came in greater force.

It would be much easier to simply outrun them. If they needed to, they could use several demons to slow their pursuers down. She wanted to save most of them, though. They would make the work of converting the average person easy, and were powerful in a fight.

Cinder looked back to the building in which the rift between her world and the demon's world writhed. If she left, the rift would likely close, but that was something that couldn't be avoided. They could open up new portals, expand their power, and make the world see what a wonderful light they could have, if only they would believe in them.

Cinder's mind flicked to the topic of the undead who would undoubtedly oppose them, and a bitter taste entered her mouth. Them and their need to understand. They would no doubt pick apart the feelings that her master gave her, why couldn't they simply accept that it was better than the cold, pathetic existence they had now? They toiled endlessly, chasing an impossible goal. And worst of all, they seemed to think that they could achieve it. Cinder didn't know which was worse, the way they dispelled delusions habitually, not allowing for rest or fun, or the delusion that they had somehow managed to pull over themselves.

And at the center of it all was a lich, someone who had been human once. Cinder couldn't possibly think what kind of a person would forgo the feeling of living for the repugnant void he'd placed himself in. He was a fool for doing so, ironically enough. All the intelligence that he could gather over those years, and she was ahead of him in every way in terms of existing. She had a goal, she felt better than she ever had, and she was perfectly suited for making herself happy. He couldn't even be happy.

She tried for a moment to imagine what it would be like, feeling nothing in the way that Naze must've, and then immediately stopped. She would rather feel the warmth of her blood, and the tickle of the slightest breeze. She would never deaden herself to those things. Such would be a fate worse than ceasing to be.

The voice of her master in her head shook her from these thoughts, and she made herself focus on every syllable of her master's words. "What do you need before you go?"

The voice was masculine, but there were undercurrents of a feminine tone, making it seem very attractive. She felt it awaken parts of her mind that had previously been occupied by thoughts of planning, and of spite. She started to feel her body react, feeling softer, and more vulnerable. Her lord was disarming, to say the least.

It was hard to think about what it had asked, but she managed with some small part of her mind. It was phrased in a way that made her think that her master expected to give her something. It was not a question of if she needed something, it was a question of what it was she needed. The best of her thoughts didn't get very far, given the distractions that she felt. The only thing that she really could say was "More power."

The voice in her head gave her an amused chuckle, now sounding like a woman, then said "You certainly do. You can't be expected to battle a lich without a little more."

The word snapped her mind back slightly, and she asked "Battle a lich? Me?" She didn't know if that was truly what she would be expected of her. She would love to end Naze's existence herself, but she didn't know if she could. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, he was powerful, and would likely blow her away with the briefest of effort before simply continuing his plans as if nothing had happened.

All of that thought happened in a brief second before she recalled how great her master was, and felt their power pour into her. A sharp inward breath, and the loss of the ability to focus signaled that she was becoming even more powerful. Her blood started to boil in her veins, and she felt another level of energy that she never had before. She was sure that she physically changed this time. She didn't see any change, but her eyes closed on their own under the feeling, and she couldn't pry them back open. The feeling of wonderful burning seemed to focus in her arms, and her legs. More specifically, it was in her wrists, and in the backs of her legs.

When she opened her eyes again, her could feel that her master was again gone. What it was doing, or planning, or whatever it did when not focused on her, she didn't know, but she didn't want to ask. She didn't need to know. All that she needed was the assurance that they would come back.

She stood, and was immediately aware that something in her legs had changes. They moved effortlessly, and with a smoothness that she had never known before. It was disorienting at first, but then started to become more manageable. In fact, Cinder even found herself liking it, being able to move more exactly then before. This didn't distract her for long, though. The airship drew closer to the ground, and started to kick a cloud of dust up in every direction around it. She knew that they had to go, and started to walk towards her vessel without hesitation.

The air being blown out of the engines was strong, but she also found that her legs were more than elegant. They supported her even in the face of an air force that would have knocked anyone else over. A smile came across her face even wider, and she walked up one of the loading ramps, entering the ship that was now hers. The engines started to die now, so that others would be able to board. They ran up the same ramp, and entered before her, making sure that everything was safe for their mistress. She did not worry, though. She had seen the storming of the airship herself, and knew that there was no threat. The only threat was that which had been called. It would not be long before they arrived, and Cinder gave the command to "Get out of here, now! We fly to Menagerie!"

Her command was met with roars of approval, and after a few seconds of the engines firing back up, the ramps closing, and various other mechanisms making the innards of the ship vibrate and growl, the mass of steel and Dust lifted off the ground.

She knew that her followers would do their best in every way they could, but there was still a small amount of doubt. They could only perform so well. She, on the other hand, felt her mind and body growing more capable every day. There was nothing that they could do better than her, and that included flying.

She started to make her way to the cockpit, her followers moving from her way without even being asked. She was pleased to see not only faces from the town, but also of the military personnel that had been commandeered with the ship. Some still had their armor on, a few even had their helmets, but all looked like these things had been pried off of their bodies. It didn't surprise her, she knew that her followers could get rater zealous at times. She could too. And besides, none of them were complaining now, so there obviously wasn't a problem.

She nodded welcomes to them as she passed, enjoying the reverent looks she got as she walked. One might've thought that they had never seen a woman before by the way their eyes traced her figure.

When she reached the cockpit, the man at the navigational controls barely knew what was happening before Cinder brought her lips barely an inch away from his ear, and whispered "Get up." The man did so immediately, and was barely able to clear his chair before Cinder sat down in his place, looking over the controls. She had never piloted something this large, but it couldn't be too hard. She took the throttle up, and the engines wined even louder. She started to move them forward, and smiled as the town that they had previously been confined to fade behind them. It felt good to be free of the little place. She couldn't say that she disliked it, but the world opened up before them now.

She eyed the readouts of data, looking for any sign that they were being pursued. She didn't doubt that there were tracking devices in the ship, alerting anyone who knew what to look for to their exact location. With any luck, though, the people of Menagerie wouldn't know exactly what to look for until it was too late. She doubted that this would be the case, though, and knew that she would have to be ready for anything. Nothing was ever easy, especially trying to help people who didn't know what they were missing.

It felt good to fly. Granted, nothing ever really didn't feel good anymore, but still, it was a nice feeling of being suspended in the air. It wasn't quite as free as the Seducer demons were, but it was as close as she could get without sprouting a pair of wings herself. That thought started to roll around in her head for a while. She had been given better legs, and something having to do with her wrists, why not wings? It would help, after all.

She started to imagine what she would look like with them. It was an elegant, imposing and beautiful picture that presented itself to her mind. That was all she really wanted for herself. That, and power, of course. But she couldn't let the power go to her head. That was a mistake that she had seen plenty of people make. Overconfidence was a better killer than anyone.

Somewhere on the ship, music started to bounce off of the once-sterile walls, turned up to an extremely loud volume. Despite the fact that Cinder's senses had become more acute, it wasn't painful to be assaulted by the sensation. In fact, the sudden stab of sound into her eardrums felt somewhat good.

Cinder had tried to understand the logic of her changes for the most part, but she simply couldn't anymore. It felt wonderful, and that was enough.

Far below her now, unbeknownst to anyone, her two missing comrades made their way back to the small village, intending to rejoin her. Roman and Neo had just pushed their way out of the thick tree line, entering the outskirts of the town. He was about to simply start walking towards the center of town when Neo elbowed his thigh and pointed up at the sky. He looked down at her, an eyebrow raised, before following her finger and seeing the airship hanging in the sky. It was flying away from them. Roman looked up at the ship blankly for a few moments before a smile cracked across his face, and he gave a nonchalant shrug, snapping his fingers in an insincere gesture of regret. "Damn. I guess we missed her."

Neo looked from the ship to Roman, wondering what he was planning to do about this. It would be impossible for them to not get back to Cinder, they couldn't do what they had said to Naze they would do. Roman didn't seem too concerned, though, and reached for the scroll in his pocket. Neo watched as Roman started to flick through his contacts before finding the icon of Cinder's face and selecting it, then picking the "call" option.

Holding the device up to his face, he turned away from the airship, and looked to the ground, a large smile on his face. Neo could tell that he thought something was amusing, probably the ridiculousness of the situation. She couldn't blame him. Calling their supposed demon mistress like a child that had missed a school bus was certainly an odd thing to do. He waited for the tone to start playing, indicating that the call was going through, then when the other end picked up, said, "Hey, Cinder, darling! Look, we just got back to the little village where we were staying, and I just saw your foot out of the door! I don't imagine you want to turn the huge airship around, so you'll need to tell us where you're headed if you want to have us there in any reasonable amount of time."

Neo could make out a few of the words that came over the phone from Cinder, the sultry, sexual voice whispering in Roman's ear, but him remaining as unchanged as he had ben when he started the call. "Oh, you know, taking care of business for a while. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just the usual. Anyways, where are you headed? I'd love to meet up and chat again sometime."

Again, Cinder's voice emanated from the device, and he nodded. "Alright, Menagerie? Yeah, I'll get there as quick as I can. Alright, you be careful flying now! Wouldn't want to crash!"

He took the device away from his ear again, and looked to Neo with a slightly irritated expression. "Alright, we've got to get there ahead of her. Maybe we could tell Naze about this, and he could warn them before they get there?" Neo gave him a small nod, and he continued talking. "I mean, not that I care all that much, but you know, if we're going to be sabotaging her, we've got to try, right?" Again, Neo nodded, and Roman turned back to the town. "Is the Bullhead still here? We could use that, but I don't know if it's got enough fuel to make it ahead of her."

Neo pointed at the far end of town, at the alcove where they had hidden the vehicle, and Roman saw the glint of the metal from the sun. He said, "Ah, right, thank you. Alright, well, I guess we had better be on our way, then. Let's go."

Roman motioned for Neo to follow him, and she did so happily. She could tell that he was actually somewhat excited about sabotaging Cinder. She couldn't deny that there was some degree of fun in the activity. Cinder had often displayed that she thought she was better than others, so perhaps it was what she had coming to cut out a few levels from beneath her. Neo felt some of Roman's excitement in her as well. It was something that she could certainly get behind.

* * *

The body of Naze's puppet got quite a few odd looks as it walked through the streets with Nora, unconscious, slung over his shoulder. He had reached the hospital without too much issue, though, and walked into the building without hesitation. He also walked past the desk without saying anything, stepping into the elevators and selecting the floor that the rest of team JNPR was occupying. The doors slid shut, and Nora started to awaken again. He didn't put her back to sleep this time, instead allowing her to wake. It would be better if she was conscious when she was returned. Things would be uncomfortable for her friends, though, because Naze was sure that there was no way they were prepared for what they were about to receive. There was no way they could be.

He walked through the halls as Nora started to shake, and readjusted his grip on her so that she would not be able to wriggle free. Her twisted body could outmatch the puppet's strength easily, but he doubted that she would use her full strength. She was in too much emotional distress to know quite how to use her body.

He came to the door of their room, and without waiting to knock, opened the door and stepped in, tilting his body slightly so that Nora didn't hit the sides of the wall. When he came in, he found exactly what he had expected to find. Jaune and Pyrrha were asleep in each other's arms, breathing softly and squeezing each other to be comfortable. On the bed a short distance away, Ren lay flat, various needles and sensors strapped on him, monitoring his condition.

As soon as Nora was in the room, she could feel Ren's very presence. Her crying stopped, and she gave a small, weak struggle against Naze before he allowed her to swivel around so that she could see him. There was only one word, a squeak that was barely audible, but Naze caught it easily. "Ren."

He set her down on her feet, and watched her carefully to ensure that she didn't do anything rash. She took a few unsteady, shaking steps towards the bed, her arms reaching out slowly for him like he was some kind of medicine without which she could not live. Naze followed a short step behind her, ready to intervene if he needed.

Slowly, she came to the side of the bed, and put her hands around Ren's face with the most careful motions that Naze had seen her use. He stepped forward, too, to the side of the bed, but he didn't intend to join Nora in her mourning. Instead, he reached for his pocket, and drew out Ren's soul.

The thing glimmered again, like it had before, but Naze didn't waste any time admiring it. Instead, he quickly brought it towards its owner, pushing it into his chest. The reaction to this wasn't immediate, but it was clear to Naze what was happening. His heart started to beat harder and faster, his eyes started to move beneath their lids, and his fingers started to twitch in a rather unpleasant manner. The soul was relaying the information that it had been exposed to back into the body, and the body was doing the same into the soul. It would take some time for the two to establish a stronger link again, but he knew that so long as nothing else tried to steal it, the boy would likely make a full recovery.

Naze turned towards the door again, not intending to stay any longer than he had to. There was nothing for him in the room now. His bargain had been fulfilled, and whether or not they chose to continue serving him was their choice. He started to walk, and was soon not thinking of what was in the room at all. Instead, he was thinking of the heroes who were starting to rise from their graves all over the world. He could feel their minds joining under his power, and was pleased to see a wide range of variance among them. It was good that they be different, and be made strong by their passions. They all had one general goal, though, which was to protect their beloved, whether they were people, lands, or ideas.

He was due to go and attempt calling Summer Rose's soul from the void, a task that was going to be nothing if not interesting. Transportation had been arranged to Patch, and he, Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang had all agreed to go to the memorial site, where memories would likely be the strongest of her. From what he had come to understand, the experience would be taxing for all three of the living guests, on account to the memories attached to the woman, as well as the place. He didn't quite care, though, making the point that, if they couldn't face that pain, than she would simply stay dead.

He left the room, not saying a word to its occupants. The sleeping pair could use the rest, Ren would take time to recover, and Nora needed to come to grips with what she had done. There was nothing left for him to do there.

Through Yang, he could see one of the guests that would be instrumental to the plan. Ruby, looking like she was either about to burst into song or vomit forcefully, was standing by the side of a translocation rune linked to Patch, nervously rubbing her hands together and looking at Yang with the same nervous expression. She had just finished receiving a partial explanation of how the rune worked, and was now worried about how the process would feel. Yang assured her that she wouldn't feel anything extraordinary, only a sudden jolt and a spinning sensation. This hardly helped the girl, though, as she was starting to breathe faster, and beads of sweat slowly rolled down her face.

Yang explained that it was time to go, and that they wouldn't want to be late and, "keep mom waiting." This did make sense to Ruby, but it still did little to quell her fear. Yang promised to go with her, and the two stepped onto the rune together. Yang activated the thing as quickly as she could, not wanting to force Ruby to endure the anticipation of waiting. There was a crack, and with what felt like a tug in every direction at once, their dorm room disappeared, and was replaced by a much more open environment.

It took several moments for Ruby to adjust to the sudden change, but she felt a light, cool breeze glide across her skin that she was very familiar with. It was the same breeze that came off of the ocean near her house, and made hot summer days perfect for playing outside in.

She opened her eyes, not realizing that they had been closed, and took in the sight of the gently undulating sea that she was facing. She had seen that many times, and the shore before it, and the winding stairway leading up the rather steep drop to the shore, and the grassy hill, at the top of which lay…

Her eyes went wide when she saw the house, as big and wonderful as it ever had been. Wooden siding and shingles stood firm in the salty air, and seemed to be inviting anything to stay inside, so long at it behaved itself. Memories flooded back to her about the many things she had done, the hours spent swimming, playing in the yard, and making use of the tire swing around the back. Almost everything that made her happy. It hadn't been longer than a year that she had been away, but it felt like a lifetime. She was so different now, compared to how she had been when she left. She knew more about the world, and wasn't that little girl who had spent hours pretending to live out her greatest fantasies of being a Huntress, Yang generously offering to play the part of the Grimm. She was sure that if she asked, Yang would do that again for her, but she knew that she wouldn't enjoy it like she used to. It wouldn't be the same, there was too much that weighed on her mind now that would keep her from truly losing herself in the fun. At least, in a situation like the one she was in now. Maybe if she returned under a different goal, she would be able to do those things, but not now.

She blinked, and the tinted filter of the past disappeared from her eyes, allowing her to see perfectly well again. Something that she had overlooked at first now stared her right in the face, and she felt horrendous that she had not seen it. Taiyang, her father, the big, burly man with hair the same shade as Yang's, splaying out in almost all directions from his scalp, was staring at not only her, but Yang as well, with some of the most emotional eyes that Ruby had ever seen.

She couldn't stop herself, and rushed forward to hug him. She moved faster than she intended, accidentally making use of her semblance while she did so, but when she collided with him he remained sturdily upright. Rose petals fluttered to the ground behind her, and she felt her father's big arms wrap around her, too, in a comforting way. Yang walked up from the rune and also embraced her father tightly, saying, "It's good to see you again dad. Real good."

Ruby broke away first, then Yang did the same, turning back slightly to the rune. She glanced at Ruby, and the two knew that they had both seen tears starting to run from the man's eyes. It took a lot to get that man to cry, so they knew the weight of their presence. He spoke, his low voice almost seeming to roll back off the waves and across the yard, "It's… it's very good to see you, again, too."

Neither of the girls wanted to make their father any more uncomfortable then was necessary, and thus Yang said, "Dad, you're ready for this, right? I mean, I know you took the news really hard, and when my little accident happened…"

She only meant to make sure that her father was willing, and knew what he was getting into, but the tone of her Father's response made it clear that he thought she was asking if he wanted to stay home. "Yang Xiao Long, we raised you to have faith in your family, and your friends, because that was what we thought the best way to live life was. I would expect you to have a little more faith in your own Father." He stared at her sternly, and to Ruby's amazement, Yang started to wilt under the gaze.

She said, "Yes Sir… I mean, Dad. I'm sorry that…" her voice trailed off, and she looked embarrassed as her gaze went to the floor.

Ruby looked between the two in confusion. What had just happened? Had they been through something that she didn't know about? She stepped back towards her sister, putting her arms on Yang's shoulders and saying, "Hey, that's not fair! She was just-"

Before she could say anything else, Taiyang swept forward in an energetic motion, grabbing the two of them up in a great bear-hug. His laughter boomed out across the landscape, and he said as he squeezed them almost hard enough to break bones, "I was only testing you, Yang. People say that that "Naze" fellow changed you when he brought you back, and I just had to see for myself. I thought I knew before, but now I'm sure. It's you." He moved both of them to an arm's distance, and looked Yang straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but I just had to know. You can't blame an old man for being cautious, can you? I hope you'll forgive me."

Yang stared back at her Father blankly for a few moments, then lunged forward to hug him again. He laughed again, then pushed her off, turning his attention to Ruby. "Now Yang, give your sister some time, too."

He looked to Ruby again, and his eyes grew softer. "Summer would be so proud of what you just did, Ruby. It warms my heart to see that." He continued to stare into his daughter's eyes for a few moments before he cleared his throat and straightened up, saying, "Anyways, I'm very glad you're here. I'm sure that you want to see your mother again just as much as I do. So, when is Mr. Naze coming?"

As his embrace with Ruby broke, Yang put a hand to her face and said, "Please, Dad, don't call him that. Just call him Naze, alright?"

Taiyang laughed, and clapped Yang squarely on the back. "Don't want me embarrassing you in front of your friends, eh? Alright, Naze it is. When is he getting here?"

Yang sighed and shook her head, trying to hide the smile that worked across her face, saying, "He'll be here soon. Like, less than a minute, probably. I don't know. Once he gets here, he isn't going to want to chat, though. All he's really going to want to do is get to The Plate and do the whole "séance" thing, alright?" The Plate was what the family called Summer's memorial, named after a toddler Ruby's observation that it bore a plate of metal on the front, where its words were located.

Taiyang nodded, saying, "More of a "down to business" kind of guy, eh? I think I can handle that." He smiled again at the exasperated look that came across his daughter's face. He enjoyed pushing her buttons, but he knew her limits well. She knew that he was joking, anyways. He had no intention of doing anything bad that she thought he would.

As if she heard a voice, Yang's head tilted to the side, and she turned slightly away from them, listening. To the voice that only she could hear. After a few seconds, she went back to her family, slightly pushing them away from the rune and saying "Alright, he's coming! Give it some space, and get ready. You know what happened last time you guys saw him."

A few seconds after the warning was issued, the rune blazed brightly again, and the mood of the place changed drastically. All of the warmth and comfort seemed to simply drain away, being replaced by a creeping dread; the fear of death, and Ruby and Taiyang took steps closer to each other.

Out of the bright flash of the rune appeared the figure that both had been expecting, but neither one were prepared. Naze, floating about half a foot off the ground, was now in front of them, ornate staff in his right hand. It was about the size of him, and his robes covered his nearly skeletal body, blue light shining mutedly through the robes, and brightly out of his eye sockets. Ruby and Taiyang both were taken aback, but Yang didn't seem affected at all.

The hovering corpse stood still for a moment, peering at them, before its jaw dropped, and it said in a voice that was like a knife against their brains, "Hello, Ruby." He looked to her father, and bowed his head slightly, "Hello, Mr. Taiyang. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Taiyang looked back, stuttering for a moment under the sudden pressure before saying, "Y-yes, and yourself as w-well." His children looked at him in surprise. It took an awful lot to get him to stutter. They'd never seen her do it, but apparently the only thing that really had accomplished something like that was Summer getting angry at him. He ploughed on, though, not letting his speech impediment stop him. "B-but anyways, w-would you like t-to go now?"

He motioned in the direction of The Plate, and Naze nodded in a small motion. "Yes, please show me the way." Yang saw by their reactions how just how much his voice affected them, and suddenly felt bad about bringing them along. Her father was fine, he could deal with it, but Yang didn't want to expose Ruby to this again. She had already suffered enough because of the things that she had seen, she didn't need the air of terror that hung around Naze.

Taiyang nodded his head vigorously, and said, "Yes, yes, of course! It's this way, let's go." He motioned, and started to walk, pulling his daughters close as he did so. It was obvious that he didn't want them to be put into any risk by getting close to the lich, and Ruby appreciated the comfort that his big, strong body could provide. Yang, on the other hand, was slightly irritated. It made sense that he wanted to protect her, and she appreciated the sentiment, but she was actually, literally dead already. There wasn't much that could happen to her by just being exposed to Naze. She didn't try to push him way away, though. That would be very rude, and she didn't want to offend her father.

It was like this, clustered together and somewhat cramped, that the family led the lich to the memorial site for their lost beloved. They had to traverse about forty five minutes of terrain to reach it, going through a dense forest on a thin, winding path before coming to the cliff on which Summer's memorial stood. There was no small talk along the way. Taiyang and Ruby kept looking back over their shoulder to make sure that Naze was still following every now and again, but neither spoke a word. She wanted there to be speech, discussion between the two parties, building metaphorical bridges and making friendships, but her father was too scared, and Naze was Naze.

As they emerged from the trees, both her sister and her father stopped worrying so much about the lich behind them, and more about the memorial ahead. Yang could tell the kinds of questions that were running through their heads, but that they were too afraid to ask. "So" she asked, "Will we be able to see Mom, or is she going to be invisible?"

Her voice broke the silence like a glass shattering, and she felt her Father tense up when he heard it, but she didn't regret asking. It was something that she genuinely wanted to know anyways. The silence lingered for a few second before Naze answered, grating voice again making her family flinch. "Perhaps. If she lingers in this place, it is likely. However, if she has faded, she will not have sufficient power to be detectable to your senses."

The group continued, and Yang rolled her eyes. Conversation was determined to keep a wide berth, it seemed. She gave up trying to get them to speak, instead just going along with the silence. It felt wrong that everyone simply shut down like this in the presence of Naze's true form, but he didn't seem too perturbed by it. He was probably used to reactions like that from the living. Still, though, it was something of a letdown.

As they came even closer, Naze started to move faster, and the family moved slower. Her pace didn't, though, and soon she was out of her Father's arms, accompanying Naze all the way to the corpseless grave. She motioned for Ruby to come too, and waited for her, taking her in a comforting hold around her shoulders and walked her along to.

As they drew within a few feet of the thing, Naze stopped, and looked down at it, reading. He didn't say it out loud, but they all knew that he was looking at the line "Thus kindly I scatter." After he finished he looked back at Yang and asked, "Did Summer write this?"

Yang shook her head, and told him the origin of the line. "No, it was from a poem that she really liked. I don't remember what it was called, though." Naze made no indication that he had heard her, but she knew that he had. He stared a few more seconds at the grave, then turned back to the living. "Her soul does not linger, but I believe that there was a time when it did. Stand back, I am going to attempt conjuring her back from the void."

If Summer was hanging around the place, she was doing a very good job of hiding. Chances were, of course, that she had faded away, or that her soul resided elsewhere. He doubted the second option, though, because if she were anywhere, it would likely be with her children.

He brought his arms up, and the tear between worlds started to open. He needed no glyphs or wards to control it, his own power was enough. With a crack and a rip, the two living individuals behind him got the best look at what death truly was of any mortal creatures in recent history. What they saw, though, he did not know. He was able to divine what the swirling yet stagnant, repulsive yet beautiful eddies and streams meant. He could see the faces, hear the voices, and even speak back to death itself. They, however, could do none of these things.

He heard a struggle behind him, and knew that Ruby was trying to escape her sister's grasp. Her natural instincts were commanding that she flee before she joined in those wells of chaos.

First, Naze directed information about their location out into the void, seeing if it would rouse any from their slumber. A few lone spirits responded, but there was nothing that would indicate that they had a strong link or memory of the place. Next, he communicated the location nearby, the house, the beach, anything that warm memories would be attached closely to.

The number of responses that came were predictably larger, as many were awakened by the fondness they felt for such a place. Yet still, none seemed to be connected directly. If they were, they would fight tooth-and-nail against the other spirits, who only drifted, in an attempt to reach the source of the feeling.

No such feelings arose, and Naze looked again, not wanting to be wrong. Only souls drifting lazily towards them approached, and he was sure to keep them at a distance. This was why the children had been brought. Memories might not be attached to the places they happened, but the people they happened with. He could have, of course, used a mental image of the children, but them actually being there would be a much more intense and reliable method of finding Summer.

With a thought, he commanded Yang to bring her sister and herself in front of the rip. She hesitated, knowing that she would have to force her sister, but upon thinking of the outcome that this was have, she knew that she had to. Ruby kicked, elbowed, and even bit like an animal, but Yang managed to place her in front of Naze, standing behind her and holding her in a bear-hug grip.

Naze projected their image across the vast expanse of souls, and waited. First it was one second, then it was two. Suddenly, with a roar that no human could ever produce with their bodies, one soul exploded into action, charging through any others in its way. The sound was like something had recalled something vitally important, and was going to resume doing it no matter what. Naze eyes the thing, allowing it to draw closer and closer. It was a human soul, yes, but he knew little about what Summer had actually looked like. As such, it was difficult to positively identify it as her. The zeal with which it tore to the children, though, was difficult to confuse with anything but maternal instinct.

The soul grew truly close now, and Naze knew that if he was to let it through, it would be difficult to force it back before it was able to do any damage. He was safe, of course, as was Yang, but the two living individuals would be at significant risk. No other spirits had responded however, and this one was his only option. Even if it was dangerous, this was the best way to check.

As it started to pass through the rip, Naze knocked Yang to the side with a small jolt of magic, taking Ruby with her. The soul, in whatever frenzied state it was, did not stop moving towards him. As it came through into the material world again, Naze took an iron hold of it with his mind, not allowing any action he did not permit. The soul stopped, and he took in its appearance. It was a woman, yes, but its features were faded and obscured. Whoever this woman had been, she had tortured herself with grief for a long time, as evidenced by the fading identity. She was losing herself to whatever she had done, or had failed to do.

Luckily, however, the damage was not extensive, and as with most damage of that nature, only sped the fading process, not causing it. If he were to give the soul power, it would remember more of itself, and probably cease the bestial behavior.

He did so, siphoning energy into it slowly. It struggled at first, but when it realized that Naze was giving it something that it wanted, it stopped. Slowly, the figure returned to what it had once been, and Naze started to see the familial resemblances.

The woman had dark hair, almost black, but one shade of red too much for that. She wasn't short, but she was not particularly tall either, perhaps half a foot shorter than Taiyang, and several inches taller than Yang. Her eyes were non-colored, but that was because she still had not regained her full power. She didn't look at Naze, but instead to the side, at Ruby and Yang, who were picking themselves up from the ground. Further back, Taiyang looked like he was trying to ready himself for battle, despite not having a weapon on him.

This reminded Naze of the fact that the living would not see what he saw. They probably saw some beast, shrouded in mist or smoke. A ghost was a difficult thing for a mortal to truly make out, even if in life the two had been close. Being dead cleared things up significantly, but study was the most contributing factor to clarity.

As Yang lifted herself and her sister to their feet, Naze attracted her attention, and asked, "Is this Summer Rose?"

Yang turned, and when her eyes met the face of the phantom, Naze could feel the pure emotion in her soul. "Yes! Yes, that's her! Let her go, please! Let her go!" Her pleas were impassioned, but the ears it fell upon were not. There was still reason to be cautious. He gave the spirit more power, returning it almost to full, and drew it closer to him, asking "Are you Summer Rose?"

The dead heard his voice differently than the living. To them, he was commanding, not outright frightening. Her focus shifted from her daughters to the lich before her, and she looked at him, confused, for several moments before saying "Y-yes! Please, are those my children?"

Naze let his head tilt to the side slightly, but his gaze stayed steadily on Summer. Yes, they are, but you need to cooperate with me if you want the chance to interact with them. Now, your children have agreed to help me raise you from the dead, so that you may protect the world of Remnant from destruction. You served this goal during your life, now they wish for you to serve it in death. Do you accept?"

Summer looked back at him, still confused. The two children had by this point started to stare at what was going on, but Yang was the only one of the two who could make out that the spirit was her Mother. She stepped forward towards her, and said "Mom! Mom, it's me, Yang! Just trust me, say yes! Say yes and we can talk about this!"

Ruby looked from her sister to the floating thing that she spoke to, looking just as confused as her mother. "Wait, Mom?" She asked incredulously. "That… that thing is Mom?"

Summer looked again at Naze, and the look in her eyes made it clear that she was starting to panic. "Please, I don't know who you are, or where I am, but you have to let me speak with my daughters!"

Naze considered her request. It wasn't extreme or illogical. In fact, it displayed that she had more sense about her than most retrieved spirits, given that she was seeking council with someone. He valued good sense and reason, and did not want it to seem that he punished it. He also did not want to give her any more power without an agreement, however, despite the fact he could simply take it back.

He considered the request for a second more, then decided on his course of action. "You may speak to one of your children. You may speak to Yang."

There wasn't really any ploy or plot there, it was simply that Yang could communicate with the spirit without him having to give it anything else. Summer, despite the obvious distress she was in, nodded readily, and said "Thank you! Please, just give us a moment, and we'll sort this out."

He nodded, and gestured for Yang to lead the confused spirit away. Yang did so, motioning for her Mother to follow, and said, "Come on, this way. We can talk over here." Her Mother followed, mostly keeping her eyes on Yang, and not looking anywhere else. Naze took this as a sign that she wasn't too aware of her situation. It was possible that she didn't even know that she was dead. Or that Yang was dead. That little fact was sure to have some impact on her, there was no doubt. He wondered if it would occur to Yang to bring up.

He didn't listen in, though. The conversation they were having was a private one, emotion filled and difficult to gauge well. Yang was the one whom he had appointed to deal with such matters, so he didn't quite care, so long as she served. Of course, "serving" wouldn't mean convincing her Mother to join them, it would be informing her accurately as to what was going on.

When the conversation started, it was in hushed tones. It slowly escalated, though, until in a single smooth, fast movement, Summer flew back to Naze, almost engulfing his head, but stopping just short. She spoke in a newly frantic voice, saying, "Is it true? Is all of this really going to happen?" Yang quickly communicated everything that she had told her, and Naze approved of most of it. Not as impersonal as he would have liked, perhaps, and a little skewed, but passable enough for Summer to make an informed decision.

He nodded, and replied, "Yes, this could be the end of the world you know. You've been dead for years, but I doubt your desire to save innocent lives has faded much. You can do your part to help, if you accept my deal. And, in addition, you may speak with Ruby again as well."

Summer straightened herself, floating back to the ground, her incorporeal body reforming below her face. She looked like she was coming to her senses now, and doing a much better job of comprehending what was going on around her. Her face became more resolute, and she nodded, saying, for the first time confidently, "Yes, I will serve you, so long as I am serving good."

Naze nodded, and started to give the spirit more power. As he did so, her form became more concrete, and her mind was restored even more. As she became more powerful, whatever thing that Ruby saw actually transformed into her mother. The joy on her face of seeing the one who she had lost so long ago was instantly clear.

Naze didn't care for that, though. He readied himself to leave, his initial goal having been accomplished. He would later talk to his new employee about arrangements for her body, but he would allow her time with her daughters, and her husband, first.


	44. Chapter 44

Author's Note:

You know the drill. Do all the stuff. Tell me how that emotion thing at the end went.

* * *

Ruby was vaguely aware that Naze had left, but she wasn't too broken up about that. In fact, she was rather glad that he was gone. His presence had a way of ruining the mood of what was going on.

She tried to embrace her mother, but her hands simply went right through her. She was still slightly translucent, and was not solid, as Ruby had hoped. As a consequence, Ruby fell straight through her, and hit the floor, her eyes starting to water with happiness. She scraped her arms of the ground as she fell, but she didn't care, because she was going to get to peak with her mother, just like she always wanted.

She picked herself up off the ground, too fast for Yang or her father to help, and immediately went back to her mother, her hands near her chest, hardly able to contain her herself. She made a high pith squealing sound. She had thought about what she would say for hours upon hours, but none of the thoughts came to her now. All she could really do was simply look up at her, and try desperately to think of something.

Summer reached out a nearly gaseous hand, and put it as close as she could to Ruby's cheek without letting it pass through her, fixing her with a warm look. "Ruby, it's so good to see you again." She looked up to Yang, saying, "And you, Yang. You've both grown so much! You both have, and it makes me the happiest person in the world to see!"

She looked over to the side, and let her arms go out invitingly. "Tai, you look the same as the last time I saw you. You never told me how you do that, you know."

The two girls looked from their mother to their father, and saw that his eyes were watering again, and his entire body was shaking. He looked like he was about to have a breakdown of some kind. Yang remembered when he had simply shut down after Summer died, and wondered if her return was going to have some reverse, energizing effect.

Her father responded after trying and failing to compose himself, saying, "I'm sorry, my dear. Had I have known…" his voice trailed off as he started to weep, and all three of the women watching him felt their hearts, either physical or metaphorical, ache for him. His voice returned to him, wavering and unsteady, and he said "I wish I could touch you, my dear. I've longed to kiss you for so long, and you were never there…" his voice started to trail off again, and he stopped, trying to gather himself again.

Summer smiled, and said in as comforting a voice as she could manage, "Don't worry about it, Tai. I understand. You don't need to apologize for anything. Let's just focus on the fact that we'll be together again, shall we?" Taiyang smiled and nodded, agreeing with her.

Yang didn't want to ruin the moment, but she felt the urge to correct her mother about one thing. She wouldn't be able to simply stay around, she would have to work for Naze to stay. She didn't say this, though. She knew better than to kill the tenderness in the moment like that. It was a sad truth, though, that Summer had probably just given her father some false hope about her being able to stick around. She didn't want him to suffer again when Summer left, but if she stopped working for Naze, there would be no other choice.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to expect any kind of compassion from the lich. She wasn't angry with him or anything, but she just wished that he could show a little humanity that wasn't mind-arresting terror for once. Maybe if her mother was allowed to stay, a lot of good would come out of it. But she knew that he wouldn't agree. No matter how good for his image it would be, he wouldn't do it.

It was a shame, though. Yang knew that she herself was under the same constraint as her mother, but she didn't have much of an issue serving like she did. As long as she got to see the crazy things that seemed to keep happening she would be happy. Her mother, though, was a lot more heroic, something that Ruby probably got from her. Both only sought the betterment of the world around them, and not really much else. She admired both of them for that, and even felt a little inferior by comparison.

She drew her attention back to the scene at hand, and smiled broadly again. Summer was speaking with Ruby now, who seemed to have wrapped her head around the situation enough to be able to communicate. The two were discussing madly what Ruby had decided to do with her life, and how she had been inspired to follow in her mother's footsteps.

Perhaps it was Yang's undead side starting to emerge, but she thought that Summer looked troubled somehow. She smiled and nodded, giving praise to all of Ruby's actions, but there was something about them that seemed insincere. Not that she doubted her mother was proud, of course. It was clear that she really did care about what Ruby had been doing, but there was also just a hint that it made her sad, too.

Yang didn't say anything about this, either. She wondered why her mother would be feeling like that, then pushed the thoughts from her mind entirely. If there was a problem, she was sure that her mother would tell them. It wasn't long before she was motioned to not only by Ruby, but by her mother as well to go and join them. She did so, and walking forwards filled her with a warm feeling that she never wanted to go away. It felt like heaven to be reunited with her family, whole, even if two were dead. The doubts and wonderings faded from her mind, and she started to talk, telling her mother about her own experiences of late.

As much as she didn't wasn't to break the rough news, she did eventually tell her mother that she had died as well. She had tried to dance around the topic at first, but her mother started to get suspicious about it, and soon was asking her directly about her health. There was nothing that she could do to avoid the question. She had to flat out tell her mother that she was dead, and this was a much more difficult thing to do than she had expected. She couldn't help but feel almost ashamed by the fact that she had died.

Her mother was overcome with grief, her father started to quiet down, and Ruby started to become visibly uncomfortable talking about it, but she tried to assure all of them that it wasn't a sore subject. It was simply something that had happened, and there was no need to treat it with any special care.

She then proceeded to tell the story of how she had died, and of the mutated undead Grimm that had ended her life. At first Summer thought that Naze had meant for her to die, like had had planned it, but she was quick to explain that that was not how it had gone, and that it had all happened by total accident. Happy accident, in a way. Yang suspected that things would not have gone very well recently if she had not been involved.

They talked for hours, but when Summer said that she could feel Naze calling her for something more important, all of them understood. She wasn't able to just hand around like this, she had duties to perform, just like she had in life. Not much had changed, really, as she said. The job might have changed, but it was still interrupting her parenting.

* * *

Solace's eyes burned with a fiery passion when he heard the news of what was happening. He had expected some time between the announcement and the undead actually going about defiling the heroes that were respected. But no, instead they had gone out in numbers too great to protest, all over the world at once. The Order of the Holy Light had grown, but there was nothing they could do against something like this. They had tried everything at their disposal within the first few hours, riling up crowds, drawing attention to what was going on, preaching about how wrong it was, but all of this had only stopped a few resurrections, and those were sure to be continued at a later date.

It infuriated him that there was nothing they could do on a larger scale, even after doing everything to amass more numbers. But those that he had gathered were powerful, rivaling even the Hunters and Huntresses now, he was sure of it. Each among his ranks possessed such a strong, unbreakable soul, capable of channeling huge amounts of pure holy power. They were unbreakable, just like him. The first batch of recruits had, receiving a rather truncated education, had ascended to the full rank of Paladin, in spite of the meager assistance Solace could give them. Mighty warriors, every one of them. Perfectly capable of doing whatever it took to uphold human purity.

But now the undead had somehow managed to convince people that they should be allowed to corrupt the souls of their ancestors. Solace didn't know how they could agree to that, but it was obviously too late to do anything about it.

He bowed his head, feeling the dark tendrils of hopelessness start to drill their way into his chest. He had given hope to many this generation, even teaching them how to do the same in case he were to fall, but now he was losing it. No matter what he did, he could not feel the light inside him. When he needed it most, it was gone. His faith had never wavered before, and his strength had never buckled. But now, in the face of something like this, he was for the first time about to lose himself.

The door to the small room that he occupied opened, and a figure walked in. He could recognize the pearl white robes before he saw the face, and said "Ah, hello, Amber."

The Priestess closed the door behind her, then turned back to face him again. He could see the soft, concerned look in her eyes, and knew that she could see he was aching from the recent events. He remembered all of the things that he had told her about re-inspiring faith in those who had lost it, and readied himself to have those tactics repeated to him. That was one bad thing about being the architect of the new Order. He knew everything that everyone else did. When Amber had come to him, she had been a frail young girl, not just physically, but spiritually as well. She had been broken by everything that she had been through before, and had no reason to go on. Solace had given her that without hesitation, and she had blossomed like a flower with her new purpose. In a way, it was the opposite of the terrible withering that Solace experienced now. He wished that he could be as invigorated as she was.

Amber pulled the chair out from the other end of the table he sat at, and asked "May I sit down?" Solace nodded mutely, and she sat down gently. Solace then expected her to say something about his faith, or to complement him in some way, but she did not. Instead, she asked in a small, unobtrusive voice, "How is Reisha these days? Does she still plan to visit our monastery?"

This took him off guard. It was not the technique that she had been taught to use when dealing with things like this. Solace suspected that she knew he would pick up on this, so he didn't say anything about it, instead simply answering her question. "Yes, she does. She would have come in a few weeks, were it not for…"

He didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't have to. Everyone knew at least a little about the threat the world was facing from the demons, as well as that of the undead. Unfortunately, there was nothing that they could do about either one. He continued to talk about the only woman who had ever touched his heart, telling Amber about it, hoping that she wasn't getting more than she had bargained for. "She still hopes to when she had planned, but I think she's being a little too optimistic about it. She's worried about me, and how I'm dealing with things these days. Wishes she could console me, I suppose." He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, letting the sorrow drive a little deeper into his heart. "Maybe I should go and visit her. That would be nice."

Amber looked him over, up and down, doing her best to gauge him, before saying, "But you're needed here. You couldn't just call an end to the proceedings here, because we need you to guide us!"

Solace waved a hand, and gave a short, insincere laugh. "You don't need me. At least, not as much as you think. If I were to disappear, no one would be too sad by my going. I'm sure that all of you would rise to the occasion anyways, and fill my place."

He said this all looking down at his feet, and when he looked up, he found Amber giving him a horrified look. "We would never! We care immensely about you, Sir, and we would find you! We couldn't just let you disappear! You mean too much to each and every one of us! I know that, to me at least, you're a father."

He smiled at the girl. She wasn't much younger than him, biologically, so being called a father was quite strange. He had lived in a different time, however, so perhaps that explained it. He waved his hand again and said "Well, you would find a way to continue on, I'm sure. Perhaps it would be better that way. Maybe the Order should not be shaped the way it was, because times are not what they were."

When he finished that sentence, Amber did something very out of the ordinary for her. She cut him off. "Stop talking like that right now! You know that we would be devastated if you left! I know that everyone is feeling down about recent events, but we need to keep our spirits up. We have to keep the walls of our own making strong!"

The saying she used was not the most fluent, nor the most sensical, but it served its purpose. The small light seemed to stir in his chest, and he felt some dormant part of himself reawaken. If the undead scored such a huge victory, they would have to come up with one equally as massive. There was simply no other way.

He felt an immense gratitude in his heart towards the girl, but there was nothing that he could say to express this. Instead, he simply smiled at his disciple, and nodded. "Thank you, Amber. You never fail to inspire."

Amber smiled, and stood from her seat. "I'm glad that I could help. If you ever start to feel bad again, I'm always willing to talk about it."

Solace nodded again, and said, "Thank you." With that, Amber turned to leave the room. She felt good, having served Solace well. But as she left the room, she couldn't keep the smile. She was feeling the same degradation that Solace was, and countless other members of her Order. They just seemed so small in comparison to what was happening, how could they be expected to do anything?

She took a deep breath, and sighed. She needed a walk, that would clear her head. She would go for a walk, then she would be in a much better mood. She walked to the door of the building, nodding to the construction workers who had been hired to repair the wall that had been destroyed, and exited out into the fresh air. The sun was starting to sink in the sky, and it would be evening soon.

As she walked, she looked around at the people she passed. Not many were out walking the streets of the district, but those who were didn't give her any second looks because of her robes. They had grown used to the Order's presence in the area.

The whole while, though, she felt like she was being watched. It was a presence that she couldn't quite place, but she thought that she had felt it before. Eventually, she felt the need to turn and look for whoever it was that was stalking her. She did so, and was surprised to find the almost translucent form of one of Naze's ghosts. It was nearly formless, and had few defining features, but its burning eyes were all that Amber needed to know what it was. The two stared at one another for a moment, then the thing said "He's sad, isn't he?"

Amber was somewhat taken aback by this, and pulled her holy book from her side, ready to raise it and protect herself as soon as the need arose. "Why are you here? What do you want with me?" The fact that one of these things was with her was not good, and the fact that it presented itself could be even worse. It meant that it wanted something.

The thing stared at her again for a few seconds before responding "To deal, and negotiate. There are important things happening, and minor annoyances must not be allowed to ruin other's plans. My Master wishes to negotiate a truce between our peoples, at least so long as the demons have open rifts."

Amber looked at the creature, a twisted version of what a human soul was supposed to be. It was a foul corruption of an innocent soul, serving its wicked master without a second thought. Yet, there was something off about it. It seemed to have some degree of its own free will. Amber was reminded of her meeting with Yang in the hospital. It had been awkward at the time, but now she looked back and saw it as an important event. If there was any among Naze's fold that she could count on truly being as they were when they were alive, it was probably her.

She made these thoughts and feelings known to the shade before her, saying, "I don't want to discuss this with anyone but your ambassador, Yang. If you wish to deal, you do it through her. Otherwise, I won't trust anything you have to say."

The shade kept staring at her for a few seconds before nodding its head in a large motion, saying in its wispy voice, "Very well. Yang is preoccupied at the moment, and will not be able to make deals for an indeterminate amount of time. If this is your desire, please keep your master from making any more rash actions that impede our progress. It would be greatly appreciated."

Amber wasn't quite sure what to make of this. She didn't know if waiting was the right thing to do or not, but she hardly wanted to risk being manipulated by a faceless shade. She would rather have a conversation face to face with someone. Now that she thought about it, Yang had been rather personable when they had met. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she kind of liked the girl. They had only met briefly, of course, but still, she had seemed very friendly at the time. Very grateful for what Amber had done for her friends.

Amber shook her head. Maybe Naze was trying to confuse her, and make her think that his people were all the same way that she was. They could have been, she supposed, but they might also not have been. It was a delicate balance, she knew, and the thing was asking her to keep Solace from making any more radical moves against Naze. It wasn't quite her place, but she would do what she could, at least until getting an audience with Yang.

She looked up from her thought, and the shade was gone without a trace as to where it had gone. She no longer felt that she was being watched, or that there was anything nearby. Her fingers loosened around the spine of her holy book, and she tucked it carefully back into its pocket. Maybe Naze was telling the truth, maybe he wasn't. Either way, Amber only wanted to talk with someone she had met before. She wondered if she should tell Solace about the little meeting or not. She felt like she needed to, but she also knew that it wouldn't sit well with him, and he would probably deny it outright. Maybe it would be best if she kept this dealing in the shadow.

* * *

General Ironwood sat practically on the edge of his seat, watching the screens in front of him with as much attention as he could muster. His airship had gone dark, and was now moving without orders to do so. It pained him to say it, but the only probable option was that they had been captured. It made his heart ache, the people on that ship had been some of the most strong and dedicated soldiers he had ever trained, but it seemed that whatever they had faced was simply too much for them.

Onboard security cameras transmitting a live feed directly to his small private command post told as much of the story as he needed to know, and provided him imagery that would no doubt haunt his dreams for nights to come. To think that people so proud, and so disciplined, could give in to such carnal things did certainly not bode well. If these demons were really as persuasive as they appeared, then it would be a major problem if they were to get anywhere with a large number of people. He had to do everything in his power to stop something like that from happening.

It wasn't a minute after the ship started to fly without official orders that interceptors were scrambled and sent off, intent on destroying the traitor ship. There was nothing else that could be done in this situation.

It wouldn't be long before they would be able to take an offensive against the demons, though. Without the forces that Naze would use of resurrected heroes, they could not dispatch any Huntsmen or Huntresses to battle these foes without opening themselves wide to Grimm attacks. He was sure that in real one on one battles, Hunters were the only soldiers that they had who could stand against them.

The demon infested ship came into view of one of the interceptors, and he shook himself out of his pondering, bringing himself back to the battle.

Issuing direct commands to the interceptors directly would be difficult, but he had taken on responsibility himself. He took a deep breath, then spoke into the small microphone coming off of the side of his head. "Target in sight. Remember, this is a destruction mission. No prisoners, and no survivors. We can't let anyone affected by the taint get away."

A series of static clicks and a variety of voices saying, "Roger that." Came through his earpiece, and he gave an uncomfortable sigh, flicking his mic off again. He'd never thought he would have to order the deaths of his own people, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The whole situation left a bitter taste in his mouth, but there was nothing else that could be done.

Some part of him wished that he had switched positions with Ozpin. He had a much better, more pleasant job. He was managing the distribution of the Divinity generators to all the cities that would be receiving them. It was a much better job than being forced to kill one's own men, but Ozpin could feel a similar pain soon.

He had run some brief calculations, and found that with the number of Hunters that were currently issued, they would probably not have sufficient forces to defeat the demons. A scary reality, but the use of trainees in actual battles may have been a possibility. He despised the thought, exposing children to something like the things he saw was something that no child should ever have to go through, but if it turned out to be the only way to muster up the forces needed…

He hadn't told Ozpin about this yet. He didn't want to. He needed to check his calculations, and re-check them.

A burst of light from a screen brought his attention snapping back to the battle at hand, and he saw as a missile exploded against the hull of the commandeered airship, rending metal and wiring apart. It was good to see that the hull breaching weaponry was doing its job well enough.

The sudden rupture caused a quick change of pressure, and several bodies were blown out, tumbling towards the earth. They fell from the view of the camera mounter on the interceptor, and Ironwood knew that there was no chance that they had survived.

Another few missiles hammered into the white armor plating, and another few holes were blown through it. Normally interceptors didn't carry such powerful weaponry as this, but the situation warranted the approval of special dust charges. They were barely out of the prototyping stage, and this was the first real use on the field. He couldn't say that he was disappointed. The areas of the attacks made it clear what the interceptors were trying to do. They were aiming primarily for weapons systems, and not for the engines. They would keep the thing in the air as long as possible, and continue to blow the hell out of it until there was nothing left. Then, when it hit the ground, they would continue to barrage it with whatever they needed to. Gunships were standing by to clean up the rest of the survivors, if there were any.

It wasn't going to be clean, but it would get the job done. He had seen the kinds of things those demons could do now, and heard from Ozpin what they had done to one of his students. There was no room for mercy, no margin for error. All of those from the crash had to die, there was nothing else for them.

The weapons systems of the airship started to blaze into life, and gun turrets swiveled in the direction of the closest interceptors. They were designed to outmaneuver things like this, though, and wove their way through the bright tracer shots that streaked through the air. The addition of bullets flying through the air only slowed the damage to the airship slightly, as they were some of the most elite piolets that Ironwood had. Barely anything could touch them, and he knew that if the battle continued like this, they would all be home safe. He also knew that the battle wouldn't continue like this, though. They never did.

As if to prove his point, figures started to drop from the ship, and at first he thought that they were simply people. As they rocketed towards the ground, though, large wings unfurled from their backs, and they soared back up, pursuing the interceptors with all their might. He should have expected something like this, he supposed. Each interceptor did have a small machine gun mounted to its front, but they severely lacked maneuverability. Interceptors were not designed for prolonged dogfights, they were for quick and devastating hit-and-run.

One of them managed to place themselves directly in the path of one of the smooth jet crafts, causing the pilot to try and pull out of the way. He failed, though, and the two collided in midair. Ironwood watched through the cockpit camera as the front of the craft folded slightly under the force of the impact, but the demon stayed in one piece. It started to claw its way across the front of the craft towards the pilot, who was starting to panic. He shouted frantically to his fellows for help, and reached for the sidearm strapped to his leg. The glass of the cockpit was strong, but that demon would be able to pry it off without much issue.

Before the demon got within arm's reach of the glass, another interceptor made a pass at the two, machine gun spewing hot metal at the intruder. The craft shuddered as its armor strained to protect the innards of the machine, but the bullets also raked across the demon as well, ripping through its fleshy exterior without problem. Its strong ligaments and muscles did nothing to hold its body together against such high-powered projectiles.

Its body was torn apart, and its blood spattered the glass that it had sought to open. A few cracks in that glass appeared as bullets hit it and ricocheted off of its curvature, but the structure stayed strong.

The pilot jerked the craft upwards, and set about clearing the blood, activating wipers across the necessary parts of the screen and leaving the others bloodied.

Other demons were trying the same tactics, but the pilots learned from what they saw, and were careful to keep the winged fiends at a distance. Ironwood sent for the gunships so that they would be ready at the drop of a hat. Another barrage of explosions shook the airship, and fire started to belch from several of the holes. Several turrets stopped firing, and bore bodies tumbled out.

That was when something happened that caught Ironwood, and the pilots, totally off guard. A beam of black light blasted out from the command of the ship, and struck one of the interceptors, emitting a huge roar as the air within was superheated. After just the blink of an eye, like a lightning strike, it was gone. The interceptor that had been caught inside was gone with it, a few fragments that had been outside of the radius catching fire and falling.

For a brief moment, everyone was stunned. The pilots didn't knew what to do, Ironwood didn't know what to do, and the demons didn't know what to do.

One of the pilots spoke, voice shocked, saying, "Um, sir?" The voice on the other line swallowed a large lump in its throat before continuing, "Maybe you should see this." Ironwood obliged, looking towards the screen that correlated with that pilot's craft, and beholding what he was looking at.

A person, red clad and brazenly standing in the hole where the beam had originated from, was staring back at them. Ironwood didn't need a good quality video to see who it was, he was able to gather enough. "Cinder Fall." If she was involved, then she was at the head of this thing. He immediately started to issue orders in hopes of killing her and ending the whole conflict now. Maybe if she died, the demons wouldn't have anyone to lead them in the real world.

His orders brought his pilots back to focus, and they started to respond as he shouted, "All units, regroup! Primary target had changed! New primary goal: termination of Cinder Fall! Repeat, take out Cinder Fall, acknowledge!" He got the acknowledgements he sought, and the crafts started to change their patterns. Instead of swirling around the airship as a whole, blowing whatever they could out of it, they made tighter passes around the front, looking for an opportunity to deliver an explosive payload directly to the woman. Of course she was involved. When had anything bad ever happened when she wasn't?

None of them were able to get a clear enough shot, though. They continued to search for a good enough opening, but none presented itself. While Cinder was often out of the view of the cameras as this was going on, the pilots relayed the information to each other, as well as to Ironwood, as they say it. Most was simply saying, "She's just standing there." Or, "I think she might have moved!" but it all seemed to be of fairly low consequence. At least, up until one said, "She's bringing her hand up! There's light, or something. I, uh-"

The man's voice was cut off as another blast of noise covered it up, and his craft disappeared in the same flash that the other had. All the pilots fell silent at this, and their efforts redoubled to take Cinder down. As if to make the task harder, the demons started to close in on them as well.

Ironwood watched the screens, knowing that he had to make a choice. Two was a significant loss, and the way that the conflict was going, they were going to lose more before it was over. But still, if they could succeed, that would mean Cinder's death, no small thing indeed. He couldn't simply throw lives away, though, in hopes of attaining an unlikely goal. Even if they scored a direct hit, there was no guarantee that she would die. No, he had to wait, and pick his battles carefully. Her airship was already damaged in massive, almost crippling ways. It was spewing black smoke and fire out of most of its holes, and large pieces were starting to fall off. The thing didn't have more than a few miles left in it.

He sighed, and flicked his mic on again. "Pull back. Repeat, pull back. She's not getting far in that thing." He was bitter about it, but he knew that he had to let that go. He could move in with ground troops once the ship crashed, and then take out Cinder himself, if he decided to show up. That would be a pleasant thing to do, but the logical part of his brain reminded him that the risk would be too great. He couldn't risk exposing himself to whatever it was that had turned the crew of the ship to her side, perverting their minds into servants.

He hissed through his teeth as the interceptors moved away, speeding their way back to the nearest airfield where they could resupply and refuel. They had done a good job, but they couldn't do anything more. Now it was up to whatever forces he would be able to scrounge up to fight them on the ground. He had access to Hunters, as well as army forces, but he didn't know which would be effective against foes with powers like what he had just witnessed. With reticence, he removed the microphone and earpiece from his head, and stood, stretching his limbs. His arm gave a painful spasm, as it usually did when he found himself troubled, and he held it close, waiting for the fire to subside.

It did, slowly, and he started to cast around the room for something that might bring a little lift to his mood. His mind was heavy, and the load was starting to strain his shoulders.

* * *

When Jaune felt something stir on top of his chest, his eyes opened slowly, and he looked up. His eyes shot wide when he found Pyrrha's head as the disturbance. He didn't quite recall falling asleep in this position, but that was alright.

A sound from somewhere else in the room attracted his attention, and he looked up to find its source. When he did find it, his body jolted up, knocking Pyrrha awake rather unceremoniously. She made a startled noise and said, "Jaune, what are you-" she didn't finish her sentence, though, as Jaune put a hand over her mouth.

A noise of indignation managed to slip through his fingers, but Pyrrha didn't struggle. Instead, she just fixed Jaune with a questioning gaze, and tried to see what was going on around the room without pushing Jaune off. Jaune let her head raise slightly, and her gaze went to Nora. They widened, and Jaune felt her whole body tense up. Jaune wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, and whispered, "I think she's fixed, but I don't know. What should we do?"

He slid his hand off of Pyrrha's face, and let her sit up as well. She moved slowly, careful not to make too much noise, and let her feet brush against the ground. Jaune did the same, following her lead, mentally readying himself to deal with Nora again.

Pyrrha got to her feet, and Jaune did the same, eyes locked on Nora. He didn't know what they would do if it turned out that she wasn't fixed. She had been unbeatable in combat, at least against Jaune and Pyrrha, so he hoped that she was, in fact, free of the demon.

Her body was still draped over Ren in the bed, shaking and crying in a muted kind of way, as if she had reached the ends of her ability to feel sorrow. The very sight made Jaune start to feel bad. He felt like he had to help her, because she was suffering too much. He didn't want to speak out, though, because that would be dangerous. Pyrrha, however, didn't seem to feel the same trepidation. Or, if she did, she didn't show it. She said, "Nora, are you alright?"

Nora's crying stopped, and she became still. Both Pyrrha and Jaune stopped, and waited anxiously for her response. Nora slowly looked back at them, and both were taken aback by the expression on her face, so full of pain and regret. Tears were dripping down her face, and she looked like her spirit had been totally destroyed. It seemed that there was nothing left of the once cheerful and loving girl that had existed a few weeks ago. Now she was broken, it was clear to see.

Pyrrha reached out first, rushing to her friend's side and putting her hands on her shoulders, speaking softly in her ear, trying to make her feel better. Jaune wanted to help, but there was nothing that he could really do. He didn't know what he could possibly say to ease the weight of what Nora had done.

Pyrrha didn't have this problem, and immediately started to use her best charm and personable efforts to make Nora feel better. Jaune caught a few words of this, and what he heard made his heart feel a little heavier. "Nora, it's alright. It's all over now, you don't have to do anything anymore."

Nora made a few pathetic whimpering noises, the words, "eye", "Ren", and, "hurt", all with significant amounts of incomprehensible garble between them. Pyrrha seemed to get the general idea, though, and pulled Nora into a hug. The girl didn't have the strength to react. As this was going on, Jaune gave Ren a sad look. His eyes were still closed, and he breathed slowly. The tubes going into his arm slowly dripped fluid into his veins, keeping his body nourished in his comatose state.

As Jaune looked at him, he thought that he saw something different than before he had gone to sleep. Underneath Ren's eyelids, his eyes were darting around rapidly. His breathing was slightly rushed, and, now that he looked closely, he could see a thin layer of sweat that had formed across his skin. This wasn't how he had been before.

He reached out, and gave Ren's shoulder an experimental shake. Ren didn't wake up, but there was definitely some reaction. He gave a small moan, and seemed to roll slightly in his bed. Jaune's eyes widened, and he looked back up to the two girls with a shocked expression. Pyrrha was still in the process of consoling Nora, who was now staring at Pyrrha's eye patch, starting to cry harder.

Jaune knew that if Ren woke up, it would do a lot for Nora's psyche. He didn't know if Ren would be in a good condition when he woke up, though. If Ren was happier asleep, he wanted to keep him that way. Nora obviously needed him, though. He didn't have much of a choice in the matter, really.

He shook Ren's shoulder harder, and leaned down to his ear, whispering, "Hey, Ren, can you hear me?" There was another small groan, and Jaune took that as at least confirmation that he could be awoken. He continued, hoping that his efforts would work. "Listen, I know that you're feeling sleepy, but you've really got to get up. See, Nora is doing really bad right now, and you need to wake up to make her feel better, alright?"

Ren again gave a small moan, but his eyes still remained closed. Jaune started to feel unnerved, thinking that Ren might never wake up again. He started to sweat himself, his concern growing. "Ren, I know you can hear me, so you really have to wake up!" By this time both of the girls had moved away from the bed, Pyrrha practically dragging Nora away, and Nora not having the strength to resist. Jaune made use of this by starting to talk a little louder. "If you don't wake up, I think Nora is going to get worse. You don't want that, do you?"

Again Ren stirred just barely, but didn't wake up. Jaune sighed, and sat back up. Ren was better, somehow, but still not right. But any improvement was good, and he tried to comfort himself with that thought. He stood again, and walked over to where Nora and Pyrrha were seated. He resigned to the fact that Ren would have to wake up on his own, even though this was a difficult thing to do. It hurt, but Ren would just have to be left to his own devices. It wasn't too bad, Jaune supposed. He was going to have his hands full with Nora, he could tell.

Her body was still in the shape that it had when the demon was inside of her, and Jaune felt guilty about the thoughts going through his head. He had hoped that she would revert back to her original body, but instead Jaune found himself sickened by the impure things that his mind jumped to, especially considering the distress she was in.

He set about trying to help Pyrrha in any way that he could, doing his best to raise the girl's spirits. It didn't seem to make much of a difference, though. The best that they could do was to make her crying a little lighter.

The light of the sunset shone through the window, and offered a small degree of comfort to the three. No matter how bad things got, there was always tomorrow.

Eventually, they were able to get Nora to fall asleep. She looked like, in her dreams at least, things were going much better for her. A smile cracked across her face, and her body relaxed. Neither Jaune nor Pyrrha wanted to clean her, and risk waking her up. So instead, they left her to dream, and returned to where they had fallen asleep before. They were hungry, but there would be food in the morning. They drifted off into sleep again, slowly, and enjoyed the quiet as much as they could.


	45. Chapter 45

Author's notes:

Taking the ACT is no fun. Other than that, I don't really have anything to say. Do the reviews.

* * *

Weiss was just about to crawl into bed, when her scroll started to buzz, and she looked down to see the notification, "You have: 1 call waiting for you at the CCT."

She heaved a heavy sigh. There was only one bunch that she knew who needed the CCT to call her, and that was her family. Whether it was her father, or her sister, or someone else, she didn't know, but she did know that she wasn't making it to bed without a massive headache.

She had to respond to it, there was no way that she would be able to get away with leaving a call overnight. And besides, if she did that, she would have to either make it to the CCT before classes, or delay even further by waiting until the end of the day. Either one would be unacceptable, so she had to go now.

She heaved an annoyed sigh, then started to put her regular clothes on again. Her teammates eyed her questioningly, and Blake asked, "Uh, Weiss, what are you doing?" As Weiss turned around to look at the faces of her friends, she started to become more annoyed.

"I'm supposed to go and pick up a call, apparently. My father, no doubt." She finished pulling her hair into a ponytail and let off another sigh. Yang and Ruby had returned a short time before, and Ruby had been chattering excitedly about her meeting with her mother. She had calmed down by now, though, and Yang had left most of the storytelling to her.

Ruby spoke from the bunk above her, saying, "Do you want us to go with you? I mean, I know that this kind of stuff really gets to you, but you don't have to go alone." As she spoke, Weiss looked up at her. She was already prepared to sleep, her pajamas on, and halfway beneath the covers of the bed. The offer might have been filled with good intentions, but there was a certain quality about Ruby's voice as she said it that made Weiss take it as some kind of insult.

"No, Ruby, I'm capable of handling my own family, thank you." The sound around the room quieted, and she was left in the wake of her words. She intended to walk straight to the door, but guilt immediately started to make her feel as though she had to apologize. "I'm sorry." she said, "It's just that I always get like this when I have to deal with my family. I didn't mean to get mad."

Ruby shook her head and said, "No, its fine. Don't worry about it. You're sure about not wanting us to go, though?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes, I'd rather face whatever mess there is now alone. It's nothing against you. If I need you, I'll call you." Her teammates nodded now, and started to go return to their bedtime preparations. Weiss stepped towards the door, doing her best to mentally prepare herself for whatever was going to happen next. Matters with her family always seemed to turn out in chaos, so it would be best if she stayed on her toes. It was late, and she was tired, making that a difficult thing to do.

After saying a series of short goodbyes, as well as promises that she would try to not wake anyone up, she departed, letting the door close behind her. The walk to the exit of the dorms was just as it always was, and she soon found herself in the brisk evening air. The sun was more than halfway tucked behind the horizon, drifting lazily down as Weiss walked through the streets. The CCT wasn't far from the dorms, not more than a ten minute walk from the housing, which was something that was appreciated by everyone who made use of the facility.

The streets proved uneventful, but Weiss couldn't help but feel on-edge, and she wasn't sure why. Every small sound was something that she reacted to either by jerking her head in the direction of, or walking faster away from it. Why she was so anxious, she wasn't sure, but she was sure that it had to do with the prospect of talking with her family again.

Despite the slightest disturbances making her jump, nothing happened during her walk. She reached the tower without problem, and was soon walking past the guards standing outside the main door. The tower would close soon, but it was the policy of the tower to not cut calls off when the tower closed. If Weiss hurried, she would be able to receive the call before the tower closed. She stepped into the doors, and hurried towards the elevator, readying her scroll to set the elevator going.

When the disembodied voice asked for her identification, she provided it, and the voice greeted her by name before she told it what floor she wanted to go to. The elevator started to move, and she leaned against the wall behind her, wishing that she was still in bed.

When the doors opened again, she stepped out to find the holographic secretary seated behind the greeting desk. Weiss stepped towards her, and she looked up at her, speaking in a slightly distorted voice. "Hello Ms. Schnee! If you'll just step over to one of the terminals, I'll connect you to your call."

Weiss nodded and thanked the projection before turning to the large number of terminals that she could choose from. It didn't strictly matter which one she took, she just wanted one that didn't have wads of gum stuck under the desk and soda spilled over the terminal. She didn't know how people could do things like that to things that everyone had to use, but it certainly happened. As she walked towards them, the secretary disappeared, the lights projecting her flicking off. Weiss knew the reason for that. People tended to be more comfortable in their communications when there was no official employee of the building watching over them. She doubted that this would ease her talk, though.

Once she found a station that was more-or-less spotless, she sat down and turned the thing on, waiting to be connected with her no doubt upset family member, whoever that may be.

When the screen blazed into life, she found the face of her father, teeth gritted and hair hanging down over his forehead just enough to make him look insane. Weiss nearly jumped when she saw him, and was about to speak when he beat her to it. "Weiss, do you care to explain to me why there are zombies trying to break their way into the family crypt?"

The question itself was enough to catch the man's daughter off guard, but the angered tone he used added to this effect, making Weiss stumble across her words. The only reply she could respond with was, "I… who… what?"

Her father, obviously irate, growled out the words, "Are you telling me that you don't know? There was an announcement about it on the news, I highly doubt you missed it."

The pieces snapped into place in Weiss's mind, and she experienced a moment of confusion. "Wait, who in our family are they trying to get? I'm not…" The Schnee family had been one of warriors before their company grew to a near-monopoly on everything dust related, and there had been many generations before the family crypt had been put into service. Weiss had always known that it existed, but had never really thought about it. There had never been a reason to. Now that she considered, though, it was a slightly odd thing to have, but it was something of a family tradition to be entombed there. She didn't know who Yang had put on her list, but there was something slightly amusing about it. It would be much funnier if her father wasn't staring her down like a bull, though.

"Father, I don't know who they're going after, but why are you getting upset? I mean, the Schnee family has had a lot of heroes in the past, and I'm sure that they would want-" her father cut her off, hard businessman voice overpowering his daughter's smaller voice.

"I should certainly think that you'd know! The one with the cane said that all the names were chosen by that Yang girl, your friend! I would expect her to tell you, if you're really as good of friends as you've said!"

Weiss felt a sudden pang of doubt. Why wouldn't Yang tell her? Had she done that on purpose? She didn't think so, but that possibility still existed. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts. Her father was doing this knowingly, trying to make her doubt. She wasn't about to let him get away with using his "aggressive deal" strategies against her.

Somewhere behind her father, she could hear Winter's voice shout, "Dad, calm down! You don't need to do that! Just ask her if she can get Yang to talk to!" Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. Winter was the same ilk as her father, yes, but she was much more reasonable.

She responded to her sister's comment before her father could, saying, "Yes, that's a good idea! It wouldn't take too long to get her here. Give me a minute, I'll call her." Without waiting for another word, she put the call on mute and stood again, pulling her scroll and calling Yang. The device only ringed once before a click on the other end indicated the call had been answered, followed by the hushed but boisterous voice of her teammate.

"Hey buddy! How's it going? Is there a problem or something?" Her voice was clearly an unconcerned kind of drawl, but Weiss didn't know how she could be that calm.

She responded, "Yang, get over here, now! How come you didn't tell me that one of my own ancestors was going to get reanimated?"

There were several seconds of silence from the device, before Yang's voice said, "Okay, do you want me to explain that first, or to get over there first?"

It sounded like a joke, but Weiss wasn't in the mood for jokes. Her only response was to nearly shout "Yang!" into the scroll, and hear Yang fumble the thing in her startled fingers.

As the scroll was brought back under control, Yang said, "Alright, alright, calm down. I'm on my way, just sit tight." Weiss hung up the call, and turned back to the console on which the muted call was still holding. She didn't want to go back to her father without Yang present, but every second that she delayed would be one more that her father stewed in his anger. She didn't want the man to get too angry.

She sighed, and put a hand to her face. She wanted to be asleep by now, not dealing with a stressful situation like this. It wasn't going to do any favors for her ability to sleep at all tonight, that much was certain.

She decided to wait for Yang to arrive. It would be much easier then, and if she was lucky, she could just push Yang in front of the screen and step out of frame. A bit mean, perhaps, but a viable option anyways.

It was only about two minutes before Yang arrived, and Weiss could only assume that she had gotten a ride somehow. Taxis didn't run on campus, and the CCT was just on the edge. When she arrived, the elevator doors dinged open, and she walked right past the holographic secretary, ignoring her, and waving at Weiss. "Hey, what's up? Am I in trouble or something?"

She reached Weiss's side, and the smaller girl only took her arm, pushed her into the seat in front of the screen, and said, "You are going to explain everything to my father. Got that?"

Yang gave her teammate a half grin, half frown, and asked, "He isn't really that mad, is he? Like, I mean, not super mad, right?"

Without saying a word, Weiss reached over and unmuted the call, revealing her father's face again. He didn't look like he had calmed down at all, instead having grown more upset. Weiss made a brief introduction by saying "Here she is. She'll tell you whatever you want."

After she finished, she stepped back, putting distance between her and the golden-haired undead so that she would appear out of focus to the camera. Yang turned back to her, an indignant look on her face, before Weiss's father cleared his throat and said "Good. Now, perhaps you can tell me why there are festering corpses vandalizing my private property and trying to exhume my forefathers!"

There was another brief moment of silence where Yang didn't know what to say, then she responded with, "Well, first, you know about the big order thing, right? Like, the kingdoms all agreed that we could to that. So we aren't really doing anything wrong there." She paused, then seemed to correct herself. "Well, at least not legally, anyways. Second, they don't try to get the bodies out unless the spirit agrees to the whole deal. And, sorry, I know you probably don't like this, but your say really doesn't mean a whole lot, because it's not your choice."

Weiss's hands were over her mouth, although she wasn't really aware of it, and what little color her skin normally held had faded in less than a heartbeat. She couldn't believe that Yang was talking to her father like this. The only person who ever had were White Fang representatives, and they usually tried to kill him. The fact that Yang was being so brazenly disrespectful was horrifying, not because she was worried about Yang, but she was worried about what her father would think of the undead afterwards. His opinion already wasn't high of them, but now it was bound to be worse.

Her father's face started to turn beet-red, and Weiss could tell even through the screen that he was clenching his fists under the desk. When he got like this, people usually started to lose their jobs. Yang didn't work for him, though, so she didn't know what he would do. A feeling of dread came over her as she started to think about what her father might do to her instead of Yang. Even if her father ordered, she wasn't leaving the school. She hoped that it wouldn't come down to that, though.

Her father stared at Yang through the screen, obviously trying to keep himself under control, when Yang asked, "Hey, what was that guy's name, again? Sorry, but I had to read through like a few thousand when I was making that list, so I don't remember everyone. He was the General guy or whatever that fought in the uprising, right?"

Weiss's father looked taken aback, and said, "Bartholomew Leroy Hitchcock was not a general! He was a noble, who rose to the occasion of defending what he loved from the tyrannical threat that loomed over the world!"

Weiss saw in the reflection on the screen that Yang raised an eyebrow, and she leaned in as close as she could without appearing on the camera, using Yang's wild mane to hide, and whispered "From my mother's side."

This seemed to answer the question that had popped into Yang's head, and she went back to the topic at hand. "So why not let him do that again? It sounds like he's the kind of guy who would want to come back and fight demons. Aren't you kind of being a little bit of a prick for not letting him?" The urge for Weiss to smack her own forehead was a difficult one to resist, but she managed. It was difficult to tolerate the fact that she was being so casually disrespectful towards someone like her father.

Weiss empathized with her father's anger to a point, but he had always had issues with it. He had a very stressful life, yes, but sometimes it simply went further than that. He was something of a control freak, and this whole situation was sure to only inflame that problem. He was being unreasonable, though. Weiss could see that, even as often as she had sympathized perhaps a little too much with her father.

The screen suddenly went blank, and a small message appeared, informing them that their "partner" had discontinued the session. Yang stood from her seat, and turned to Weiss, putting her hands up, preemptively stopping the storm of curses that was about to be thrown her way. "Alright, hold on. That was like, half not me. I wouldn't have done that normally, and you know it! Naze was telling me to be rough with him. Something about "testing his limits" or something, I don't know. Just don't be mad at me, Naze has a plan. As usual."

Weiss put several fingers to her temple, rubbing them in a circular motion across the soft skin, hoping it would do something to mend the pain of the brain aneurism that Yang was giving her. She spoke, her voice weak now, as she had mostly given up being angry, "I could have told you that. Why did he…" she sighed, abandoning the line of inquiry. Probably for the same reason he had allowed Yang to die a preventable death, or worked to improve relations with Ironwood. It all worked out in the end, somehow. She felt some doubt that Naze really intended any of it, and was sure that she would find the energy to be upset tomorrow. For now, she was tired, and needed to go to sleep. It was hard to care about the desecration of the family tomb when she both couldn't think straight, and considered it to be a very weird thing in the first place.

Yang put a hand on her back and said, "Are you alright? You don't really look too good." Weiss nodded, and made a weak attempt to shrug Yang's hand off. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Let's just get back to the room, shall we?" Yang nodded, and the two started off towards the elevator again. The whole time, Yang kept a close eye on Weiss. It looked like she was getting sick. She hoped it was nothing serious, but didn't take any precautions. She didn't have to worry about getting sick anymore, of course.

The walk back to the dorms was quiet, with neither girl having anything to say to the other. When they got back, Yang opened the door, and held it for Weiss without going in, saying, "Do you think you can make it on your own from here?"

Weiss gave her a raised eyebrow and asked, "What, you're not coming up?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders and replied, "No, I've got some other stuff I have to do. Official undead business, you know." Weiss nodded, too tired to care, and started to walk inside, waving over her shoulder as she went. Yang called, "See you tomorrow!" before letting the door fall shut, and setting off on her own again.

* * *

Amber felt nervous about the meeting that she had agreed to. Yes, Yang was the most relatable undead she had met, but she was still undead. And big, at that. She recalled the crushing hug that she had received, and could only imagine what would happen it that strength was turned at her in violence.

Her hand drifted to the ever-present holy book at her side, and she shifted her weight on her heels. This was where they had agreed to meet, on the corner of a street not too far from the monastery. She hadn't told anyone about the meeting, as she knew that it would cause a ruckus if anyone found out. It was simply much easier to keep in the dark. She didn't like keeping secrets, though. It was the exact opposite of what she was supposed to do. It was a necessity, though, and at least she didn't have to lie. That was where she drew the line. Not telling someone something was bad enough, but she would outright refuse to tell a lie. She could not do that to her brothers and sisters.

The sky started to leak a slow drizzle past the streetlamp she stood by, and she was thankful that her hood protected her from most of the water. Rain was all she needed to make the wait seem more ominous. She looked around herself again, waiting for something to come stalking out of the darkness that surrounded her.

Eventually, she did see a form walking out of the darkness. There was no light around it, as the path of its approach was an alley across the street, but it seemed to stride in the shadow easily. Amber felt herself start to ready herself for a fight, even though she was terrible in combat. It was all she really could do.

As the figure got closer to her, the pale streetlamp revealed that it was Yang. Amber breathed a sigh of relief. The lack of light had made her seem more imposing, and her nerves were jittery because of the feeling of wrongness that pervaded in what she was doing.

As Yang walked towards her, Amber saw the large smile on her face, as well as her arms spread in greeting. "Hey, I remember you!" A small smile spread across Amber's face, and she nodded, brushing a few strands of wet hair out of her face.

Yang continued, saying, "How have you been? I haven't really heard from you! Although, I guess that's kind of my fault, but whatever. Anyways, we're going to talk about some stuff?"

Amber nodded, and motioned to the building behind her. "Yes, we can get out of the rain in here, if you like. Its abandoned, and no one's going to hear us."

Yang looked up at the building, sizing it in her mind, then nodded. "Yeah, it certainly looks that way." Amber went to open the door behind her, and walked in, holding the door for Yang. It led into a long hallway, whose plaster walls were rotting and falling down. Mold clung to the peeling paint, and eroded the wood supports behind the plaster.

It looked like it was about to fall apart, but Amber knew that it would be safe from collapse, at least for a few more days. It was slated for demolition soon, but when, she didn't know. Amber did know that no one came around this building, though. It was utterly useless to anyone that wasn't entirely desperate.

They came to the end of the hall, and turned left to find a large room, with a door laying on the floor inside and the frame hanging off the surrounding wall. A small table sat at the center, just as decrepit as everything else. Two chairs also inhabited the room, pushed to the side and forgotten long ago. Amber took them with slight hesitation, and placed them at opposing sides of the table. She then motioned for Yang to sit, and did so herself.

There was a brief instant where Yang simply looked around the room, unsure of what to say, before making the joking comment, "Nice place you've got here. How much is the rent?"

Amber raised an eyebrow, not expecting to hear a joke, but smiled anyways. "No one will bother us here, and I want to talk about this away from the Order. Now, can we get down to business?"

Yang nodded and said, "Yeah, alright. No problem. So, Naze wants to work out a deal, and he thinks that you would be a lot easier to talk to than Solace. Nothing against either of you, it's just, you know, he hates us with a burning passion for no real reason. So, you know about the whole demon thing that's going on, yeah?"

Amber nodded, and said, "Yes, I've heard about how bad it's getting. It's horrible to think about, but we can't really do anything about it. We just don't have enough numbers to effectively do anything about it."

Yang smiled, and shook her head. "Yeah, you don't, but Naze is offering that we put aside the little feud that you have with us, and you actually get a little help from us to fight the demons." Yang seemed honest enough, but Amber didn't know what to look for. So instead, she simply listened to Yang's words.

She asked, "What kind of help would he give us? We can't use any magic, and we want none of his foul technology. I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that you're trying to-" she made to stand up, but Yang put a hand on her shoulder and forced her back down to her seat. Her hand went to her holy book again, and she prepared herself to use it.

Yang held Amber down for a few more seconds before letting out a heavy sigh and starting over. "Look, look at me, right? I know that you don't like what I am, and I know it's because you think Naze screwed with my soul, or whatever. But you were there when Nora went crazy, right? Remember how fun that was? Would you rather have the occasional creation of someone like me, who goes slightly against your weird religion thing, or would you rather have everybody turn into something like Nora?"

Amber had not quite thought about it that way. Given the choice between the rational, yet subtle slant of human purity, or the outright perversion of the human body and soul, she would choose the former. Yang's point was well made, but there was still a problem with it. Amber voiced this, saying, "Even if we agree, our fighting won't do much. We use holy power, which is not very effective against demons. There must be better choices…" Her voice trailed off, and she recalled some of the passages that Solace had taught her about the importance of remaining strong. Would bending a knee to the undead, even for only a little while, be a sign of weakness?

Yang snorted, and said, "That's a lot better than nothing! Besides, Naze might have a natural reason to dislike holy power, but that doesn't mean that he ignores studying it. There are little things that you can do that will make your people a lot more potent against demons. Naze is willing to tell you what that stuff is, if you agree to this." Yang finished her pitch, and sat back slightly in her chair.

Amber bit her lip. It was a great deal of pressure to be asked something like this herself, especially when it was not her place to make decisions about the destiny of the Order of the Holy Light. She would have to make this proposal to Solace, and he would, in turn, know that she had considered it. She didn't want to disappoint him, but she didn't want to sit idly by as good men and women died, or worse.

Her distress about the offer must have shown, because Yang stood from her chair and said, "You look like you're freaking out a little bit about this, so I'm just going to go, if that's alright. If you want to call me or something, just get in touch with Beacon or something, and they can connect you to me. You catch that?"

Amber was looking down towards the floor, thinking when Yang asked this, which pulled her back out of her thoughts. She looked back up and said "Yes, I did. I will, if anything comes of this. Though, I can't promise anything. Solace may not take kindly to it."

Yang nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess that's the best we can do. Well, thanks for listening to me, and for not whipping that thing out and frying me." She pointed to the holy book at Amber's side. Amber smiled and nodded.

Yang walked back out of the building, but Amber stayed behind to think. If she really was going to make this proposition to Solace, which she didn't know yet if she was going to do, then it would take quite a bit of preparation on her part. Not just to make Yang's offer as appealing as possible, but also to work up the guts to do it. The power she'd found within herself helped with things like that, but certainly didn't carry her. Not with important authority figures.

Yang lingered for a while by the door, waiting to see if Amber would come, but she did not. With a shrug and a turn, Yang started to return the way she had come.

* * *

Summer Rose looked around her in utter disbelief at the multitude of corpses simply wandering around, doing jobs as if they were just regular people at their jobs. She was sure for a while that there must have been ropes, pulleys, or some other system that worked the series of dead bodies like they were alive, but after a few minutes of investigation, she was satisfied that the corpses were, in fact, animate.

She was shown a brief tour by Naze, and the whole while she asked him questions, receiving answers that shocked it. It was insane to think that the kinds of powers she was seeing now had always existed, and simply been hidden beyond their observation.

If the modern people were to gain access to it, it would change the world for the better in numerous ways. They would never have to worry about power again, medicines would be advanced by leaps and bounds, and they could be able to throw off the shackles that the Grimm had always placed on humanity. When she asked about whether Naze was going to provide this knowledge to the living, he only responded by saying, "I will provide them the tools to rediscover what they once knew. The rest will be only for them to find."

Summer sighed. It felt wrong to withhold information like that, but she supposed that she understood. It would be bad if some people were to get their hands on the kinds of things that Naze had locked away. She couldn't find herself getting used to her spectral form, though. It was a very bizarre thing to have one's body (or what served as one) be controlled totally by one's mind.

Naze's power strengthened her, keeping her awake, but there was more it did. She could feel herself linked to the sorcerer, the pressure of his thoughts weighing on the edges of her mind. If she concentrated, she could feel beyond that, detecting thousands upon thousands of other connections. Some seemed to be in constant contact with Naze, and others seemed to be mostly isolated. She couldn't figure out what made these different, but there was something about them. She wondered which one her daughter was. She was certainly in that bundle of nerve-like connectors somewhere. She also wondered if she could talk to Yang through it. If she could, it would give her an excellent way to communicate with Ruby.

Still, though, there was some part of her that was still in shock. It was a huge piece of news to hear that her daughter was dead. It filled her with sadness, and were she not dead herself, she probably would have gone into a depression. Yang had told her how she died though, and the story filled her with pride. She had died to save her sister, the most valiant and noble thing she could have done. There was no shame in giving everything for someone else.

Although it had little relevance, it reminded her of the circumstance that surrounded her own death. While she didn't remember much about the act itself of dying, she did remember that she had done something similar to what Yang had, taken a blow in the place of another. She got the distinct impression that she had misjudged her opponent, though. It wasn't something that she was prone to do, but was a mistake that could certainly lead to death.

When she asked Naze why she wasn't able to remember, he responded by affirming, "Yes, it is not uncommon for spirits to forget after a period of time like the one you have been dead for. It simply indicates that your death was not the most important thing to you. You will remember when you are needed to. Now, have you any recollection of where you died? This is important, should you want your body back. It could be arranged that you be put into another, of course, but I find that warriors often prefer the body that they spent their lives learning."

Summer found the option puzzling. Could she really be put in someone else's body? She assumed that he meant another's corpse, but could she be made alive again? Given the chance, she didn't think that she'd take it. She started to rack her mind for any information she could about where she had been killed. Doing her best to picture the scenery, she shut her eyes and stopped moving. "It was… it was cold, and white. There was snow. It must've been somewhere far north. I was there on a mission. I don't think that anyone was issued to go with me, but I could be wrong about that."

Naze didn't respond at first. Instead, Summer could almost feel the gears turning, and the thoughts cascading through his mind. It wasn't just contained to his head, it seemed to be all around. Summer wondered if he was really contained to the body that he seemed to occupy, or if there was something else. She was just about to ask this question, when something else attracted her attention. The two came to the entrance of a massive library.

Summer had never seen so many shelves in one place before. There must have been trillions of books, all stored and organized on the shelves. There were many undead shuffling around the massive room that stretched as far as the eye could see, some reading books, some writing in books, and some moving books from shelf to shelf.

The amount of knowledge that must've been contained within this one room boggled Summer's mind, and she took a few gliding steps into the room. There were tomes enough to last her hundreds of lifetimes in here, and she always had loved reading.

Naze's voice came from behind her, a slight echo being lost in the gargantuan room, "Impressed? It's taken some time to amass this horde, but I believe it time well spent."

Summer turned to him again, almost more breathless than a ghost could possibly be, and asked, "Have you read all of these? Certainly not, right? I mean, how could you remember all of this?" She made a weak gesture back towards the books, and shook her head as if answering her own question.

If Naze still had the muscles to smile with, he would have adopted a small grin. Not because he actually felt happy, but because it helped to communicate his meaning. Instead, he said, "I have, and recall every detail. I may have to refresh my memory with a quick second look occasionally, but otherwise, yes, I have."

Summer didn't believe him. How could she be expected to? No human could accomplish something like that, not even a dead one, no matter how long they had been dead. In an attempt to test whether he was telling the truth or not, and went to one shelf, pointed towards a random book, and said, "What is this?"

The spine of the book bore characters that she didn't recognize, but they looked like vicious slashes of a pen. Naze glanced at the spine, then said, "That would be an instructional guide on correct and efficient usage of varying styles of runes and symbols. It's a beginner's text, but I have read it, yes. While it claims to have the majority of styles covered in its pages, its selection is actually quite pitiful."

Summer moved again, going over several shelves, and pointed to a book several shelves out of reach. Naze followed her, and when he gazed up at it, he said. "That one is the third of a fictional series telling of the seven-year siege of a city. The focus is on a mage who works to stop the conflict with his magic, and eventually simply allows the city to fall."

Summer knew that he could just be making it up, but the monotone voice, in combination with the eddies of thought that lapped against the side of her mind, made her think that he was telling the truth. She was about to ask about another one of the books when Naze said, "If we spend all day conversing about this, there will be no time to reclaim your corpse before you're needed to protect the citizens of Remnant from their natural predators."

Summer nodded, and said, "Right, sorry. I'm simply curious. There's so much here that I don't understand."

Naze nodded, and replied, "Yes, of course. Perhaps you will, in time, but you do have a task, and that task must take precedence until complete. If you think you are able, I might like for you to be the head of the protection efforts in Vale. You are relatable enough, and those who know of you would have a high regard for your deeds, as I understand it. Are you willing?"

Summer was taken by surprise with this question. Naze wanted to put the responsibility in her hands? She was unable to respond at first. "I, uh…" her voice trailed off, and she stared at Naze blankly, mind reeling at the responsibilities that such a duty would encompass.

Naze noted this, and spoke to clear up what her job would be. "This would, of course, make it necessary for you to be in communication with the living government, as whomever may be managing the fighting forces. I expect that all but small reserve forces, both military and Hunter, will be redirected at the demonic threat. You'll command a large undead force, and be responsible for the safety of Vale, as well as the surrounding territories. Are you willing to take this responsibility?"

Naze's explanation moved things along in her mind, but she still found it very difficult to think about such a large decision. Naze sensed this, and added, "This decision need not be made immediately, of course. You have time to consider."

Summer nodded her head, and affirmed, "Yes, I think I would like to think about it."

Naze responded, "Very well. Now, there's much more here than a library, but this is as much time as I have for a tour. A ghoul will be by to show you the rest. If you desire, attempts to recover your body can be made if you recall more detail about its location."

With that, Naze turned to leave. Summer watched him go, old faded robes dragging on the ground as he went. She wasn't sure what to make of her new master, but she could certainly say that Yang's brief description of him as "a nerdy skeleton with magic and superpowers" was in many ways accurate.

* * *

Smoke leaked through the door behind the chair Cinder was sitting in, but she didn't mind. The smell of melting steel, electronics, and flesh wasn't too bad. It was, at least, different from what she was used to. In fact, she rather found herself loving it.

The smoke wasn't the only sensation that was out of the ordinary. A shrill, repeating siren was blaring from above her head, warning her that the airship was about to crash. As if she didn't know that already. The steep incline of the ship had told her about half an hour ago that the ship's time was limited. Most of her followers had survived the attack of the foolish people who had tried to stop them. They wouldn't succeed, not when she had the strength of her lord behind her. While the ship had been falling, though, she had received a revelation from her master. A plan of attack as to how she would destroy the horribly pleasure-devoid undead. She would spread her gift throughout all of Menagerie, then use the White Fang to plant the seeds even further. If it all worked out, she would be perched perfectly to take control over the world under her master.

She would have to be fast, though. The world knew that she had broken free of their shackles, and was going to do their best to suppress them. She had to sweep across the continent with as much haste and decisiveness as she could. She had to share her gift with as many as possible, and get them to spread it just as well. It would take all of her focus to do that.

The airship started to drop as one of its engines gave out entirely, exploding somewhere near the back of the ship. Cinder saw for a brief moment on the screen in front of her a damage readout, and knew that the ship was beyond salvage. Air started to rush into the bridge through the blasted out front, and Cinder stood from her seat. It was a good time to go now, she knew. She probably could survive the impact if she stayed, but then she would have to recover, and every second counted. She left the bridge, and started to make her way back towards the middle of the ship. She passed many of her followers along the way, and gave them a brief summary of their plan before reaching her destination, the cargo bay. It was here that would be easiest to disembark from the ruined ship, and make the rest of their way of foot. They were close now, and would be able to reach the city before sunrise.

The forests below grew closer and closer, until eventually she could see leaves and branches being swatted off of their trunks like nothing. The roar of the grating between steel and wood was like music to her ears, and the vibrations that raced through the floor as the remains of the hull were rended apart by rock were spectacular.

Eventually, there was a great jolt, and most people were knocked to the ground as the ship stabbed its belly into the earth. Cinder stayed on her feet, and watched as a wave of dirt, tree bark, and other filth spewed out in all directions. Somewhere else of the ship, the already weakened structure started to give way, skeleton of supports and reinforcements buckling under the pressure. The whole ship heard one long, almost earsplitting moan of agony from the crumpling structure, before the ship stopped, and all was still.

Cinder didn't hesitate to run out the bay doors, not waiting to see if her people would come as well. She knew they would. They had to. Her legs carried her like a gazelle over the ruined crater that their ship had left, leaping over destroyed stumps and exposed rock like it was nothing. After that, she was in the trees, sidestepping thick trunks and ducking under low hanging branches like she had spent her entire life doing this. She started to feel something new, something that she had never known before.

Primal drums started to pound, echoing in the recesses of her mind that her master had unlocked. She felt the sweat start to run from her skin, every pore on her body, as intensely as a hot needle. She started to lose herself in the feeling. She knew that her followers would, as well, and let her mind go into a kind of "autopilot" mode. She didn't need to think, the instincts that had been given to her would tell her what to do. She only had to endure the pleasure.

It was in this way, like an animal, she spent most of her night. Pursuing her prey, ready to take what was hers, and give them everything in return. There was no kinder thing she could do, really. She would free them from a bleak existence, and show them the extremes that they could reach.

It wasn't long before the distant lights of the city came into view over the treetops. It repulsed the darkness of night like two magnets repelled each other when of the same poles. It shone out like a target, and that's exactly what it was. Cinder could only imagine the delights of being allowed into a city of millions of people, helping all of them. It would be the most pleasurable thing she had ever felt by far. Her legs pumped faster, and her mind started to change again. She would enjoy this, and that was all she cared about.


	46. Chapter 46

Author's note:

So, we passed 100 followers, and that's pretty cool. If you want some bells and whistles or something, I could probably do that, I'd just need some ideas or something.

* * *

Roman Torchwick sucked in a heavy breath as he piloted the Bullhead over the crash of the ship that had previously belonged to Cinder. He was ahead now, and had the advantage. If he could get to the city first, he could raise the alarm, and give Cinder as much resistance as possible.

He had to admit, stabbing her in the back was actually quite exciting. More than he had thought it would be. His heart was pumping hard in his chest, and an evil smile was spread across his face. He was being evil, perhaps, but it was a good evil. He was turning coat, but he was being much less evil in the process. It was for money, but that didn't change anything. He was being the good guy for once, and he was getting paid mountains to do it.

Neo moved around in the bulkhead behind him, and he glanced back to find her nimbly climbing into the copilot seat next to him. As she did this, Roman got a good look at her eyes, which seemed to convey a deep worry. He smiled at her, and said, "Aw, don't worry! I figure that we can just land this baby any old place, and go tell someone that Cinder is coming. I don't know if they'll listen to the crazy guy who landed a Bullhead in the middle of the street, but we may as well try our luck. You have any better ideas?"

Neo shook her head. There weren't many other options. The best that they could do otherwise was just to radio in what was coming. Though, now that she thought about it, doing both probably wasn't such a bad idea. She gently elbowed Roman's arm, and pointed to the small radio in the dashboard. Roman raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Really? I would think that they would want to know who it was, in which case I'd have to tell them, and get arrested as soon as we touch down. But, if you really think that it is a good idea, I guess I could do it."

Neo nodded. She would be able to keep Roman out of trouble as much as he needed, and the city would need as much forewarning as they could get about Cinder's little personal army that she was leading to their boarders. Roman shrugged, and said, "If you say so." In an almost sarcastic voice. Neo smiled, feeling his brain consider and approve the idea. It always felt good to know that Roman regarded her opinion with such special consideration as he did, because it reminded her that the two of them were closer than either was to anyone else. It was what she wanted, of course, to be close to him, and it was moments like that where she felt she had attained her goal.

Roman started to take the Bullhead down, making sure that all the lights were off. He also flicked the interior lights off, only the illuminated controls providing any kind of light. At the same time, Roman reached for the small headset that had been discarded earlier.

After managing to pull it on over his hat, he tapped it a few times to make sure that it was working, then started to fiddle with the controls of the radio. "Hello? Anyone there? I've got some pretty important stuff here to tell you…" He tried for a while to get a response, but the radio was silent for some time.

It wasn't before he took the Bullhead in large, sweeping, dangerous motions down towards the street. After he started doing this, a response came quickly, saying, "Unidentified aircraft, stop what you're doing immediately and provide identification!"

A smile came across his face, and he continued to make dangerous maneuvers, speaking as he did so. "I don't know, I don't really want you to know who I am. I will stop if you listen to me, though. So, I mean, it's your choice, really."

There was a pause of several seconds, and as Roman started to take a particularly steep dive, laughing out loud as he did so, the voice almost screamed , "Alright, stop! What do you want me to hear?"

Neo and roman both smiled, and he said, "Good, good. Now-" he pulled the Bullhead out of its dive, and began to explain the situation to the mysterious person"-there's a big force of people coming in from the southeast to attack you. I really doubt you'll be able to repel them, but you may as well try. You've got to get all of your military ready, and when you do, dig in as much as you can. Don't let them take this place easily. If they get the city, they get all of Menagerie. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

There was another long few seconds of silence, and Roman said in a threatening voice, "Am I going to have to crash this thing into a few buildings to get you people to respond, or do you want to just listen to the guy who's trying to save your sorry hides?"

Another few moments of silence passed, and then a different voice came over the radio. This one sounded much more authoritative, and louder than the last. Roman knew that whoever that man's commanding officer, or whatever they were, had been put on the line. A more gruff voice said, "Who is this enemy, and why are they attacking us?"

Roman rolled his eyes, sighed, and responded in a frustrated tone, "On, I don't know, the demons who want to take over the whole world? Look, just get your military ready! I'm here trying to do a public service, and you're just standing around like an idiot! What do I have to say to get you people ready? I have a bomb in the leader's house and office! I'm going to light all the orphanages in the city on fire! Just do something!"

There was about half a second more of silence, then the voice spoke again. "Land your craft, then we'll talk."

Roman laughed out loud at this, and said, "Oh, that's rich! What do you think I am, stupid? Why don't you make use of those animal instincts you people are so proud of, and just trust me? I'll just be going if you don't, I tried my best to stop the whole "demonic invasion" thing, and nobody listened to me!"

Neo could tell that he wasn't getting as frustrated as he seemed, only trying his best to manipulate the man on the other end, but he was started to get irritated. She wanted to do something to help, but there was nothing that she could really contribute without a voice. She could read a lot on information from the man they were talking to just from his voice, but there was nothing that would really help them get their point across.

Roman seemed to be satisfied with the job he had done, though, and started to turn the Bullhead away from the city. There was no reason to stay if they wouldn't believe him, so it was the best thing to do. Better than being shot down by some missile, or landing and getting arrested. Of course, Roman's insults probably hadn't done them any favors. It might spur the man into action, but there were other ways that they could have pulled something like that off. She wasn't too harsh on him, though. The way he did things did have a certain kind of charm.

They had delivered their message, and they weren't going to stay and fight an outright battle against Cinder. They had no interest in dying. They would simply fly away from the city until they ran out of fuel, then perhaps continue to make their way on foot. They could turn back, and claim that they had been looking for things to soften up before Cinder got to them if she caught up, but both tended to doubt that would happen.

The voice started to shout at them through the radio again, but with one deft movement, Neo pummeled her knuckles into the device, making its casing crack, lights sputter, and a few sparks to fly from where its wirings had been undone. Roman jumped when she did this, fixing her with a frightened gaze and exclaiming, "What the-"

He saw Neo's playful smile, and shook his head, sighing heavily. "A little warning would be nice next time, my dear. I don't think that it would be good if you gave the driver a heart attack."

Neo still smiled, and looked back out the cockpit. It was fun to startle Roman, even in serious times. She didn't do it much, she knew that he didn't like it, but it brought them closer. And besides, there was still another reason that she had done it. The man's voice was annoying, and she would've rather made sure that he couldn't contact them again than simply turn the radio off. It wasn't like they were going to be in the Bullhead much longer anyways.

As they flew, in the distance behind them, she could see the forces of the demons starting to hit the city's outer limits. Roman couldn't, his eyes weren't good enough, but hers did it easily.

It was a good thing that they had left.

* * *

Cinder moved among her ranks like water running over razor blades. She could feel more pleasure around her than she had ever felt before, and it was a challenge to keep herself from simply charging into it without planning or reason. The part of her mind that hadn't been driven mad with pleasure, though, managed to hold herself back. She needed to let her minions go first, so that they would take the brunt of the damage. They would enjoy it. She would too, if she took any hits, but she was too fast for that. She didn't know when she had been able to react to bullets flying through the air, but they all seemed like they were simply moving through gelatin. In fact, everything seemed to have slowed a significant degree.

Sounds near her simply ran across her body, every ripple of the waves making a tingling sensation on her skin, and every screaming voice around her joining in a sweet chorus, no matter who the voices belonged to.

Citizens screamed as her followers fell upon them, and the screams turned to moans as her gift was shared. She could feel her powers growing even further as they gave themselves over, and some even joined in the attack that she was leading, wanting others to understand the sheer bliss that was only a short moment away. As much as she wanted to go about searching every home, and bringing every individual into the heights of ecstasy, there was no time for that. There was going to be resistance soon.

A few of her own, the recent converts from the airship, carried weapons, and fired on those they passed, but they always tried to score nonlethal shots. Incapacitated, these people were much easier to catch, and be shown the truth.

The demons that accompanied her were also just as zealous about it, working as quickly as they could to bring as many mortals as they could into their fold.

Chaos surrounded them. Buildings had started to burn, screaming and moaning filled the air, and Cinder had never felt so at home. This was where she belonged, in the midst of something like this. This was what the whole world would be like, once she and her master had their way. Nobody would have to ever restrain themselves again. If they wanted to do something, they would simply do it. A world of freedom.

The resistance that they had expected to encounter came in the form of Hunters. She could recognize the signs of their being used instantly. Bullheads soared in the sky, dropping their warriors out onto the streets below. Her charge covered many streets, going in every direction that there were people, and the Hunters didn't have the numbers to contain them. Cinder couldn't stop herself any longer, and charged to the front of the wave, leading it.

A team of four hunters was what was dropped in front of them, and she smiled when she saw them. They looked so scared, and so hopeless. They didn't even know that they would soon be begging for her gift. They all had projectile weapons, Cinder didn't care in all of the excitement, and fired at her without reservation. As she had noted before, their bullets were slow, sliding through the air around her, easy to dodge. She made whatever adjustments she had to in order to get her body through the field unharmed, ducking, turning, and jumping her way towards them.

Once she came within a close distance, two of the Hunters lashed out with melee weapons. One was some kind of long, thick blade, and the other appeared to be some form of cudgel, a large, heavy orb of dust at the end.

In spite of the years of training that they had no doubt undergone, Cinder found them easy to maneuver around. The first was the man with the blade. He struck out in a horizontal strike, meaning to bisect her, but it was easy to duck under, and take a step closer. The next attack came from the wielder of the cudgel. He tried to make use of the fact that she had just dodged to score an easy and crushing strike. The length of metal, about arm's length, came rocketing down towards her, but she wasn't off balance form the first dodge. She used the motion of rising back up from the duck to fling herself up, off of the ground, and past the cudgel. The other two Huntsmen took the opportunity to fire at her while she was vulnerable, and their teammates were not in the way, but it did about as much good as it had before. Cinder made use of the opportunity to start to turn them.

Her motions in the air looked like some form of dance, and it was easy to tuck herself around the bullets. She could tell that her twisting and turning was starting to disarm them. They were so easy to turn, but she didn't think less of them. She was the most beautiful thing that they had ever seen, how could they not give themselves over?

They were Hunters, though, and their resolve was strong. They were able to resist bowing their knees immediately, and kept fighting. She would have to try harder. She started to fall back towards the earth, and angled herself to hit on her feet. She did, barely making a sound as she did so, and made a sweeping step towards one of the men. He was taken aback, pulling his sword back close to him, and meaning to make another panicked slash at her.

He didn't expect it, though, when she quickly draped herself around his neck, and pushed his head forward so that their lips touched. The man gave a violent spasm, fighting to get her off, but as Cinder held him there, his struggles stopped, and his eyes rolled up in his head. She could feel his who body go limp, and she held him up in her strong arms. His friends were all too stunned to do anything, and when she took her lips away, she whispered in his ear, "Who do you serve?"

He blinked several times in rapid succession, coming back to himself. "I…" he stammered out words like he wasn't sure how to talk. "I don't… I'm a Hunt-" his explanation was cut off as Cinder again pushed him into her lips. Again, his body weakened, but this time his partners weren't going to simply marvel at the oddity any longer. All three sprang to help him, the man with the cudgel putting his hands on both their shoulders, and the other two raising firearms, ready to fire as soon as they got the chance.

They wouldn't get that chance, though. Cinder was too strong to detach from the man, and, even if she were overpowered, the man was not making a clear attempt to stay with her. Again, she pulled away and whispered softly, "Who do you serve?"

There was a pained look on his face, he was obviously trying to stay in control. The signals his body gave him, though, and the chemicals in his brain all made it impossible. His defense fell, and he shuddered as he was flooded with Cinder's gift. "I serve you."

It was barely loud enough to hear over the din around them, but Cinder smiled. She could tell that her followers, mortal and demon alike, had caught up with her. The other three had been totally distracted by her, and had neglected to keep the growing horde at bay.

Cinder felt something as their faces changed, but it wasn't the ecstasy that she expected. As fear erupted in the men, Cinder took time to study their expressions, the way their eyes dilated, and the way their hearts beat faster. There was something odd now. She had always enjoyed the looks of slipping into mindless pleasure, but now there was a feeling of gain from fear, as well. It wasn't the same, though. It wasn't from her lord, it was from somewhere else.

The men nearly disappeared under the flood of cultists and demons, and Cinder quickly saw them lose their mind, just like everyone else. Still, though, there was something different about fear. Could she gain pleasure from that, too?

The curious feeling wouldn't go away, and started to feel like a pressure on her thoughts. It was doing something, stopping her from feeling the excitement she so heavily needed.

Figuring that this was important, she took the opportunity to experiment. If there was a problem with the attack, she would hear about it. However, they had already reached a point of critical mass where it seemed that nothing could stop them. Regardless of whether Cinder was contributing her powers or not, they would take the city. It was for that reason that she felt comfortable breaking off, and exploring this new feeling.

She wove her way through the passing bodies of humans and demons alike, before coming to a stop outside of a large alleyway. Several of her people had already gone down this way, but she wanted to find someone who was not yet touched by her gift, and see what fear did to them. She had used fear in her life before the coming of her lord, but those days were like a dark haze. She could hardly recall a thing.

Her legs carried her without resistance through the streets, hunting for a place not yet spoiled. Almost every door was knocked off its hinges the further back she looked, despite most not taking the time to go in, but she wanted to find those who had seen what would happen to them. It was necessary, as they would be the most fearful.

It took several minutes of searching, but she did eventually find a house that looked suitable. More importantly, she spied a woman looking down at her through a top story window. The girl quickly ducked out of the way, but it was too late. Cinder had seen her target.

She set about entering the house immediately. All doors and windows were locked, but it was easy to simply smash her way through and climb in. As she pulled herself through, several pointed pieces of glass tried to push their way through her skin. They couldn't, though. She let herself down to the ground, as quietly as a mouse, and started to creep across the first floor. She could hear the frantic breathing of someone up stairs, presumably the woman that she had seen before, and started to look for a way up. Following the sound, it didn't take long to find a stairway leading up, which she climbed on all fours, not making a peep of sound. The breathing was starting to quiet now, and Cinder could tell that she woman had thought she had left. This was not the case, though, as she would soon find out.

Cinder felt good doing this. Not in the usual, mind shattering way that she normally felt good, but in a more subdued, clever way. It was a nice change of pace, as little sense as that made. Instead of drowning in her own pleasure, she was now in control of it. It was odd, how different she could feel. She had been submerged in a frenzy of ecstasy for a long time, and couldn't have ever imagined leaving it. Yet, here she was, crouching in the darkness like a predator waiting to pounce.

She could feel her muscles coiled, but they didn't feel the same as they had before, where they tingled with warmth, wanting to be released. Instead, they felt cold, waiting for the right moment to expend their energy. Cinder knew this was a change from what she had gotten used to, but she also found herself rather enjoying it.

She crept slowly towards the door, still able to hear the breathing through it. There would be a wonderful payoff at the end of all this, she was sure.

As she got nearer to the door, she straightened up, still being careful to not make any sound. She turned the doorknob slowly, smiling as she found it not locked. Perhaps the door didn't have a lock. It didn't matter, though. She stepped into the room,

The girl screamed, and as Cinder entered the dark bedroom, she scrambled as best she could away, unfortunately for her, she tripped over some small object on the ground, and hit the floor with a heavy thud, air being forced from her lungs. Cinder didn't make any sudden movements towards her, instead opting to walk slowly towards her, the smile spreading across her face. She could see perfectly in the dark, so the woman's expression of sheer terror was clear as day to her.

It was delicious. Clearly, this woman wasn't going to face only death, but something that she dreaded much worse. From her window she had seen people in the streets do terrible things, unable to control or sate their most primal desires. And she was going to join them, she knew it.

She scrambled away from Cinder as best she could, arms and legs failing to find a solid hold from which she could get to her feet. Instead, she was forced to continue pushing herself along the floor. Cinder continued to approach her, making sure that her shape was visible in the light coming in from the window. The woman started to plead with her as she tried to back up, shouting, "No, please, stay back! I don't want that! Just leave me alone!"

Tears were starting to stream down her face, and Cinder could hear her panicked breathing start to be obstructed by mucus in her nose. The poor thing didn't know what wonderful things awaited her. Cinder wasn't going to give it to her immediately, though. She still had experiments to do.

With one deft motion almost too fast for the eye to see, she took one lunging step towards her, and wrapped a hand around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Her begging and pleading had degraded to simple sobbing now, unable to form any kind of coherent sentence. Cinder took a few steps through the room and towards the window, then came to a stop in front of it.

The glass was fairly thin, about what she had expected, and didn't see, to have much in the way of dirt or grime clinging to its surface. It seemed quite clean, all things considered. With one forceful motion, she shoved the woman through, her back shattering the glass, sending small shards to explode on the street below. Her legs were scraped on the way through by pieces that had not had the mercy to leave the window frame completely. Her shoulders suffered similar injuries, and she now hung out of the building suspended over the street by only Cinder's arm.

She made a few more sputtering attempts to speak, and did her best to claw at Cinder's hand. Cinder didn't let her grip slip, though. She studied the woman's face carefully, watching the sheer terror and fear take hold over her. It wasn't unlike pleasure, really. There was no way that they woman could control it, and it dominated everything that she felt. Cinder found that there was an energy to be found in this, different than what she found in her other senses. She liked it.

She spoke to the woman, trying to get her to feel as much fear as possible. "What will it be? Do you want to join, or do you want to splatter?" The woman's crying intensified, and her legs started to swing in an attempt to get back in through the window. Cinder smirked, looking at the feeble attempts, and said, "What, you wish to join me? It's that, or the pavement."

Another round of wet blubbering came from her, and Cinder started to draw her closer. She had her fun, now it was time to give the gift to the girl.

She pulled her close, and gave her a loving smile. "Don't worry. It will be fine. You'll love what you'll become." She pulled the girl in the window, dragging her across the glass again, and started her corrupting work.

When she left the house, she knew the woman would wake up devoted completely to her. She had gotten the same "special treatment" that all of her close followers got. There was nothing she could do but beg Cinder not to leave.

On the way out, something spoke out of the darkness, making her jump. "A shame, what you've done. Could've been so much more, but…" there was a pause, and Cinder turned to face the direction of the voice. "…you gave yourself up to such a petty being. Disappointing, really, wasted potential."

Cinder's eyes searched for the source of the voice, but she was only able to find a peculiar spot of darkness, far too dark to see though like she could everywhere else. It was by the door, situated in a corner, small enough that she would have missed it if she had not heard anything. She took a few steps towards it, and raised an eyebrow, trying to discern anything she could about it.

The thing continued to speak after the pause, and its bizarre speech, seemingly composed of hundreds of whispering voices. "You could've left her to wallow in that fear, never escaping the misery of tonight. None would have found her. She would have starved herself to death, a sweet end indeed."

Cinder narrowed her eyes, not trusting the mysterious being. "I give these people more pleasure than they could ever imagine. They love me for it. I spread the most wonderful thing that can exist."

There was a snort, like a thousand people at once, and the voice continued, "You delude them. You show them things that are not true, and drug them into submission. A cowardly thing to do, and I know all about cowardice."

The voice kindled some memory within Cinder. It wasn't something that she had heard exactly, but as it spoke, it had seemed to surround her, then to come from within her own mind. It hit her very suddenly what it reminded her of, and instantly she responded to it. "Master, is that you? You sound-"

The voices interrupted her, saying angrily, "I am not that addled hermaphroditic beast you serve! That creature hasn't even told you who I am, has it?" Cinder didn't want this thing speaking ill of her master, but she could feel the power within the whispers. She didn't answer, and the voices all gave small, echoing chuckles. "Of course it hasn't. I wouldn't expect so. Allow me to provide some disambiguation for your foolish, destroyed brain."

The darkness moved towards her, but she could still not see a single thing through it. As it drew closer, the warmth seemed to drain from the air around her, and she felt the pleasure that resulted from the carnal acts start to drain away. Its absence smashed into her like a hammer blow to the face, and she fell to her knees, gagging at how the smoke-filled air tasted.

The voices spoke again, now in taunting tones. "Do you see what you are when the veil is lifted? How truly weak and pathetic you are?" She tried to pull herself to her feet, but her legs, as strong as they were, wouldn't respond. Without the smoke smelling as sweet as it had before, her body went into revolt. She felt like her lungs were trying to jump out of her body. In a similar vein, the sounds outside that had been a deafening chorus before now raked across her head like shards of metal. She was certain that her ears were bleeding.

Something else was starting to creep into her mind as her thoughts slowly remembered how to function without the pleasure. What was this thing? And why could it do this? "You serve the master of pleasure, yet you dabble in my domain. I find your lord disdainful, but you could be of use to me. In the same way that you serve pleasure, I am fear. Now, mortal, will you champion my cause as well as Cramus?" The mention of her master's name snapped her attention to the thing before her, even though the pain. If it was a powerful demon, like it claimed, than it could be a rival of her master's.

She shook her head, retching as she did so, and choked out the words, "Never! I'll spread…" the smoke seemed to bear down upon her "…my master to all!"

With the final word of her exclamation, the spot of darkness disappeared, and what she had learned as her world returned to her. The smoke again tasted sweet in her mouth, and her lungs seemed to welcome more with enthusiasm. She stood, still shaking from being depraved of the glorious sensations she had become accustomed to. They returned in full force however, and it wasn't long before she was shaking for a very different reason.

After recovering, she made her way out of the house, and rejoined the attack.

Everything felt good again, but still, there was something wrong. Where before she had not a care in the world, she now felt herself anxious. Small noises made her jump, and she started to expect enemies to present themselves and attack her. Why she felt this, she couldn't say, but she also could not stop thinking about how horrible it had been to be torn away from her master's gift, even for just a few seconds. She never wanted it to happen again, and swore to herself that she would not let it. This made her feel slightly better, and she started to focus more on the attack.

It was going well. Over half the city had been taken, and there was no sign that any Hunters, Huntresses, or army was going to stop them. People had started to flee the city, but Cinder let them go. Without the transit the city offered, very few would be able to leave Menagerie, and those who didn't would know her gift. Then they would have enough strength to challenge the foul creatures of the undead.

The mere thought made her shudder again. If becoming how she had been before meeting her master was as horrible as it had been, than imagining the vacuum of feelings they had was physically disturbing. How anyone could do something so terrible to themselves, she could not fathom.

Her attentions returned fully to the conquest, the giving of the greatest mercy she could give. Many thousands were freed from their bleak existence, saved from the monotony that the horrible world they lived in tried to force upon them. Buildings burned, things happened in the streets, and pleasure reigned. It wasn't long before everything fell to anarchy, people simply doing what they needed to too feel good.

Cinder looked around, reviling in what they had done. What she had done. Huntsmen had been converted to their side, and would lend their aid in the battle against Naze. She saw many mighty warriors among them, and knew that they would do well. An eagerness started to boil within her about fighting them, and she started to lose patience. She wanted to fight them now, not to wait and plan. The small, rational part of her brain, however, insisted that they take all of Menagerie first. It was begrudgingly that she complied.

* * *

Three in the morning was generally a bad time to wake up, but Pyrrha didn't have much in the way of other choices. Her bladder was protesting about the strain it was under, and she had to oblige it. Groggily, she carefully extracted herself from Jaune's still sleeping arms, and got to her feet. Her balance was unsteady, and she found herself groggier than she had expected, but she was still able to make her way to the bathroom. The thing that did give her trouble though, was her eye patch. She nearly stumbled on a few things that she passed on the way, and she could feel an itching sensation beneath the cool metal.

Once she closed the door behind her, she flicked the light on, and turned to the mirror. She didn't look good. She looked about as tired as she felt, and had several smudges on her face. Her hair was somewhat wild, but still in the general style that it had been yesterday, pulled behind her head in a ponytail.

With some hesitance, she reached up to her face, and removed the eye patch. She didn't like doing this, it made her uncomfortable, but it was certainly not as bad as doing it in front of Jaune. Every time she did that, she could practically feel the guilt radiating off of him. And Nora now had to be taken into consideration as well. She had expressed great sorrow at what she'd done, but Pyrrha wished that she wouldn't. What happened wasn't her fault, and she needed to accept that. It was the demon who had corrupted her.

The bronze piece of metal came away, and instantly a different smell filled the air. It wasn't foul, as if the wound was infected, but simply fleshy, and unpleasant. Pyrrha wondered if it was only to her that the smell was evident, or if someone else would pick up on it too. She tended to her more immediate needs before tending to the eye, then, when she was done, took several tissues and wet them down. Next, leaning forwards towards the mirror, she started to gingerly clean the area.

It wasn't hard to do at all, but there was something very strange about things being so close to her eye that she couldn't see. After she had completed this, she picked up the eye patch and gave it an equally thorough washing. When she was done, she put it back on, and took a step back, looking at herself in the mirror as best she could.

Perhaps a little worse for wear, but not too bad, considering the things that had happened recently. She even managed to smile a little when she thought about the larger picture of things that had happened. They had gotten Nora back. They had done it. The team was back together! Nora was heavily depressed, and Ren was comatose, but it took steps, not leaps, to get where one was going. She knew that Jaune would be down on himself about things not returning to normal immediately, but if she were totally honest with herself, things would probably never return to normal. There had been a few times when Nora had genuinely frightened Pyrrha when they talked. She knew that Nora didn't mean to, and she knew that she would probably be careful to keep it from happening in the future, but that didn't change the fact that it had happened.

But that didn't mean that they should simply give up on their efforts to restore the team. That meant that they had to fight harder. Everything that they had done so far had led up to this, and this would lead to something else. They couldn't simply let all of it go to waste.

She didn't know if Jaune would agree or not, though. She was worried about him, maybe more than anyone else. Whereas Nora had gone very insane very quickly, Jaune was simply spiraling into a depression. That was something that she couldn't stand. If it were to get too bad, and he were to do something drastic, she didn't know what she would do. She would never be the same, that much was certain.

She tried to push the thoughts from her mind, and instead think about something a little happier. While it took her a while to think of something, she decided that she would watch TV until someone else woke up who she could talk to.

She left the room again, making sure to turn the light off before she opened the door, and walked into the main hospital room. Nora, Jaune, and Ren were all just as she had left them, not having moved the slightest inch. She took the remote from the stand next to Ren, and sat down in one of the larger chairs before flicking the TV on.

The thing that she saw when the TV came on made her jaw drop, and she soul be filled with dread. A late night newscast, with poor signal and even worse visuals, was telling about some kind of attack on Menagerie. It was all too much for her. Her eyes started to water, but she couldn't look away from the screen. Pictures of the city burning, and horrible, horrible things happening to the people on the street. She wanted to turn it off. It was lucky that the sound was muted, else everyone else in the room would have been awoken by the roar of terror.

With her mouth agape, she started to sweat as she stared at the screen. Here she had been, thinking about the bigger picture. All the effort it had taken to reclaim Nora, and now there was a whole city lost to the things that had taken her. What it would take to bring that place back, she couldn't imagine. She suddenly she felt like she was going to be sick.

* * *

Naze looked into his orb of control, observing the destruction of the city through the many eyes of the shades, most of whom had been forced away. Demons were one of the few things that could harm shades, having the ability to consume souls. As such, Naze had ordered they all retreat to a safe distance before he lost any of them. Now they hovered, only able to observe the loss of a city.

If the world required evidence that the demons were dangerous, this would serve very well as a warning.

He looked through the part of his mind that linked him to all of her servants, searching for heroes that might already be in Menagerie. There weren't many. As it turned out, most of the Faunus heroes throughout history weren't remembered very well. A few, from the White Fang, and others from the Great War, but a comparatively smaller number than anywhere else. It wasn't his concern, though. Perhaps those who would've defended the city could be used to retake it. He didn't have issue with that.

None were in the city itself, though, so this hardly mattered anyways. He was in the midst of thinking of what could be gained from this situation when something occurred to him. He had a demon subject in his possession, and could be taking the opportunity to study if it could tell what was going on. He had been too focused on a small avenue of action.

He was sure that his researchers had not overlooked the opportunity, though. He started to make his way to their lair, looking forward to hearing what was going on with the demon Tiny. It was a strange one, not seeming to have been birthed by any greater demon, instead drawing strength from souls it fed on. That could grant it a unique independence, and it would surely have some knowledge of all the demons who were trying to make Remnant their playground.

When he reached the darkened area, he did indeed find that his warlocks were interacting with Tiny. It was not, however, in the way that he had expected. Tiny was in the midst of what appeared to be some sort of fit, its body expanding and contracting violently. It looked like the thing was about to explode.

Naze could feel the demonic power in the air, permeating even through the shield that separated the demon and the undead. Whatever was happening obviously was beyond their current understanding. The warlocks were not working to do anything with the demon, but only to contain it. Without their fortifying the bonds, whatever was happening could threaten to break out of the rune. Something else was clear, too, now that Naze was in the room. The demon, whatever it was doing, had somehow cut the room off from the communication they normally used. With the warlocks having to focus almost entirely on containment, and the area being saturated in demonic power, it was exceedingly difficult for them to contact their master.

Now that he was present, though, he lent his power to the strengthening of the barrier, and stepped towards the circle, bringing his hands up. As if waiting for this to happen, Tiny's body was torn apart, and a screech that would have burst a mortal's eardrums echoed through the chamber. In Tiny's place was left a roaring, twisting, reality-warping portal. Naze instantly recognized the demonic portal, and was about to order the rift smothered when thousands of small, distinct whispers said, "Wait, lich. I've come to deal, not to attack."

Naze let the command slip from his throat, and instead inquired, "With whom am I to deal?"

He did not let his guard over the shield break. He knew that doing so would likely lead to the demon pouring out whatever forces it had out into his ziggurat. Demons were crafty, and they could use any number of lies to their advantage.

The many voices responded, "I am Timor, my good lich, and I think I have a special respect for you." There was a short pause, and then it continued, "May I come in?"

Naze could tell just from the way the thing spoke that it was at least trying to appear a powerful demon. He could also tell that this "Timor" was not the same demon that Cinder served. Naze gave a small nod towards the portal, indicating the affirmative, and in response, there was a discordant, "Good."

The portal started to stretch, and tendrils of shadow started to work their way out. They steamed, the air around them sizzling on contact with the air. They burned away gradually, but also seemed to be pulling something out. The warlocks around him started to react to what was emerging, but Naze could still see nothing beyond the tendrils. The reactions that emerged from his warlocks seemed to indicate fear, but they only lasted for a brief moment before they managed to get themselves back under control.

After a few seconds, the tentacles gave a harder pull, and something was pried from the bowels of the portal. Naze wasn't sure what to make of the thing. It appeared to shift features, being a general humanoid shape, with countless faces writhing across its form. It seemed to resemble certain people in all its changing, but only ever for the briefest of moments. First it was Ruby, a wide smile on her face, than it was Brazen, charred skin hanging off his body. It changed again and again, and Naze got the distinct feeling that it was searching for a certain form.

The thing spoke again, and Naze observed countless faces turning over in its skin, speaking as they did so, "Now then, down to business. I made an offer to the halfwit Cramus's champion, and she refused my generous offer. I'm sure you know how the game between us lords works, yes?"

Naze gave a small shrug and replied, "To some degree. I know you compete for power, but that is the rough extent."

All the faces along Timor's body smiled, and it said, "Ah, I see. Well, without giving too much away, both I and that horrid wretch have found this world of Remnant, and he wants to take a more active role in taking it. The fool doesn't realize the value it has not. Warriors are naturally tempered here, and have unique recourses available to them. I would prefer to simply draw on the world, taking those here or there who might be fit to serve me, and otherwise not intervene. Cramus, on the other hand, has different plans."

The first thing that Naze asked was not about their great game, nor how he knew he could trust the demon, but, "He?"

Timor's multitude of faces gave a series of chuckles, and then said, "Male, female, androgynous, hermaphrodite, it matters not. Those aren't the most of its choices, either. Now, as I said, I would like to keep this world in a relatively unchanged state. Or, if Cramus is going to her its way, I want at least a portion for myself. I was denied, however, and now I don't want that fool to have any on it. She may have a head start, but I know you have been foiling her plans. So, I would propose a deal: you repel this scum, and I will help you in your quest for knowledge."

If Naze had eyebrows to raise, he would've done so. There were many questions now, but the foremost one was the one he asked first. "How do I know that you will not take Cramus's place, and do the same thing?"

The millions of faces all scoffed at once, and the demon replied, "Because Remnant is already afraid. The very civilization is built upon fear. Fear of the Grimm, fear of each other…" as it spoke, the demon started to take more definite forms, now figures from his past. People who had lived in his village, and those who had learned necromancy with him. "…Fear is a powerful thing, but you should never cause too much. Besides, Cramus is already losing, and that's why it's making such a desperate attempt. He won't lose, of course, he just doesn't want to concede. She never does."

It paused for a few seconds, like thinking of something else to say, then said, "And, before you ask, I actually like you undead folks. Sure, you usually can't feel fear, but you're great at causing it." The demon offered a wink, which, with millions of eyes, looked more like a spasm. "So that's why I've come to you. In a way, you've always worked for me. You just didn't know it. Even with your recent efforts to be accepted, people still fear you. And they'll never stop. But fear and acceptance are very far apart, and have little to do with one-another."

Naze said, "I can understand that. Will you aid me in driving this incursion from the world, or is it to only be a reward?"

Timor smiled again, and answered, "I'll give you whatever you need to accomplish your goal, then you get your reward at the end. You know the trick to that, though, I'm sure." Naze did. It was the kind of deal where demons made a charge for all the help they gave, or gave help in the form of tricks, overall doing damage to those who used them. He wouldn't be asking for anything.

The barrier holding the demon was starting to weaken, and the warlocks were starting to buckle under their efforts. He had to get rid of the demon soon.

But that didn't mean that he would answer the question rashly, as was likely the demon's intent. The demon proposed rewarding something that he was already planning on doing, which was suspicious, but it also seemed to have some affinity for him. That affinity could be a fabrication, or it could be genuine, there was no way to know. But, there was the option of simply backing out, seeing as nothing had been, or could be corrupted in the ziggurat, given their precautions.

The barrier started to audibly strain, a high pitched ringing sound, and Naze nodded. "Yes, I'll see what can be done. Now, be gone from my home."

The demon laughed, and in the blink of an eye, dashed back into its portal, which was squeezed shut by the pressure of the reality that surrounded it without the power from the demon. Naze wasn't sure, as it had happened too quickly for even him to see, but he thought that the final form the demon had taken was that of him, in his life, when he had turned to drunkenness to try and kill himself. If the demon was one of fear, that was certainly a form that would rouse such an emotion from him, if he were unstable, as he had been after waking. Luckily, it seemed that the demon had missed that window by a few weeks.


	47. Chapter 47

Author's note:

I saw you people liked Timor. I completely blanked and forgot to say this, but it's another OC of The Baz's. Thanks The Baz.

And always, do the review and blah blah blah follow. yeah.

* * *

Ozpin's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open when he was woken from a peaceful sleep with the news of a tragedy. Menagerie had been lost, and just in a single night. If that was a possibility, what chance did the rest of the world stand? They had to get ready. It was obvious to him now that he had to rise to the occasion, and bring as much strength to bear against this enemy as was possible.

Not everything had been lost, though. There had been people who had escaped. Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as a few regular civilians. He had arranged to speak with as many of them as he could, and had told Ironwood to do his best to get things kick started in the military department. If they wanted to save their world, they would need to do it aggressively, and not give even the slightest opportunity for these demons to make their way to the other kingdoms. They spread like a plague, and could easily consume the whole world, if they had the opportunity.

He hoped that he had been wrong when he estimated that students would have to be used in the combat. That was a fate that no one deserved. But it was a risk that they had to take. If it was a choice between losing them, and losing the whole world, he was afraid that they would have to make the ultimate sacrifice. They had trained to become the mightiest protectors in the world, after all. In times of desperate need, good people often had to die. He would not be above the call himself, of course. If his students had to go, he would fight by their sides. He would die with them, if need be. He had made many mistakes in his life, and he wasn't about to let this be another one.

Also something that he had to deal with, the divine power generators had finally come to Vale, and other cities had received them as well. He had ordered the thing set up on campus for Beacon, and all Hunters who weren't already on missions, and a large number who were. The deliverers from Naze had explained the process of infusing a weapon with the divine power. One only needed to place the weapon inside one of several large trays that would then be exposed to the divine power, and it would then be infused over a short amount of time.

He could only hope that divine power would make as much of a difference as Naze had said it would. If it didn't, he knew that there would be serious problems in their fighting demons. Not like there wasn't already, of course. No one had any experience in battling foes like that, so they would need every chance they got. Divine power was like acid to them, according to Naze. He looked forward to seeing how well a hail of blessed bullets served their enemies.

He couldn't escape the looming feeling of guilt, though. The thought of sending children to such a horrendous war was one that he could not dispel. Never again would he feel right, something that he already had experience with. He already sometimes awoke with the faces of those he had send to their deaths surrounding him, he didn't need to add the faces of children.

He readied himself for the interviews, and put out the command for every Hunter to bless their weapon. They would be dispatched soon, and the undead guard would take over protection of the city as well as domestic issues usually handled by the hunters. He had not heard from any kind of leadership in the matter, though. This worried him, as he had expected to be contacted shortly after resurrection had begun. He had not, though, and now he was left mostly in the dark on the matter of security. If this kept up, it would only be a matter of time before the Grimm made another one of their attacks on the city or its outskirts, and if there was no resistance, Ozpin didn't want to think about what would happen.

The whole situation was a mess, but he knew he would be a fool if he had expected fighting for the world itself to be a clean kind of fight. He had expected chaos, but not so soon. Organizing would be important.

He received a small notification in the form of a ring from his desk, and he looked over to see that the first of the Hunters who had escaped Menagerie with their lives and, to some degree, their sanity, intact.

With a heavy heart weighing in his chest, he sat down, and prepared himself to try and be as sympathetic as possible. It would going to be a painful experience to talk about for the both of them, and he wanted to be sure that he knew the importance of everything that was said.

* * *

Yang ran her hands through her long, messy blonde hair. This was awful. She not only couldn't believe that this had happened, but she was also worried about how she would tell Ruby, and Weiss, and Blake. Blake could take it the hardest, no doubt. It was going to be hard for her to hear, but Yang had to be the one to do it. She didn't want them finding out through some news broadcaster or something. That just wouldn't be right.

The sun had barely peeked out of the horizon when her friends started to stir, and she hoped that they would stay asleep. She needed more time to think about what to say. She couldn't just bluntly state it, no, there had to be some kind of finesse to soften the blow. She wasn't good at watering things down, though. She was used to speaking straight.

She looked down, and found that she was half-mindedly conjuring small flames in her hand that danced around her metal fingers for a few seconds before disappearing into the air. A small smile came across her face. It wasn't much comfort, but the little magical embers did lighten her mood slightly.

There needed to be something better, some victory that they could claim to make this better. She recalled yesterday, when Naze had said something about finding Summer's corpse, and an idea flit into her mind. If she could get Naze to allow the four of them to go on that little quest, than it would be very good for them. Ruby especially, but they could all feel better by getting to know Summer better along the way. That would be a good thing to do in the wake of such a calamity, but it wouldn't do Blake much good, and she was the one Yang was most worried about. She had never talked much about her home, so it was a fairly large assumption on her part that she would take it hard, but Blake cared a lot about the Faunus people, and that was where the majority of them were.

She shook her head. She didn't need to think about this, she needed to think about how she would break the news. She sat back down on her bed, and tried to focus as best she could. Even while being dead made one surprisingly sharp, she was having trouble focusing like this.

She could pull Blake aside when she woke up, and take her into the bathroom. That way, she could already be in privacy, if she wanted it. But if she wanted the comfort of her friends, it would be better to do it in front of everyone. Doing it in front of everyone would also have the benefit of only having to say it once. Even so, maybe Blake would want to be the one who told the others about the tragedy. If that was the case, it would be better to pull her aside.

She sighed. It seemed more likely that Blake would want to find out in a secluded place, so that was what she would do. It would be hard, though. There was a lot that she didn't know about how she would react.

Ruby turned under her covers, and faced Yang. She could see her sister's peaceful sleeping face over the side of the bed, through the small tent-like thing that Ruby had managed to construct over her bed. She hated to think about what she might look like when she found out. Another idea came to her, and she quickly explored it. If anyone else woke up before Blake, then she could tell the in private first, and they could support her if she needed it in telling Blake.

It was a loose plan, and didn't really offer much help, but she just took that as meaning that it was versatile, and open to easy change. She only had to wait now, but she hated waiting. It was boring, and she always felt that there was something better she could be doing. In the current situation, though, all she could do was read her book.

As she did this, she couldn't help but wonder about what it must've been like to be in the city when it got captured. She had been able to see a little bit through shades, but none had been up close, in the streets. She bet that she could've done some significant damage to those attackers, even the demons, without any divine assistance. No matter how strong they were, her punches would do damage. And they wouldn't be able to corrupt her, on account of her already being dead. Her soul was protected, "fortified", as Naze had put it. Very resistant to change, and even harder to make keep those changes.

But for a normal person, or even a Hunter, it must've been terrifying. All around, people would be losing their mind, and turning to tag along with the people who had corrupted them to begin with. She couldn't begin to imagine the things she would feel if she were in that situation and vulnerable to all the same things. Angry, probably. She would fight the invaders with every bit of strength she had, both physical and not. She remembered the few times since dying that her body had suffered major damage, broken bones and snapped tendons. She tried to imagine what that would feel like if she were still alive, but she couldn't.

It seemed like so long ago that she had actually had any physical sensations. Sure, she could feel the bed beneath her, and the covers rubbing against her legs, but there was no punch to it. It was merely a fact, nothing else. The sheets were soft, but they weren't comfortable. It was strange, now that she thought about it. This little shift had mostly taken place without her knowing, and she had found herself in increasingly odd and would-be uncomfortable positions when simply doing something like sitting down. No one had told her that she was doing this, so there was no way to know otherwise. She wished that someone had, as it would've explained why teachers had started to give her weird looks.

She shook her head again. Focus was not coming easy tonight. She had gotten her plan, but it couldn't hurt to try and iron it out a little more. As it turned out, she wasn't too great at coming up for plans about these types of things. Ruby was much better at it. Yang simply didn't have the kind of foresight required to pull something like that off. She knew that if she spent the time making an intricate plan, it would only fail. With a deep sigh, she returned her attention to the text, resolving to simply wait until somebody woke up. The first to do so would be the one who got the news, and the one who helped her tell the others.

It was a few more minutes before anyone woke up, and when they did, Yang felt almost relieved that it was Ruby. At least it was going to be someone that she knew as well as her own sister. She still didn't want to cause the emotional distress, but she had to know.

Ruby's eyes opened, and she gave a small groan as she sat up before yawning widely and rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. "Morning, Yang. How are you?" Yang didn't know quite how to respond. Instead, she stood, marking her page and setting it aside, and walked to the side of Ruby's bed. "Ruby, listen, something happened overnight, and I think you should hear about it before anyone else. Can you just come into the bathroom with me for a second?"

Ruby gave Yang an odd look, raised eyebrow and a slightly suspicious gaze, and said, "Why, what happened?"

Yang waved her hand in the direction of the bathroom and said, "Just come on! I'll tell you when we get in there. This is important."

Ruby rubbed her eyes some more, and slowly clambered down from her top bunk. Yang tried to make sure that Ruby was quiet, but there was nothing that she could really do to make her any quieter. She did start to fall and one point, and Yang was quick to try and place herself between her sister and the ground. It turned out that she didn't need any help, though, and was able to catch herself before hitting the ground. Yang stepped back, and Ruby didn't seem to have noticed, so they both started to walk.

As they did, Yang put a hand on Ruby's back, wanting to try and make her as comfortable as she could. She could feel Ruby shift under her arm, but she knew that her sister could tell that something bad had happened.

When they got into the bathroom, Yang closed the door behind them, and turned to Ruby once she was sure that it shut. "Alright, Ruby, you have to be quiet when I tell you this, alright? I don't want you to wake up the others. After I tell you, I'm going to need you to help me with a little something here in a while. Can you do that for me?"

Ruby gave Yang another nervous look, then nodded. "Yeah, I think I can. What happened?"

Yang closed her eyes, shook her head, and took a deep breath. "Menagerie got attacked, and is basically gone. I mean, the city is still there, but all the people are with the demons now. You know what happened to Nora? It's pretty much that, except different in a few ways. I can't really say how, but you get the picture. Menagerie got more or less taken over."

Ruby only stared back at Yang, face completely blank for a few seconds, before she started to react at all. Slowly, her expression started to break into a frown, and her mouth started to twitch. "Yang, I don't…" The wheels turning in her brain started to lead her to some bad places, and her eyes started to water. "You aren't serious, right? I mean, a lot of people live in Menagerie, and…" her voice trailed off again, and the extent of Yang's words started to hit her. "They're like Nora now? Like, crazy? How did that happen? Wasn't there someone to protect them?"

Yang looked to the floor, not wanting to make her sister feel any worse, but she had to keep talking. "Well, the Hunters and army and stuff were there, but they weren't ready for it. I don't think anyone really understood how dangerous they could be, if they got into a good position. They didn't really stand a chance." Tears started to flow faster from Ruby's eyes, and her body started to shake. Yang immediately tried to backpedal what she had said, and make it not as bad. "It's not hopeless, though! I mean, a ton of those people are still alive! See, they can get fixed. It's just going to be a little difficult. But hey, that's what we train for, right? I think that everything is going to turn out fine. It's just going to take a little elbow grease. Those people can be saved, and we've still got thousands of Hunters who can lead the attacks. They can do it for sure, you know?"

Ruby wasn't as calmed by this as Yang would've hoped, and she pulled her sister into a hug, whispering into her ear, "Its all going to be alright. Now, we can't just focus on this. You told me you'd help me after I told you, so here's the problem; I have no idea how Blake is going to react to this news. I don't know if she had any friends there, or if she will take it no problem. I need you to help me come up with a way that I can tell her that won't make her go crazy. Can you do that?"

Ruby seemed like she was still a little far-off, so Yang gave her shoulder a gentle shake, which seemed to get her attention back. She answered in a now timid voice, saying, "Yeah, I'll try. Just give me a minute please. I need to…"

Her voice trailed off again, and Yang pulled her in tighter for a hug. She hated to see Ruby like this, but she had to find out. And it felt worse to ask her for something after that. Still, she needed someone to help her with Blake. She just didn't feel like she could do it on her own. Ruby didn't seem to be able to think very well with the introduction of the news. Maybe she shouldn't have told her first. The two exited the bathroom, and Ruby made a beeline to Yang's bed. When she got there, she sat on the covers and pulled her legs up to her chest, back against the wall.

Yang sighed, and crawled onto the bed next to her sister, and tried her best to comfort her. She put an arm around Ruby's shoulders, and pulled her head close. The two stayed like that for a while longer before Ruby's head drifted down again, and she snored softly against Yang's leg as she fell back into sleep.

Yang pet the back of Ruby's head, smiling as she saw Ruby peaceful again. She was glad that she could sleep even after being told something like that. It was something of a mercy, really, she was sure. But she would still have to help when Blake woke up, Yang would be sure that she had her help.

Until then, she would let Ruby sleep. Maybe her dreams would yield some new ideas about what they could say to Blake, maybe not. Either way, it wasn't time wasted. Ruby started to shiver, and curl closer to Yang's legs. Yang smiled, and summoned up a small flame in her hands. If she was going to be there, she may as well help Ruby out. The fire warmed her up, and she stopped shaking. Yang was glad to see that, and waited for Blake to wake up.

When the Faunus did start to stir, Yang gently started to bounce Ruby head on her knees, trying to covertly wake her up. Ruby gave a somewhat humorous little sound as her head hit Yang's legs again, and she jerked awake. Before she could say or do anything, Yang put her hands on her head, holding her down, and gave a small point at the bunk above, whispering, "Alright, are you ready?"

Yang heard Blake start to sit up in her top bunk, and closed her fingers around the flame, killing it, then gently slid Ruby off of her. Ruby gave a small nod, and pushed herself tiredly off of the bed. Yang stood up too, ready to follow whatever lead Ruby took in the matter. Both girls looked up to Blake, who was wriggling her way out of a ball of covers that she had wrapped herself in during the night, and tried to think of the best way they could start this conversation.

Yang hated to beat around the bush with something like this, and wanted Ruby to just come out and say it. Not very tactful, she knew, but that was alright. She had been rough with Blake before. But that was different. That was far different.

Ruby started to speak, saying, "Hey, Blake, I think we need to talk about something.."

Blake looked back down at her, eyebrows raised, and said blearily, "What? Can't I get ready first?"

Ruby shook her head ,but before she could say anything, Yang stepped forward, a new courage burning in her veins. "Blake, you really need to come down now. This isn't really the kind of thing that can wait."

Blake blinked a few timed at Yang, then started to get herself out of the bed. She climbed down to the floor, then looked back at the two. "What is it? You two look anxious."

The two sisters looked at each other, drew in deep breaths, and Yang grabbed Blake's hand. "Come on, I'm telling you in here."

The two walked into the bathroom, and Ruby stood around awkwardly. The door closed behind them, much the same way that it had when her and Yang had gone in, and there were several moments of silence where she was sure that Yang was preparing to tell her. The muted sounds of speaking drifted through the door, and Ruby sat back down on Yang's bed. It was a lot to take in.

When the door opened again, Blake walked out slowly, her eyes wide, ridged. Ruby was about to ask if she was alright, but withheld when she saw how absent Blake was. She had simply checked out, and didn't seem to be aware of much around her. When she came to the side of the beds again, she blinked a few times, shook her head, and looked down at Ruby again. "I…" she sucked in a shaky breath, and started again, "Sorry. I think I need to be alone for a while, if that's alright."

Ruby nodded, and said, "Yes, of course! Just do whatever you need to! If there's anything that we can do, please, just let us know! We'd do anything for you, you know."

Blake nodded, and spoke softly, "Alright, thank you. I know you're there for me, but I just need to be alone."

Ruby nodded, and stood, stepping aside and letting Blake get back up to her bed. She climbed up the side, grabbed a few objects from the sheets, and walked back towards the bathroom. If she was going out to be alone, that was fine. None of them would try and stop her, and they didn't think any less of her. They just hoped that she would be able to deal with the loss well.

It wasn't long before she was out the door, and Ruby had made note of Gambol Shroud at her side. She hoped that Blake wasn't going to do anything rash, but if she did, there was nothing to be done about it. She watched her friend go, and tried to suppress the desire to follow. She had to do this on her own, at least until she needed help.

Ruby closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She just had to calm down. That was all there was to it.

* * *

When Summer had toured enough of the ziggurat to be satisfied, she returned to Naze without hesitation, and spoke loud, disturbing the quiet of his personal chamber. The lich was situated at the far side of the room, his back to her, tattered robes barely concealing the bones of his spine. "Naze, I want to see my daughter again!"

Naze did not jump in surprise. He didn't even react for what felt like several minutes, but was really only several condensed seconds. When he did, he turned slowly to face her, looking at a book instead of her face. "I presume everything was to your liking, yes? It usually is."

Summer got the feeling that there was a reason he had not responded to the request of seeing her daughter, and said again, "I want to go see Ruby and Yang!" Her tone was demanding, and the part of her that was still concerned with logic told her that speaking to her new master in such a way was not a good thing to do, but the motherly instinct overrode that voice. She didn't care what Naze thought of her too much, she just needed to see her children.

His response came in the same monotone his voice always took, the kind that would probably be physically painful if she were still alive. "No, not yet. You may not return to Vale until you have a body. You have said that you would prefer your own, and so we must know where that is located. Have you remembered?"

Summer stopped, and thought as hard as she could. She had been trying to recall where her final earthly moments had played out, but only figments and small details had revealed themselves. "It was somewhere cold… and…" her voice started to trail as her memory failed her, and she pulled her fingers into an ethereal fist. "Why can't I remember? This is important!"

Naze beckoned her closer, and she responded without thought. She was too busy considering what else might have slipped away from her while she slept her death away. Before she knew it, she was within arm's reach of her new master, and he was looking her over with penetrating, glowing sockets. "You seem relatively un-faded, if that's your concern. I would estimate you've still got around ninety five percent of your living memories. That which you've forgotten is the least important. Your death could certainly be one of those, but I highly doubt it. Now, time is running short, and waiting is beginning to be inconvenient. I could retrieve these memories, if you wish. It is not a pleasant experience, though."

Summer hesitated. If Naze was telling her that something was going to be unpleasant, than it was something that she was sure she'd be better off running away from. But he was right, time was running out, and options were growing thinner and thinner. With one ghostly breath, she steeled herself, and said "Alright, we'll do it."

She was just about to ask what kind of procedure this would take when the world flashed around her, and suddenly she was somewhere else. A snowy mountain range, hunting the Grimm that lived there. The mission had seemed simple, but it was the fact that there were reports of a special kind of Grimm that had really gotten her on her toes. A few civilians were with her, ones who she had been able to evacuate, but she didn't have any team. It was just her out here. Typically this was a very bad way to carry out a mission, but she was confident that she could manage.

It was only a brief moment that she was able to take all this in, before something massive blotted out the sun behind her. The civilians screamed, and by the time she turned her head back to look at it, she was back before Naze.

She blinked, and shook her misty head, saying, "What was that? Where was I?"

Naze responded by bringing his orb up and gazing into it, replying, "Your final moments. You never saw what killed you, apparently, and weren't around long enough to feel what it did. This is bad, because anything could've happened to your body, and we may be wasting time looking for it. I would hate to simply waste time. But that little information should be able to show us where that event happened, at least. There is no guarantee that your body will be present, but we will check."

Naze looked her up and down again, seeming to take stock of her, then said, "You may go with the retrieval team, if you wish. In fact, it may be more useful if you do. Some memories may return, and be able to guide you to the place. Is that what you wish to do?"

Summer hesitated. Her head was still spinning from that had just happened, but she was fairly sure that she was able to grasp everything that Naze said. Some of it seemed a little fuzzy, and didn't quite make sense, but she was able to push through that, grabbing the information and keeping it in her mind.

"Yes, I think I would like to do that. Thank you."

Naze nodded, and said, "Very well. You will be informed when the team sets out. It should be dispatched shortly."

Naze turned away from her, seeming to believe their business concluded. It was, for the most part, but Summer still had a few questions that she wanted to ask him. "Naze, what will happen if the demons win?" It was a childish question, and seemed to communicate that she didn't know much about their foe, but she was alright with that. It was true anyways.

When Naze responded, Summer thought that she could feel some kind of difference in his voice. The tone was the same, but she wanted to believe that there was something more there. "That depends greatly on which demon wins. There are two that I am aware of, and possibly more that have yet to reveal themselves. The first, Cramus, seems to draw power from pleasure and lust. Being undead, we are overall unaffected by the majority of its tricks, and so it feels threatened by us. I believe that it will attempt to destroy us, once it feels that it has sufficient power. Once we are gone, it will take all of Remnant as its own perverse domain, and use it how it sees fit."

Summer felt her spirit drop a little at this. She couldn't let that happen. Naze couldn't let that happen. With all the innocent people whose lives would be utterly destroyed, they couldn't simply stand by. She knew that there were already plans to help the living, but now they seemed petty and small.

Naze continued, "The second is more enigmatic at this time, although seems more open about itself. It has contacted me directly, and has stated that it does not wish the same as Cramus, but instead wished Remnant to stay the way it is. Whether or not this is true, I have no way of knowing, but demons will rarely outright lie. It is likely that it wants to draw warriors from this world to use elsewhere in its Great Games."

Summer raised an eyebrow, and said skeptically, "Great Games?

Naze replied without looking up at her, saying, "Yes, a term used before my time to describe the eternal quarreling of the demonic lords. Although little is known about them, it is known that they compete with each other over power and souls. This can hardly be called a war, as they have always done it, and will likely never stop. Thus, it is deemed their "Great Games". Each demon lord is a player, and must abide by certain rules if they wish to play. The universe is their field, and most anything in it is fair play."

Summer raised an eyebrow again, and asked, "If they must agree to rules, than how can everything be allowed?"

Naze gave a noncommittal shrug of his skeleton shoulders, a stiff, unnatural looking motion for a lich, and responded, "I'm afraid you must forgive me, dear girl. As I said, all of this reach was done before my birth, and I have had no way to back it up. We've only a small grasp on how these creatures of Hell function, and unfortunately, when the demon lord contacted me, our single test subject was destroyed. Anything I say beyond this point is unverified, but it you would like to hear the ancients' opinions on the matter, I could share."

Summer was wary of the strange way he phrased it, but nodded. Of course she wanted to hear more about their foes, even bogus information was better than none at all.

Naze started to speak, and she was reminded of an elder telling a story. Of course, Naze managed to make it as impersonal and disconnected as possible, but she knew that he did that on purpose. "Scholars used to believe that the rules of the Great Game were simple. So simple, in fact, that only a demonic lord could understand them. The most important of these rules was; none could win. Victory in the game was nothing short of a colossal failure."

Summer tilted her head to the side. "What? No one can win? Then what's the point of playing?"

Naze put a hand out towards her, as if to indicate that she had proved a point. "A simple rule, and the hardest to understand. Decades upon decades of research was put in to this, and their best conclusions came to be that if the game was ever won, it would end. The demons would have nothing more to do, and simply fade out of existence. If one were to ever win the game, the process would entail eliminating every conscious being in the universe, thus choking them of their power. There are lesser rules, such as no lord may attack another lord directly, or that a lord cannot purposefully create, or by indirect action, create another lord. The list goes on, but that is the general outline. Now, as I said before, none of that is verified, and mere speculation."

Summer's blood would've boiled, if she had any. It was outrageous to think that all of them were just pieces to those lords, in a game that couldn't even be won. It was insulting, on a base level that she didn't even know that she really had, to know that her life was worth so little to something. And by the way that Naze spoke, it sounded like they had always done this, not just to humans, but to everything. That had ever lived.

She had fought against what she had considered "evil" for a long time, but if there was ever something that really deserved the title, it was demons who did things like that. She wasn't going to be fighting them, though. She reminded herself that her job would be to protect the livings' territory, not to fight the demons. She wanted to, though. She would gladly give her life to combat such a force, several times, if she could. She wondered if Naze would allow her to do something life that, if she were to act independently. She knew that the chances of getting permission for something like that was slim, but if she could make it clear that she wasn't acting on his behalf, maybe he would be more willing. She would have to make it clear that she was independent to the public first of all, then maybe she would be able to lead some kind of force against the demons.

She didn't know if it was possible. And if it was, she was going to need more than just herself to pull it off. But she remembered the advice she gave her kids when they started to feel overwhelmed. "One step at a time. Just take one step at a time."

She hadn't meant to speak out loud, but she did. Naze replied to her musings with words that seemed more personable than she had thought him capable of being. "Quite. One must learn to walk eventually, however. I will do what I can to support you, but you must be the one to do the work."

Summer wasn't sure if he meant what she thought he meant. Would he help her act independently? Or was that simply an odd quip? She had been talking to herself, after all. She resigned to ask Yang about what she thought later, and started to leave. She couldn't wait to get her body back.

* * *

General Ironwood did not consider himself particularly prone to anxiety, but this was certainly stretching his limits. He had spent all morning scrambling to deal with the leaders of the three remaining kingdoms, and already felt himself drained. He had studied what records there were of the attack, ordered every man, woman, and child under his command to ready themselves for battle, and dispatched the bulk of his forces to containment. Thousands of people, and hundreds of thousands of androids, Atlesian Knights. They wouldn't give in to the demons' tricks. They didn't know the emotions that were manipulated. All they knew were the commands that they were given.

Not all androids were like that, though. He often wondered about the girl he considered his daughter. She wasn't one of the androids that he dealt with on an everyday basis, she was something different. They were sleek, obedient as dogs, and acted without any human action. Sure, they had been made to emulate human behavior better, but that was simply hollow programing. Penny acted with real heart, a soul burned in her chest, as real as any. She might not be a human, but she was every bit a person as anyone.

He worried about her more than he did anything else. The security footage he had seen from the airship as it was captured gave him horrible visions about what might happen to her if she was ever placed in the demon's grasp. She would likely feel things she never had before, but he didn't think that she could handle something like that. Not just in her soul, but her brain as well. She hadn't been tested for extreme emotions like what the demons provoked, and if her little discovery about death was anything to judge by, she would not take it well at all.

If he wasn't fighting for the world as a whole, and every live that would be taken if he didn't, then he fought for Penny. The pure, innocent soul, whom he loved with all his heart. She had to remain unsullied. She was bound for great things one day, but she just wasn't ready yet.

That was why he had been forced to lie to her, and to manipulate her in the ways that he had. It was despicable, he knew, but there was no other choice. Evil born of necessity. Nothing would have made him happier than simply stopping these processes, but he could not. It was never that simple. If he told her about all of it now, she would probably never forgive him for it, and he didn't blame her. If he were in her position, he wouldn't either.

He had been speaking to the leaders of the different kingdoms, helping to organize what defenses they could manage. All kingdoms had standing armies, but not all had generals with as much experience as him. But that was taxing work, and he needed to take a break if he hoped for his brain to continue functioning throughout the day instead of burning out.

He leaned back in his chair, applying pressure to his temples with his fingers, then winced as he felt a stab of pain shoot up his arm. He let the limb drop, and the stab faded to a slow, grinding ache. He knew that it would probably hound him all day now, and stood. He had been told several times that he had a tendency of overworking himself, but in the face of the alternatives, his health didn't matter. Maybe there was some truth to it, though. He wouldn't be able to perform his duties if he was only half awake.

He stood, and gave the arm a few rolls in its socket, trying to alleviate the pain. It didn't do anything to help, though, and he started to walk out of the room, away from all the screens. The heavy door shut behind him, and he breathed deep. "Don't let it get to you, James, just keep going." He didn't often talk to himself, but sometimes he needed the company.

He started to walk again, down the hall and past the guards who had been stationed outside. They saluted as he passed, but he didn't reply. All the politicking he had been doing had somewhat dimmed his patience for military procedure like that.

At first he didn't know where he was going, but as he walked, the mental image formed in his brain, and he knew that he had to speak with her before he went back. He hadn't taken time out of his day to talk to her in far too long. She was probably starting to feel neglected. He wished that she could understand the scope of the things that had been happening, that the whole world was teetering on the precipice of disaster, but he could not tell her. He did not want her to know, really. It was better that she didn't. Childhood was something that he wouldn't see ripped away from her. Not while she didn't know what a blessing it was.

Guilt started to cascade down on him. The memory wipes, the failed programs, all of it. He had given her dreams, then had to take them away. She had experiences, and did thinking, and he had been forced to steal them back from her. Was it really right?

His face darkened, and his old injury ached harder. He knew what the answer would be if she were a biological child.

It couldn't be said that there weren't excuses, of course. For her memories, some were dangerous, and could corrupt her systems. And as for the dreams, that program had turned out to be the equivalent of a virus. But what was she without those things? Were she biological, they would've killed her. A chill ran up his spine at the thought.

Then she would be fair game for Naze. He still didn't trust that corpse, everything about it seemed a little too convenient, but there was no alternative. Ozpin trusted him, but Ozpin wasn't so free of mistakes either. But he insisted that Naze could be trusted, and Ironwood had no other option but to trust him. That didn't meant that he liked him, though.

Eventually he found Penny in her room, an old looking book in her hands. She could read at incredible speeds, but seemed to be taking her time on each page. As he opened her door further, Penny looked up, and stood from the side of her bed, placing the book behind her. "Oh, Mr. Ironwood! I didn't think I'd see you today."

Ironwood let out a sigh, trying to clear his body of the tensions he still felt from his duties, and focus only on his little girl. He might not have been her creator, but he certainly felt fatherly towards her.

He smiled, and put an arm out towards her. "I'm sorry, Penny. I've been busy lately, and haven't had much time. I just got a break, though, and thought I'd like to spend it with you." The smile that immediately came over Penny's face told Ironwood that he had made the right decision, and the high-velocity hug that he received around his lower torso reinforced that notion.

Penny squeezed him a little too hard, though, and he found himself winded. When she let go, he ruffled the bow on top of her head. She couldn't be called weak, that much was certain.

As the two of them walked out of the room, Penny looked over her shoulder at the tome left on her bed. She didn't want Ironwood to see it, Naze had said that he wouldn't react well. He hadn't seemed to notice though, which made Penny happy. She would have to be sure to hide it as soon as she got back.


	48. Chapter 48

Author's Note:

Leave a review and follow and all.

* * *

Naze's attention was distracted from his planning when his orb of control alerted him to a knocking at the door of his puppets room. The body reacted quickly, standing and walking over to the door, and opened it to fine Blake standing in the hall.

The Faunus spoke without waiting to be acknowledged, asking, "Where is team JNPR right now?"

Naze raised an eyebrow, and said, "Most people might be a little more courteous when asking something like that. You seem upset, Blake. I think that perhaps you should be a little more careful about-"

Blake cut him off, waving her hand in an aggressive manner and saying, "No! I don't care! I know you know where she is, and I want you to tell me!" Naze raised an eyebrow again, and weighed his options. On the one hand, he could guess what she was going to do. Her emotional state made it clear enough that she was in quite a bit of distress, and the fact that she was visibly armed suggested her intent. He knew what was going to happen if he did, but if he didn't, he was sure that the girl would find out on her own.

An idea formed in his head, and it was something that could be to his advantage. Thus, he acted on it, and started to speak. "They are currently at the nearest hospital in Vale, recovering from their rather traumatic ordeals of late. If you're going to go, I would suggest being gentle with them, I doubt that they can handle more stress."

Blake snorted through her nose, and said, "Sure, gentle, yeah. Whatever." With that, she turned to walk away, her fists opening and closing tightly as she walked. Naze watched her go, calculating in his head the chances of what he expected happening. They were fairly good, and he made certain to watch the girl through his shades.

As she walked, Blake tried to dismiss the fury that was burning a hole in her chest. She knew that it was just a shield, protecting her from the sorrow that she would've felt if she had no one to blame. She did, however, have someone who she could blame. The person closest linked to the demons that had stolen the place of her childhood away from her. Nora Valkyrie was going to pay for what her new kind had done, and Blake didn't care how.

She exited the dorm building, and found the air outside filled with foreign sounds. A kind of distant thrumming, that vibrated through the ground just as much as the air. Beneath the bow on her head, her Faunus ears started to twitch rapidly, irritated greatly by the sound. She started to turn her head, trying to find an angle where the sound didn't penetrate quite so well into her skull, but she was unable to find one. As a result, her ears simply folded down against her skull, twitching occasionally. What was making this sound, she didn't know, but she wanted to find out. She would go after finding Nora.

She grit her teeth again at the thought of the girl. Traitor, more like it. She had gone against humanity, and against the Faunus. She had to be punished for that. It was only fair. She wrapped her fingers around the handle of Gambol Shroud, trying to vent some of her frustration by squeezing the grip. She made sure to keep her fingers away from the trigger, even with the safety on, but if she did accidentally fire she wouldn't mind too much. At least she would be sure that the thing worked.

By the time that she reached the hospital, it was late morning, the sun just starting to beat down on the city. It didn't do anything to calm her nerves, but did inspire more zeal in her steps. She walked through the doors to the large white building, and approached the desk, her expression making her mood very clear.

The man behind the desk looked up, and started to say, "Hello, what can I-"

Blake cut him off, putting her hands down on the counter in front of him with a loud thud and saying "Where are Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie?"

The man looked taken aback, but Blake didn't care about his feeling at the moment. She just needed to find them. The man looked her hesitantly over, before turning slightly in his seat, careful to keep her in his peripheral vision, and started to type on his computer. "Uh, they are here, but before I tell you where, I'm going to need a name."

Blake rolled her eyes exasperatedly, and practically spat, "Blake Belladonna, student at Beacon Academy." His fingers flew across the keyboard as he started to enter the information, and call up what she requested.

"It seems like we've only got one of those people in the system. Lie Ren. It says that he's a student at Beacon too. Is that-"

He was cut off for a second time, and Blake said, "Where? What room?"

The man ran his fingers through his hair, and said "Ma'am, I don't know if you can…" his voice trailed off when she drew one of her hands back onto the hilt of Gambol Shroud, and he shook his head, quickly recovering by turning his screen towards her, and pointing. "There, that's their room."

Blake peered at the number for a few moments before stalking off, not wasting any more breath on the man. She entered an elevator, and punched the button to go to the proper floor. When she reached it, the high pitched "ding" from the doors caused more irritation, and she walked out, feet moving quickly. A few hospital orderlies passed her in the hall, giving her concerned looks, but not saying anything.

When she got to the door, she took a few seconds to peer into the room through the window in the door.

Ren was lying on the bed, an IV in his arm, his eyes closed. Jaune and Pyrrha were sitting on either side of the bed, speaking to someone that she couldn't see. She thought she knew who the fourth person was, though, and opened the door, hitting it against the wall its hinges sat on. Jaune and Pyrrha both looked up, startled, but Blake paid them no mind. Instead, she walked into the room, ignoring the "Blake? What's wrong?" that came from the pair. She cast her gaze around the room, and found what she had been hunting for.

Nora sat on a large seat, several empty plates of food next to her, and one in the process of being devoured. She had put her utensils down, and was looking at Blake with sad, tear stricken eyes. Blake didn't know what had happened to her, if she had been freed of the demon or not, but she didn't care. The anger she felt overcame her, and she found herself unable to move, just staring at the redhead with nothing but pure malice in her eyes.

Jaune and Pyrrha said something else, but the roaring in Blake's ears was growing too rapidly for her to hear them. She stood, her breath growing faster and faster, until she was practically panting. Nora still hadn't said a word, and was still looking up at Blake, confused.

This carried on for a few tense seconds before Nora put the plate on the nearby table and stood up, looking Blake right in the eyes. Blake was somewhat startled by the fact that Nora was now a little taller than her, but kept her rage flowing. Nora's body was changed, not only taller, but more solidly built, and more curvy. In other circumstances, Blake might have complemented this, but now it only revolted her.

Nora spoke, her words soft, saying, "Blake, I…" before her voice trailed off, and she closed her eyes. Reopening them, she then put a hand out towards Blake, intending to pull her into a hug.

The pressure that had built inside of Blake snapped, and her aggression was released. She knocked Nora's hand to the side with one arm, and reached for Gambol Shroud with the other. Nora saw this, but seemed to be too stunned to do anything. Instead of drawing Gambol Shroud first, she pulled the whole scabbard off her belt, striking out with its sharpened edge. Nora still seemed to be unable to move, and Blake aimed her strike at her chest.

The angle of the blade's approach was perfect, forming a straight slicing path for the weight of the weapon to follow. The force that Blake put behind the cut was also nothing short of devastating, all of her hatred fueling the fire that drove her. She knew the blade could slice through the bones of a Grimm easily, Nora wouldn't stand much of a chance.

It was for these reasons that Blake found herself very confused when what should have been at least a disabling strike only seemed to dig about an inch deep into her foe's flesh. She didn't have much time to puzzle over this however, because Nora's response was almost immediate.

Something in what had just been a very sad and worried face changed into that of a cornered animal, and Nora lashed out at Blake with speed that she had not expected. Nora's hand, claws that Blake had not taken into consideration, racing towards her. She didn't have to time to dodge the attack, not even with her semblance, and was knocked aside, batted away like a ragdoll.

When off the ground, she had no control over her orientation, and found her back slammed into the wall beneath the large window sill opposite the door. She heard plaster crack, and felt the bones of her spine light up in pain, but didn't let that stop her. Instead, she got back to her feet as quickly as she could, and yanked Gambol Shroud from its sheath.

Jaune and Pyrrha tried to get between them, but Blake knew that bypassing them would be easy. She sprinted forwards, making it look like she was going to try and go right, but just as she almost passed Pyrrha, she made use of her Semblance to change direction and fool her friend. In order to change direction quickly enough, she was forced to twirl on one foot diagonally past Pyrrha, which was a difficult maneuver to pull off. But she managed, and continued her sprint past Jaune, who was trying to keep Nora in place. As she passed him, he tried to reach out for her, but it was already too late. She was too fast.

With the way now clear, she could fire her weapon without fear of hitting the others. The high pitched whine of dust rounds being spat out of Gambol Shroud's barrel filled the air, and she smiled when she saw that Nora was forced to raise her arms to protect herself. The bullets seemed to have little surface effect on Nora's toughened hide, but that didn't matter. Every second that her arms were between her and Blake was another moment that she could get closer.

When she did get into melee range, she used the momentum of her sprint to her advantage, using one foot to stop her forward motion, and throwing the other to the side so that she would spin. This slash had far greater force behind it, and he wasn't using the scabbard anymore. She was using the knife-like blade on the top of her gun, intending to slide it precisely through Nora's ribs.

She felt her arm jolt to a halt, and could tell that it had pierced something. When she looked however, she found that it was Nora's hand, not her chest that she had impaled. She tried to retrieve the blade, but Nora's other hand was quicker, and grabbed ahold of Blake's wrist. She was lifted off the ground, and brought to eye level with Nora.

The redhead stared at her for a moment, then, in a voice that was almost totally silent, said, "Please don't hurt me."

Blake breathed heavily. Nora sounded almost like a child. It was disturbing, really, but if Nora had done it to manipulate her, she wasn't going to let it work. She lashed out with her free hand that still held the scabbard, and cut Nora's wrist. This time the cut she scored was deep, and caused Nora's fingers to go limp. She dropped back to the ground, and started to turn back to face Nora, but when she did, she found her crying, holding the cut with the hand that had been stabbed, which looked already mostly healed. She choked out. "Please, I don't want to do this anymore! It's not my fault! I didn't…" she started to gasp for breath as the words hooked in her throat, "I didn't do it! It's not me!"

Nora's words struck right to Blake's heart. They reminded her that Nora was perhaps not an enemy. That didn't change the fact that she was guilty. She had done more harm than anyone else in the situation. She was going to give her what she deserved.

Blake's pause lasted just a little too long, though, and she felt the strong grip of Pyrrha take her arms and place them behind her back, where she couldn't do anything. She struggled wildly for a second, before a loud, piercing, beep sounded through the room. All attention instantly went to the bed to their side, and all of them saw Ren pushing himself up, rubbing his head and trying to open his eyes.

Gambol Shroud, both scabbard and body, clattered against the floor. Pyrrha's grip left Blake, who dropped back to the ground weakly, and looked back up at the bed. Ren slowly tried to push himself to the side of the bed, but Jaune and Pyrrha were by his side in an instant, trying to keep him still and comfort him. "Ren, you need to stay still." "Don't try to get up, you're in the hospital, everything's fine."

Ren shook his head, and his eyes cracked open as he said, "I… I heard Nora. Where is she? Is she in trouble?"

Blake looked back over her shoulder at the subject of Ren's worry, and was surprised to find that Nora seemed almost shattered. Her expression was something between intense joy and absolute sorrow. Her hands were shaking, and she seemed to be on the verge of some kind of breakdown. Guilt washed over Blake as she realized what she had done. Attacking a friend? That was something a madman would do, not her.

A headache suddenly split her skull, crown to base, and she knew that it didn't have anything to do with the damage she had taken. She winced, putting a hand to her temple, and pulling her knees up to her chest, tucking her face behind them. She wished she could just disappear. Not only had she made an immense fool of herself, but she had probably just lost four friends as well.

Nora stepped over the Faunus, who was now almost totally forgotten, and walked unsteadily towards the bed. She didn't want to suddenly feel one of the urges to hurt something that Tiny used to give her, and was thus hesitant to approach at all. It took almost constant reminding of herself that Tiny was gone, and that she would never feel its urges again to even consider getting close to Ren while he was awake. She was so scared. He had been reduced to such a frail state over the last few weeks, and it was all her fault.

Ren's eyes drifted sleepily over to her, and he tried again to push himself up. Pyrrha and Jaune kept him down, and he abandoned his weak attempts to get back up, instead simply speaking. "Come over here."

Nora's breathing started to turn spastic, and she felt her body start to shake harder. She did as she was told though, and approached. When she was almost there, one of her legs refused to respond to her commands mid-step, and she fell to her knees. This didn't bother her, and she scooted the rest of the way, kneeling next to Ren, and taking ahold of his hand. Her wounds had healed by this point, and left nearly no markings at all.

Ren spoke, and his voice was audibly strained as he said, "I thought I heard you in pain…" He took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're alright, Nora. It's alright, what you did. I don't blame you. It wasn't you doing it."

Nora's lips started to quiver, and she bowed her head into the soft sheets that covered the bed, nodding. Ren, after a few moments of effort, removed his hand from Nora's, and placed it on top of her red hair. She stopped quivering, feeling the comfort of his fingers in her hair and against her skin. He petted her, a bit like a dog, as he had before all of the disastrous things that had happened.

She had always loved that. And she had always loved him, now that she thought about it. She didn't feel the kind of painful urges that Tiny had made for her, she now felt only a soft kind of comfort from him. She hadn't known before, but that was love, she was sure of it.

Jaune was the first to tear his eyes away from the reunification, and look at Blake again. She was clutching her head like she'd had a steel rivet blown into her brain, tears rolling down her cheeks and body shaking from her silent sobs. He glanced back at Ren, trying to decide if it would be insensitive or not to help Blake, then shook his head. Insensitive or not, she clearly needed it.

He walked over to where her weapon had fallen, and retuned the blade to its sheath. It slid in easily, and he put it on the ground beside her, not sure what to say. There wasn't really anything that he could say to make her feel better about what she'd done, it was pretty bad, but he didn't want her to simply be crying on the ground. Nora would forgive her, he was sure. And Pyrrha, along with himself, would be able to understand her drives.

They had turned the TV off a while ago, seeing as it upset Nora. They didn't know how they were going to tell Ren about it. Something like that was going to be difficult for someone waking up from a coma to believe.

He glanced back to the bed, then than to Blake again. He couldn't just leave her there, like that. He had to do something.

With as gentle a movement as he could manage, he reached down and put a hand on Blake's shoulder. Her sobbing slowed a little bit, but still continued, and her face didn't turn towards him. He knelt down, taking her weapon in a soft grip, and tried to pull her up. "Hey, come on, get up. It's alright, no one is going to blame you. You should say hello to Ren."

Blake tried weakly to shrug him off, but he knew that Ren would be able to help, whether he meant to or not. He always helped, that was simply part of his thoughtful personality. He never failed to make someone feel better about themselves. And Blake certainly needed a little of that now.

It took a few more seconds of prompting, but with a little work, Jaune was able to get Blake up to her feet and herded her over to the side of Ren's bed. Nora had broken down into tears again, and Pyrrha was trying to tell Ren some of the things that had happened in his "absence." She had said nothing about Menagerie yet, and Jaune hoped that she would leave that topic alone for a while, but based on how Ren was already reacting to things.

He appeared panicked when Pyrrha told him how much time had passed since he was last fully conscious, or conscious at all, for that matter. Jaune had expected something like that, he knew that he would be freaked out pretty badly if someone told him that he had been out for a week. What seemed to get under Ren's skin (and under Jaune's too, he had to admit) was that he seemed to have fragments, just little bits and pieces, of memories from when he had almost been awake. Jaune could tell that he didn't want to say what they were with Nora around, and he didn't blame him. With the weird stuff that had been going on when he and Pyrrha had stumbled upon them, he wouldn't want to talk about it either.

It wasn't long before Ren took notice of Blake's presence, and greeted her in his now hoarse voice. "Blake! What are you doing here?"

She couldn't quite speak through the spasms in her diaphragm, but she managed to make a small wave with one of her hands. Ren quickly took this to mean that he likely shouldn't try to speak with her, and didn't press any further. He looked down to Nora, whose head was still beneath his fingers, and gave it another rub. He was glad to be awake again, but was still disturbed by everything that had happened. He also got the feeling that they were trying not to tell him something, but explained it as his imagination. It was bound to be acting up after waking up from sleeping so long. The nurse that had visited him had said that he wouldn't feel quite himself for a while, maybe this was a part of that.

It was a feeling that he couldn't dismiss, though. Every time he looked up, they seemed to be avoiding his gaze, or looking at one another with hesitance or dread. Things they shouldn't be feeling around him. He didn't say anything about this, though.

Instead, he tried to talk about something a little less depressing than the current mood of the room. "So Blake is here, but where's the rest of RWBY? Are they going to be coming by later, or is it just coincidence that you're here?"

The question was aimed at Blake, but the way that she slowly looked up at him, a stunned look on her face. In a manner as slow as the way she looked up, she said, "No, I don't think it is." It was clear that she was coming to grips with something, putting as much thought towards something as she could. What it was that she was focusing on, though, Ren didn't know. He looked at the faces of his other friends, and found that they looked every bit as confused as he felt.

Jaune was the closest to her, and turned to face her, a careful expression on his face. He didn't want to make anything worse, but he also wanted to know what she meant. "Blake, what does that mean? Did someone send you?"

Blake's crying had stopped for the most part, and she was now focusing on whatever it was in her head. It was a few seconds before she said anything, but when she did, it seemed that she was somewhat chilled. "No, no one sent me. I just…" she stopped for a second, taking a deep breath, then turned more towards Jaune and Pyrrha than Ren. "I asked Naze where you guys were, and he told me. He saw that I had Gambol Shroud, he had to. He knew what I was going to do, and he told me anyways. I think he had to have known what was going to happen here."

Jaune and Pyrrha looked stunned, Nora didn't respond, and Ren looked more confused. Something had happened with Blake's weapon? Had she fought someone or something on the way over here?

Pyrrha spoke again, saying, "Are you sure? He knew that you were going to…" her voice trailed off, and she glanced over to Ren. The two looked at one-another for a few seconds, before Pyrrha sighed and said. "Ren, you should know what woke you up. You said that you heard Nora in trouble, right?" Ren nodded, and Pyrrha continued. "Well, she was. Blake came here because she…" Pyrrha looked over at Blake, choosing her words carefully, "...she was in a lot of distress. Something happened recently that was really bad, and she thought that Nora had something to do with it. She didn't, but Blake didn't really know that. The two fought, and Blake got Nora a few times. That sound was what woke you up, we think."

Ren blinked, processing this. His head had a faint ache near its back, but he didn't let that deter him from trying to puzzle out what his friends were talking about. "So what you're saying is that Naze knew this was going to happen, me waking up and all."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, and started to speak, but Blake interrupted him before he could. "He had to. There's no way something like that happens on accident. You guys know how he works, right? With manipulation, and using people."

Her voice sounded upset, and all of them could understand the indignance that Blake might feel at being used like this, if she was being used, but she also had to look at the positives. Ren was awake again, and there was no permanent damage from the fight. Everything was well. In fact, Jaune and Pyrrha were somewhat surprised by the fact that Naze had done something that didn't benefit him at all. At least, in any way that they could see. They had to remind themselves that Naze had access to a lot more information than they did. Maybe there was some plan in store for them, there was no real way to know.

Ren nodded, and said, "Oh." In a kind of even voice that no one had quite expected. This news had been expected to make him feel uncomfortable, or provoke some kind of reaction, at least. But instead he seemed to take this revelation in stride.

They soon found out that this was because something else was troubling Ren. After a few heavy moments of silence, he asked, "So what was the disaster that brought Blake here? If she attacked Nora, it must've been pretty bad, right?"

When he asked this, he felt Nora's shudders beneath his fingers quicken, and knew that he had struck a nerve. A large, important nerve, which he wanted to know more about. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other again, and Blake grit her teeth in a way that seemed to suggest she didn't want to talk about it.

Ren sighed, and said "Blake, why don't you just leave. I think it'd be best. I appreciate you coming by, but you look like you're getting uncomfortable."

Blake looked up at him, then gave a plastered-on smile. It was insincere, but he didn't blame her for anything she had done. He was sure that he would do no less than what she had, were he in her position. He returned her fake smile with a genuine one of his own, and gave a weak wave as she started to walk towards the door. Everyone bid goodbye to their Faunus friend, Ren even got Nora to give a small whimper that almost sounded like a few words.

When she was gone, the two more lucid of his three teammates looked back to Ren, anxiety showing obviously on their faces. He spoke again, feeling some part of his throat grind against another in a rather painful way, and feeling his hoarse voice vibrate in the air around him, "Well, tell me. I can take it."

Pyrrha sighed, Jaune turned away from the bed awkwardly, and Nora grew more distressed beside him. He could tell that this was going to be interesting.

* * *

The shades always had been quick to work, and this assignment was no exception. It wasn't long at all before Summer's corpse was found high on a frigid mountain range north of Atlas. The conditions of the area made observation difficult, but the shade's unique abilities allowed them to bypass that. It was revealed that her body was frozen in a solid cube of ice, almost large enough to be classified as a glacier.

Atlas was certainly a cold enough place to generate formations like this, but Naze doubted it was a natural formation. If it were, it would not have been able to move fast enough to take Summer's corpse inside of itself between the time she died and now. Something had generated the icy formation other than the usual buildup of snow in the mountain range.

Summer was not shown her corpse, but neither was Naze. Not even the shades were able to penetrate the glacier well enough to get a clear view. Even though the ice itself was clear and pure, bends and excessive amounts of air bubbles made the distortion too great to make out any detail about the body. The amount of bubbles told Naze that the glacier had been formed extremely quickly, and he had checked already for record of a glacier in the area. There was no record.

With all this in mind, he decided that the area was still dangerous, and that they could not simply send in a recovery team. Most recovery teams would be able to extract the body quickly, but he was considering going himself to the site. He would be able to pull the corpse out in a matter of minutes, rather than hours, and time was certainly something that was starting to grow short. Summer needed the body soon, and he would be able to restore her to it immediately.

Summer made a request that he considered somewhat odd, though. She wanted her children to come as well, to be there when she took her first earthly steps in years. It would be dangerous for the children, Summer knew this, but she was sure that with Naze's protection, no harm would come to them. Naze had agreed to this request, if the children themselves accepted. He had inquired if she wanted her husband to be there as well, but she refused this. She didn't want him to undergo the stress.

No additional information had come from Summer, unfortunately, so they would be going into the area mostly blind. Naze didn't expect this to be too much of a problem, especially considering that he and his guard would be present, but there would be emergency procedures in place just in case something did go horrendously wrong.

He still had to contact Ruby and Yang, though. This would be easy to do, and he was sure that they would accept. Although he could go through Yang, he anticipated that an appearance from his puppet would have seemed more "personal" to them. "Personal" had never been a strong suit of his, but it was something that he had learned to imitate.

When he put his focus into his orb, and his consciousness started to work through the preserved corpse, animating it to life again. When he started to move, he noticed a thin layer of dust starting to settle over the more flat surfaces. The thing was being used less, but that was fine. It had served its purpose already. If it truly became useless, he would recycle the crystals inside of it, and dispose of the rest.

When he knocked on the door to team RWBY's room, he knew that Blake had not yet returned from her little escapade to the hospital, but he knew that the visit had gone exactly the way that he had expected it to. Ren was once again conscious, which would allow Nora to join in the combat, if required. He looked forward to seeing how the girl fared against those who had been corrupted to a lesser extent than her. He would have also liked to learn from her demon, Tiny, but that creature had been destroyed by the arch demon Timor. It had offered help to him, but in doing so, destroyed his greatest asset to learning more about its kind. A clever ploy, perhaps, but one that Naze didn't feel degraded the demon's offer.

His attention was snapped out of its raveling the future up, and back to the present. Ruby opened the door, and when she saw Naze, made an expression of slight fear. This look only lasted for a second though, as a smile quickly replaced it. "Oh, hi! Is there something I can do for you? Blake isn't here, if that's who you're looking for. She went to find Nora. I don't know if she found her, though." Suddenly Ruby's expression of mild surprise was replaced with one of worry. Her fingers went to her mouth, and she started to bite the ends of her nails.

Naze shook his head, and said, "No, I'm not here for her. I'm here for you. To make you an offer, more specifically. You see, your mother's corpse has been located, and she wishes you to go on the expedition to retrieve it."

Ruby's jaw dropped, and she said, "Mom's body?" Not sure of what response Ruby expected from this, he nodded, and it wasn't a full second before Ruby had disappeared, leaving fluttering rose petals in her wake.

Naze heard her voice deeper inside of the room, but didn't enter. There was no need to, Ruby would explain what he had said to her sister.

Her voice chattered quickly, illegible, with another deeper voice that was identifiably Yang's, then two sets of raucous footsteps thundered towards him. Yang and Ruby both stood before him, practically bouncing on their heels in excitement. Naze didn't have the opportunity to speak even if he wanted to. Ruby and Yang both started to talk at once, creating a mesh of questions, comments, and noises that was difficult for even Naze to decipher.

The things that he was able to understand seemed to be general sorts of praises and questions about where they could be going. He held up a hand to halt the barrage of words, then said, "The body is inside of a glacier north of Atlas. We could set out at any time, and your safety is fairly guaranteed, so long as you stay alert. Now, I assume that you're both willing to go?"

Instead of questions, he was now assaulted by hundreds of affirmations from the two girls. Again, he held a hand up to stop the volley, and when it was done, said, "Very well. Take the time to ready yourselves. I will contact you when everything is set for departure."

The responses of "Thank you!" and "Please hurry!" came as he had expected, and he turned around again to return to his own room. The body was barely back into the room when he took his focus back from it, and he set his attention to ordering the forces he would take with him. A few Death Knights would be more than enough, and none too large an investment. They were strong enough to handle any situation. Even if they were placed inside of a glacier just like Summer's corpse was, they would be able to break free.

That would be all he needed, and the process of extracting the corpse itself would be easy. There was a multitude of choices at his disposal, but he decided that arcane magic would be the easiest to use. It would slice through ice like it was nothing, even the huge amount that he would have to dispose of.

Transportation to the area would be more difficult than it had been to Patch. Runes needed to be drawn or etched in something that would allow them to stay virtually unchanged for long enough to use them. A hostile mountain range was not one such environment. No shade would have the strength to carve a symbol like what was needed into solid rock, and winds would blow away any other markings.

They would have to enter the area closer to the base of the mountains, and make their way up. This would not be a problem for himself or the Knights, but Ruby would have to be careful to avoid damage from cold. Her aura would likely be able to provide adequate protection, though.

A number of shades set about making the marks they needed to, and the Death Knights moved to join their lord before they set off.

He also informed Summer that she would have to prepare herself, as he expected her to accompany them as they went out. If anything started to go awry, there was a chance that she could recall some detail about what had slain her, and possibly give some insight as to how to deal with it. Summer's response was enthusiastic, and she made it clear that she couldn't wait to be corporeal again.

* * *

Ruby clutched Crescent Rose tightly to her chest, barely able to contain her excitement. "Yang, we're really going to see Mom again!" she rocked back on her bed, letting out a high pitched squeal as she did so. Yang looked up at her sister, smiling as she made sure that the single gauntlet of Ember Celica that she still used was secure on her wrist. The yellow metal didn't leave any slack, and was fastened a little more tightly than she ever would have in life. She didn't have to think about the discomfort that it would cause now, which was good. One thing that did register somewhere in her brain was that if too much pressure got put on it, it would cut slice her flesh. Not deep enough to really impede her abilities, but enough that she would've bled pretty heavily if that were still a concern.

Weiss looked on at the pair from the chair by the desk. She didn't want to sound petty, but she felt like she was being left out. The feeling made sense, she was being left out, and for good reason too. Getting back a family member's body for reanimation must've been a pretty personal thing.

Still, though, she'd be lying if she told herself that it didn't sting. Even though they could get on her nerves sometimes, she considered the members of team RWBY to be a better family than her flesh-and-blood ever had. She knew that they likely didn't feel the same way, what with Yang and Ruby still having a father, and Blake probably having someone to at least take the place of a parent. They'd be more distinguishing. She didn't blame them for it.

But even still, it felt like she was simply unliked in general, being left alone like she was. She tried to tell herself they didn't mean it, but it just didn't sound right.

She admired the two, though she never really would've said it. They weren't even full sisters, and yet they acted like they were two parts of the same mold, forming a synergy between them. Weiss thought of her own sister, Winter. There wasn't much difference between Ruby and Yang's ages or Weiss and Winter's, but Winter had always been so distant.

When she thought about it, she supposed that she wasn't entirely free of blame. Winter took more after her father than Weiss did, which would naturally create conflict. As a result, Weiss had spurned her the first few years, and that had created a rift that would never mend. She felt bad about it now, because Winter wasn't their father. She was a much better person, whom Weiss genuinely wanted to be friends with.

Ruby finished checking over her weapon, reporting with an, "All ready to go!" and sliding off the side of her bed to the floor below, bouncing happily.

Yang gave her sister her signature cocky smile, and said, "Alright, let's go do this." The two of them started towards the door, but stopped before they passed Weiss. Yang was the first to speak to her, saying, "Hey, are you going to be alright here on your own? I mean, we don't really know when Blake is going to get back, so…" her voice trailed off, and she raised her arms to indicate Weiss would be alone.

Weiss nodded, and said, "I'll be fine. I've got plenty of things to get done anyways." It wasn't true. She'd finished all her homework the day before.

Yang smiled, and said, "Good. Then we'll be back before you know it. See you later!" Both girls resumed walking towards the door, and Ruby called out over her shoulder, "Bye!" Weiss rose a hand, waving. As the door closed again, she let the hand fall limply back to her side. She was alone again.

A heavy sigh found its way out of her chest, and she looked around the room. There wasn't really anything that she could do, other than root through the other's things. That would be rude, though, and she hadn't done it before. She wasn't about to start now.

As she thought about what she should do, she kept thinking about seeing Ruby and Yang, so close, acting like real siblings did. It was strange to think that she might've had a relationship like that with Winter, if she had tried a little harder to look past her flaws. An idea about what she could do to occupy her time started to form in her head, and she wondered if she could contact Winter easily. She wanted to talk to her sister now, and see if she could mend the damage that she had caused. She hoped that she wouldn't be angry.

Ruby took a deep breath as she walked out, staying close to Yang's side. She didn't want to leave Weiss, doing so made her feel bad, but there was simply no real place for her. It was more of a family matter than anything else, though. She wanted as few people to be there as possible.

She looked up to Yang, and asked "Mom is in the mountains, right? How are we going to get there? Please tell me its not-"

Yang answered her question before she could finish, smiling a bit as she did so. "We're going to have to take the runes again, Rubes. Sorry. Yeah, you hate it, but you've gone through, like, twice now. It's all good."

Ruby stuck her tongue out, blowing a small, sad raspberry. She knew that it was probably the safest possible way to travel, and definitely the fastest, but it made her uncomfortable. There was no other way to do it, though, so she would just have to deal with it.

The two walked across the hall, and Yang opened the door to Naze's room without any hesitation. She strutted in, and motioned for Ruby to follow. "Well, are you coming?"


	49. Chapter 49

Author's note:

This chapter was pretty long, and I'd say it was pretty eventful. Tell me what you thought about all the action, and the way it ends. You know I like that.

In personal news, I just finished Mirai Nikki...  
ouch.

* * *

Ruby didn't want to step on the rune in the first place, but seeing as it was the only real way out of the room she now found herself in, there was a good motivation to. She hated this room. It was full of bizarre, creepy things that made her feel uncomfortable. It didn't help at all that Naze's body was just sitting on the bed, not moving at all. She knew that Naze himself was going to be a whole lot creepier, but there was something about the body's glassy, unmoving eyes that made her feel on edge.

With a deep breath, she stepped with Yang into the circle, not sure whether she should squeeze her eyes shut or keep them peeled wide. Yang gave her a playful nudge with her elbow, but Ruby didn't feel like playing.

Yang saw how nervous her sister was, and put a hand on her back. "Hey, come on. Everything's going to be fine. I mean, we're going to have some of the strongest guards on the planet, and be with Naze himself. Basically nothing could touch us." Ruby sighed, and nodded her head. It was all true, she supposed, but she was still uncomfortable. She held Crescent Rose a little tighter, seeking the emotional support of her weapon.

Yang gave her back a rub, and said, "Alright, here we go." Again, Ruby braced herself, and for a brief moment the space around her seemed to stretch, compress, and jolt around all at once. She felt sick for a second, realized that she had closed her eyes, and picked them open carefully, dreading the prospect of what she might find.

Chilled winds brushed the sides of her face, assaulting her clothing, trying to find any breech it could to bite at her skin. She'd known that it would be cold, and prepared her aura to handle it. She felt glad when it appeared to work, keeping the heat of her body raveled inside of her. She looked around, and found herself on a grassy slope that climbed upwards with impressive speed.

Behind her, she heard Yang say, "Hey Naze! Hey guys, how's it going?" As soon as she said this, Ruby felt something creep down her back. She found herself almost paralyzed with fear, unwilling to turn around. She knew roughly what was behind her, but she didn't want to see it. Maybe there was some way to get through the whole mission without looking at them. It would be hard, but if she was careful, she might be able to do it.

Her hand was reaching up shakily towards her hood when she felt Yang's hand grab her shoulder and wheel her around. She did her best to shrink back, but her best was nowhere near good enough. Instead of being able to save herself the terror, she came in full visual contact with the undead.

Somehow, everything looked even worse than she had thought. Naze was a few feet behind Yang, hovering just off the ground, robes brushing the ground lightly with its frayed edges, and piercing blue eyes stabbing into Ruby's brain like daggers. She did her best to look away and, after a second, was able to pry her eyes away. What else she found around him wasn't much better.

Four of some of the most imposing looking warriors she had ever seen stood around Naze, all wearing obsidian black armor, and carrying weapons that seemed to glow with a thirst for blood. Each was almost a head and a half taller than Naze, even when he was floating. She couldn't tell much about the figures under the armor like sex or body type, it was all obscured by their thick plating. The one detail that she could see well was that all their eyes glowed with the same intensity as their weapons.

Ruby's body started to tense up, and she could feel herself start to sweat. Yang bent over, peaking at her sister's face, and growing more worried. "Ruby? Ruby, are you alright? Hey…" she snapped a few times in front of Ruby's face, and started to shake her when she didn't respond. "Ruby, what's wrong? Ruby!"

Ruby's eyes were still refusing to move, so when Naze made a motion with his hands, making a small, translucent field around him and his people, she could see it well. After he did this, Ruby felt the fear that attacked her mind start to fade. Her breathing slowed again, and she blinked a few times. "Y-Yang?" she brushed her sister's hands off and straightened back up, saying, "I think I'm good now, sorry. That was just…" her voice trailed off, and she found that she didn't quite have the words.

Naze spoke from behind them, saying, "Overwhelming. Yes, it is a common effect of excessive amounts of necromantic energy. I have created a ward to suppress it. You shouldn't feel it anymore." His voice was every bit as painful as she remembered it, but it had lost part of its supernatural edge. She nodded, and muttered a quiet thanks under her breath. They weren't outright terrifying now, but that didn't mean she didn't have a problem looking at them. Even with the magic suppressed, they made her every hair stand on edge.

She tried again to draw her hood up, and tried to change her train of thought. Instead of focusing on how intimidating they were, she could look at their weapons. That was always something that she could break the ice with. When she did break the ice, anyways. It had worked with Jaune.

She tried to get a good look at them, but found it difficult to do without looking right at the fighters. After a few second, she threw this concern to the wind, and simply looked. She was far too curious about what kind of weapons the soldiers of the dead used.

When she found out, she was slightly underwhelmed. One of the Knights had a massive bastard sword on its back, both ends sharpened to a razor's edge, and a thick, heavy middle of the blade to give each swing the approximate weight of a truck. That one was simple, but its effectiveness couldn't be denied.

The next one had some kind of spear weapon, but it didn't end in a normal spearhead. Instead, the thing splayed out in a flat, crescent shape, its opening outward facing. The blade was thin, and looked like it lacked weight, but Ruby got the feeling it didn't need to be. Every edge was curved elegantly, and the dark metal was polished to a shine. The more she looked at it, the more the opening of the crescent was about neck-sized. The other end of the long shaft bore a more traditional spearhead, though jagged and spiked. It also looked like it lacked weight. Ruby could imagine the kind of devastation something like that could do, if the wielder was skilled enough.

The next weapon was considerably less elegant, but far more simple. It was, as far as she could tell, a gladiolus, neat and plain. It was far larger than what a normal gladiolus would be, but its wielder was far larger than an average person. On its back appeared to be a large rectangular tower shield, which puzzled Ruby. She had never known someone fight with such a cumbersome shield. Jaune's was one of the largest she had seen.

The last warrior had something different than the others. Instead of melee weapons, it had what looked to Ruby like a very, very large bow strung across its back. After some brief size comparisons, Ruby determined that the bow was roughly twice size of her entire body, and probably much more heavy. The Knight that carried it had what seemed to be lighter armor than the others, allowing a wider range of movement and greater mobility. She didn't know how much that would mean, though, if they came into a battle.

A quiver of arrows strapped to its back also caught her attention, and she was surprised at how large they were. About her size in length, and constructed like harpoons. They looked like they'd weigh about the same as a small car, but Ruby was sure that the archer would have no trouble firing them.

When her brief inspection was complete, she noticed that Naze was doing something with his staff, a soft glow starting to emanate from its tip. Ruby felt apprehensive about what he was doing, and was about to ask Yang what was going on, when the ghost of her mother started to emerge from the light. Her heart instantly tried to jump out of her chest, and she would've followed it towards her mother, if she wasn't so close to Naze.

Instead, she simply said, "Mom!" Her voice reflected the excitement she felt well, but her mother didn't look happy in return. She only gave Ruby a sad smile, visibly trying to appear less melancholy, and said, "Hello, Ruby. Hello, Yang."

After she had greeted her children, she turned to Naze and said, "Well, we should get this done. There is no sense in waiting."

Naze nodded, and motioned towards the top of the mountain. The four Knights, Yang, and Summer all started moving almost at once, armor clinking as they did so. Summer tried to hold her head down, not wanting to look at the mountain that held her corpse. She hadn't expected to be overcome by emotions like this, but there was undoubtedly strong feelings connected to this place. Had she come here knowing that she would die? Yes, that sounded right, but she couldn't remember.

Her memory regarding everything that surrounded her death was foggy, and no matter how hard she tried to parse that fog, she came up with nothing. It was frustrating, and made no better by the fact that she knew why it had happened.

She should've remembered her death. It was important, and had a huge impact on her children. She hated to think about what their years had been like without her. She wanted to give her daughters everything she could. More than anything, she wanted to give her daughters a hug. To feel their warmth around her, and know that she was serving them again.

But then again, she might've already failed. Yang had died. She had tried to make Summer feel better about it, joking and insisting that she didn't think much of it, but the guilt Summer felt was unimaginable. Ruby was still alive, though, and that was something that Yang had made sure to drive home. Ruby, Summer's direct offspring, was still alive. She didn't like the way Yang had said it, it seemed to belittle herself for not being of Summer's blood. She didn't want there to be even the shadow of a doubt that she loved both of her children equally, and that who they had come from didn't make a single difference.

But they were barely children now. She could hardly believe that Ruby was fifteen years old. She knew that when people said "they grow up fast", they didn't mean dying, but death certainly didn't made the statement any less true.

She was a fine young girl, and Summer was proud. She should have been there for Ruby, but she wasn't. She only felt embarrassed that she had left her precious little girls without a mother for so long. It was an error that no mother should've ever made. She couldn't remember what brought her to this accursed mountain, or what had ended her here, but she was going to see some revenge. Even if it wasn't by her own hand, she was going to make sure that whatever monster, man or beast, wouldn't make any other mothers feel the same way.

It was several minutes before the grass started to give way to snow, and she heard Ruby start to shiver. She wanted to give her another cloak, but had none to spare. Her ghostly farm didn't really have clothing, which was strange.

The others, of course, bore no mind to the cold, herself included. She couldn't feel it. She dropped back behind the main group, and hovered next to Ruby, while Yang walked on her other side. Ruby looked at her, trying to walk through the trail of the larger footed individuals. "Hey Mom, what's up?"

Summer faltered at her daughter's voice. She had been about to ask her if she really wanted to be here, but she couldn't now. She couldn't ask her daughter to leave her side again. Summer shook her head, and said, "No, never mind. It's nothing important."

Ruby looked at Yang, a puzzled expression on her face, and Yang shrugged. Neither of them knew what was wrong with their mother, but they would do anything to help, if they could. They couldn't help if she didn't tell them what was the matter, though. She didn't seem to have any intention to, though, so they simply kept on walking. Hopefully she would get better once they got to her body.

It was a few more minutes before Yang spoke up, asking, "How long until we get there?" They had made quick progress up the mountain, but were quickly approaching the point where the thick layer of white clouds cut off the top of the mountain, leaving only an unfinished stump for their view.

Naze himself did not answer, but the Death Knight with the bow did, and Ruby found its voice almost as unpleasant as Naze's. "We are nearing the glacier. There is a pass nearby that will allow us to come down on top of the formation, and mine the corpse from the top. It is only ten minutes away." The voice was like a pile of old dry leaves being crushed beneath the treads of a tank, and made goose bumps run up and down Ruby's spine. Even with the barrier Naze held, it made Ruby shudder.

Summer tried once again to try and recall the events that had left her body frozen in a glacier. The flashback that she had seen gave her some detail, but not nearly enough to rekindle the memories that she knew slept in her head. She closed her eyes to think, tensing every particle of her ethereal body that she could in hopes of drawing it out.

Nothing happened. She simply viewed the flashback again and again in her mind, trying to grasp any new detail. The area around her was unfamiliar, the shadow that had blotted out the sun seemed too large for life, but still, nothing inside of her was stirred by the thought. She remembered being cold, but she could only assume that was because of the harsh mountain weather. She had never liked winter conditions, and high atop a mountain was about as close as one could get.

That might have had something to do with her death. But surely a charging glacier would announce itself in some way? It would rumble, or shake the earth, or do something of that nature. A glacier was supposed to be slow and not dangerous, not capable of killing a professional Huntress and several civilians in the blink of an eye.

Her heart fell as she thought of the civilians who had been lost. She had tried her best to save them, she was sure, but all her efforts had been in vain. Failed again, unfortunately. She had lost people before, she regretted to admit to herself. She shouldn't have. She should have tried harder. Every time, she should have given it her all. She'd always tried to, though, and sometimes things just didn't work out that way. Not every story had a happy ending, she supposed. Her gaze shifted to her side almost involuntarily at her daughter as she considered the kind of story she'd had so far. Not a happy one, to be sure, but her end had not yet come. There was still time for her life to become great. She would become a legend, and spit in the face of everything that had stood in her way. It was the least a girl as pure and sweet as her deserved.

Summer couldn't do anything to help her, though. Not directly, like she wanted. Yang had explained a few things to her on the way up, making clear a few of the ambiguous things that she had agreed to when working for Naze. She would have to perform her duty, then, when it was done, she would be dismissed unless she continued to serve a purpose. It had seemed unfair at first, to give someone their life again, then to take it away when they were done with their task. But Yang had explained it as Naze seemed to think about it, employing people for a job then firing them when the job was done. It made sense, she had to begrudgingly admit. She couldn't find it in herself to be angry about it.

Her thoughts then turned to how she might be able to stay around. What jobs did Naze need done that she could perform? He seemed to have plenty of fighters, and Summer had never been incredibly scholarly. If it was anything, it would be weapon forging, but she had seen the forges that Naze's company kept, and she would likely never be able to hold a candle to such a thing.

The thought had occurred to her that she could serve as an ambassador, in the same way that Yang did, but she didn't want to run the risk of possibly cutting the job out from under her daughter. If she were to replace Yang, and send her to the void in her place, she would never forgive herself.

She would just have to hope something else came up. She didn't want to leave them again. They didn't deserve that.

As the group passed over a hump in the imaginary path they had been following, Ruby, Yang, and Summer all stopped to look down at what was before them. The ground shifted downwards quickly, almost a vertical incline, didn't go all the way down the pass. Instead, the largest block of ice that they had ever seen sat blocking the way, twisted upwards in talon-like formations in some places, and opening up in vast crevices in others. Nothing was visible through the vast amount of deep blue ice. Ruby found the breath stolen from her chest, and the other two found their words stolen from their minds. There was nothing to say.

Naze and his Knights continued moving as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about the wonder they approached. The heavy armors and weapons continued to clink as they walked, reminding the three that they needed to keep moving.

A brutally cold wind whipped down from the clouds, carrying snow and fragments of ice with it. The eight of them looked up, noted the speed with which the wave of cold came, and started to brace for its impact, moving together tightly. Ruby started to worry. She was the only one who was going to be really affected by this, and she wasn't sure that her aura could save her from something like that. It had worked against the breeze and the altitude, but the wind seemed to be in another league.

The wind ran down the side of the mountain, snow and ice following after it, flowing like water across the surface of the mountain. Bare grew rock was exposed in its wake, and all could clearly see that it wasn't just going to cover the glacier, but reach them as well. Ruby started to count the seconds, trying to get a read on how exactly how quickly it was moving. At one, it was about a fourth of the way down from the peak. At two, it was three fourths of the way. At three, it seemed like a solid wall was moving at them, intent on hitting them like a train.

Yang, Summer, and Ruby all shouted out at once for Naze to do something, but he simply stood stock-still, like the ice had already consumed him. It was too cold for Ruby to feel most of her face, but she was sure that a few dribbles of water were coming out of her eyes.

Just as it seemed too late, Naze put his staff in front of him, and a light erupted from the top again. Ruby saw runes all along the side of the wood light up, dancing brilliantly, before the wave hit.

At first Ruby closed her eyes, certain that she was about to die. Then, as the deafening roar around her grew, and the sun was wiped away from the sky, she let them crack open. She was standing, or rather, sitting, just where she had been. She didn't remember falling, but that seemed of little importance now. Naze stood in the center of the small dome of ice that surrounded them, staff providing the brightest source of light other than the blue glow inside of him and the thirst of his Knights

Ruby let out a deep breath, and tried to get back to her feet. Her arms and legs were too shaky though, and she feel back to the ground, roar of the ice being replaced by the painful thumping of her heart. Her sister was quick to try and help her to her feet, putting her arm over her shoulder so that she could prop herself up. "Ruby, are you alright?"

She could hardly muster the air to answer, but she was able to give a weak thumbs up and say, "All good." Her tone made it somewhat clear that she wasn't good, but she was able to keep going. Nothing had done any real damage to her, other than to her nerves, so she would continue to push on.

Naze started to walk, still holding his staff aloft, and spoke as he did so. "This is but a minor setback. He will return to the surface of this avalanche, and I will freeze a path across if it prove necessary." Ruby followed behind, feeling anxious about being surrounded with so much snow. This anxiety was made worse when she noticed that the snow pushed aside by Naze as they walked was falling back down behind them. If Naze's spell stopped, it would mean all of them would be buried. Maybe that was a worse thing for her than it was for the others, though.

In the end, she tried simply not to think about it as she followed the lich, doing her best to stay as far away from him as possible while still staying inside of the bubble he had created. Yang and her mother stayed close to her, trying to keep her comforted, and it worked to a certain point. There was, however, a rumbling that seemed to be shaking the snow they walked on, and a distant sound that was almost a roar. It was high pitched, and pierced the layers of snow like they were nothing. Ruby didn't know of any kind of Grimm that could make a noise like that.

Naze's knights all looked in the general direction of the noise, but none said anything. Instead, Yang was he first to speak. "Another avalanche?" She asked, knowing that it was very unlikely.

Naze gave an awkward shrug and said, "Perhaps. We will only know once we reach the surface. I would suggest having your weapons ready."

The ominous warning was not ignored by his guard, as they all drew them with practiced ease, movements so smooth that Ruby could barely see them. She brought Crescent Rose from her back too, but upon realizing how cramped the conditions were, she decided against unfurling her weapon. The last thing that they needed was her scythe added to the mix when space was so short.

Ruby wanted to do something, but conditions were simply too cramped. She had never considered herself a claustrophobe, but the long shadows that danced along the floor and walls as they walked. Ruby could barely make out the shapes of her companions from the quivering shadows that they cast.

The incline they walked on started to grow, and Ruby hoped that they would reach the surface quickly. She was starting to feel like it was getting hard to breath, like the dome was closing around her. She didn't want to disturb the silence, but she wanted to ask whether or not there was air in the small alcove, or if she was starting to suffocate.

She drew in another sharp breath, feeling her chest grow tighter as another screech made its way through the snow, this time sounding distinctly closer. Her pace involuntarily quickened, which was good, because the others started to do so as well.

It was only about half a minute more of walking before the crackles and snaps of the ice they pushed their way through started to grow louder and sharper. Ruby got the sense that they were getting close to the surface, and desperately hoped that she was right. She didn't want to be buried in snow anymore. She was starting to shiver as well, making her wish that she had worn something a little heavier. Her aura had worked well up until they had been covered, but once they were down there, her focus had slipped from keeping it strong.

Ruby tried to bring her aura back up to full power, but it was difficult to do with her nerves in the state they were in.

"I just need to calm down." She whispered to herself. "Everything's going to be alright."

The cracking reached a new, higher volume, and Naze said without hesitation, "We're almost free. Keep an eye out when we are for anything out of the ordinary. This avalanche seems too convenient to be natural."

Ruby saw the Knights grip their weapons with a new sense of awareness, and Yang curled both her fists tightly, getting ready for battle. The creaking continued to rush up its crescendo, until finally Ruby could see a glimmer of daylight through the roof of the dome.

The ice broke away, and fell to the sides as the party exited the ocean of ice, and returned to its icy surface. Already, the snow along the top had solidified into a thick sheet, almost entirely flat. Ruby breathed a deep breath, and pulsed a small amount of her aura out, causing Crescent Rose to unfold. She immediately set about looking around, doing just as Naze had said and searching for anything that could be hostile.

There was nothing along the new plain that her been created, and the edges of the pass appeared to be clear of anything as well. There was nothing down the pass, towards the base of the mountain, and if there was it would have been covered in snow as well. The only place that she couldn't see was up the mountain. It was still obscured by slowly rolling clouds, but now its steep sides looked grey, most of the snow having been swept away. Ruby thought she could see tracks as well, almost embedded in the side of the mountain, but they stopped abruptly. They looked round and large, large enough to indicate a massive beast, but not deep enough to support that size. She did her best to formulate a mental picture of what such a thing would look like, but at the distance she was at, it was impossible.

It had to be a fluke, some natural phenomena having tricked her over-eager brain. They were little more than slightly discolored spots in the rock anyways. She tried to ignore them, and went back to observing the area around them for danger.

Eventually the group stopped, and Naze directed his attention to the snow and ice below his feet. "This is the place. I will begin removal. Stand guard."

His staff started to glow again, runes blazing in the cold, and a thin beam of what appeared to be pure, dancing light shot out from its tip, striking the snow. At first Ruby thought that he was marking the spot, but then realized that the beam appeared to leave nothing in its path. Where it passed over, a hole was left that Ruby couldn't see the bottom of.

She didn't get to marvel long however, because another scream ripped through the air, and everything started to shake. Yang's voice cried out, "Look!" and Ruby did.

It was odd at first to see a literal wave of ice approaching them, and even stranger when glimmers of what appeared to be a monster shone through small spots. The wave died as it lost its momentum, crashing into the ground and piling up around where the beast had broken the surface of the icy plain. Everyone turned and readied their weapons.

The ice fell, but a cloud of powdery snow was thrown into the air, obscuring a large amount of what lay before them. This didn't stop Naze's warriors however, who started to charge without a word. The fourth Knight, the one with the bow, stayed right where it was, though, drawing its bow and knocking a massive arrow.

Both Yang and Ruby hesitated, unsure of what to do. Both felt their mother draw closer to them, wanting to protect them, and speaking at the same time.

If Summer still had a brain, it would be on fire. Her memories came back like a knife through the skull, flooding her vision with the pain of the past. "That thing is what killed me! It froze me in the ice!"

She crowded close to her children in hopes that her incorporeal body would offer some resilience to the thing's power, and started to whisper to her kids, racking her brain for anything that would help. "If it rears up, run! That was the last thing I saw before being frozen! It can swim through the ice much faster than it moves on the surface. I don't remember very well, but I think it has an armored belly. You should be safe, and only strike at its vulnerable areas. Ruby, you stay at a distance. Yang, I'm afraid your punches won't do much, so maybe you should stay with Ruby."

Yang nodded, and stepped a little closer to her sister. "Can you hit it from here?"

Ruby gave Crescent Rose a spin, bringing its mighty blade down into the ice, and put her eye to the scope. The cloud was about two hundred yards away, well within her range, but she couldn't see her target yet. Through her scope she could also see Naze's Knights still charging.

As the particle cloud settled, and the Knights continued to get closer, she started to see the top of the thing. The first trait she paid attention to was its height. The distances made this difficult, but she estimated that one of the Knights, about a normal man and a half tall, would be about half a man shorter than the beast. This meant that it wasn't too massive, but she still didn't know the thing's width or length.

The snow settled further, and the top of the creature rose above what was left, examining the Knights. Ruby was slightly taken aback by its appearance. It didn't appear to be any kind of Grimm she had ever seen, with an icy blue outer layer instead of the characteristic black hide and bone plates that all Grimm shared.

A large circular mouth took up the entirety of the creature's wormlike head, with numerous tongues, graspers, and teeth all writhing nonstop at the air. Four uncomfortably large eyes sat on the top rim of the creature's mouth, darting around at everything they could find, swiveling full three hundred sixty degree journeys in their loose sockets. They looked like eggs gone bad, a sickly dark yolk that expanded and contracted inside a mucus colored white. Its attention seemed to be primarily on the approaching Knights, as two of the four eyes were always on them at any time, although those eyes often changed.

Its outermost layer appeared to be a tough sheet of jagged ice, combined with a layer of thick slime that stuck to everything the worm touched. The thing's mouth was about the size of one of the Knights. More than enough to swallow a regular human whole.

Its head was only visible for a few seconds before it seemed to lunge forward like a snake, and its eyes seemed almost to bulge out of its head, before a smoking gas spewed from its mouth, and engulfed the Death Knights. The emission only lasted half a second, so the gas didn't do much to obfuscate her view. When it cleared, though, she found that the Knights had nearly been frozen. They had slowed considerably, with ice breaking and falling off their armor in large chunks. Apparently whatever the beast used wasn't terribly effective on them.

The archer next to Ruby let his arrow fly. The snap of the bowstring sounded like a steel cable breaking, but it was obviously effective. The massive arrow few towards its target, and sailed directly into its mouth. The worm's eyes widened again, and it reeled back, making another series of pained wailing and screeching noises.

Ruby put her focus back into the crosshairs of the scope, wanting to make her hit as accurate as possible. Her mother had said to aim for the thing's vulnerable spots, but all she saw that fit the description was its mouth and eyes. She would have to be very accurate to hit the eyes, but she was sure that if she focused, she could make the shot.

Her fingers tightened around Crescent Rose, and she drew in a deep breath. The worm was still shaking its head too much. If it would stop for just one second…

She had thought that the thing had fully extended itself to breath its gas onto the Death Knights, so when it wriggled forward, and the sound of more ice being torn asunder echoed across the flat, she was surprised.

Her eye came off of the scope, abandoning the possibility of making the shot. Chances weren't good anyways, now it was almost impossible. She wanted to observe the thing's motions, and see if there were any other points she could take advantage of. As it wriggled, she saw that there were numerous lines of small grasper-like hair things poking through the ice that covered it. Each one was about the size of Ruby's head, and it gave her the creeps just to look at. That wouldn't help her much, though. She noted that its body looked segmented, just like a normal worm. She wished she knew whether or not worms actually had heads on either end like she had always heard.

The thing's other end erupted violently out of the hole, and it used its weight to fling itself across the ice. In any other circumstance, Ruby might've laughed at how ridiculous the thing looked. Here it was, a giant worm, sending itself spinning across ice with no control over its direction. For half a second, Ruby thought the thing had given up.

Then she took another notice of the ice spikes that adorned its whole body, and the speed at which it was moving. It would be more than enough to impale someone. Ruby felt the faint hope that the Death Knight's armor was as denser than in looked, because they were going to need it. Her eye went back to the scope, and she tried frantically to line up the shot. If she could cause it pain, maybe it would wind up again, stopping its attack, or maybe even retreat. That was the best case scenario.

Its head was facing away from her as it spiraled across the ice, and she noted dryly that she had right, it did only have one head. As it came back around for what would probably be its final spin before making contact, she let the air flow out of her chest, and her finger tightened around the trigger.

Crescent Rose jumped against her shoulder like it was trying to knock her down, but she had made sure that she was ready for the kick. The Dust-infused round tore through the air, leaving a bright streak in the air behind it. Ruby felt a brief moment of tension as her eyes followed behind the bullet, hoping that her aim had proved true.

The rightmost of the creature's eyes burst like an overfilled water balloon, and it let out another loud wail as it flailed its body again, quickly trying to regain control of its movement. Its flailing removed it from the path of most of the Death Knights, but one was still directly in its path. Ruby tried to get a good look, and found that it was the Knight with the shield. It had it raised in front of them, no longer running and only bracing for the attack.

Ruby watched with bated breath, taking her eye from the scope as the two forces collided. Spines of hardened ice and thick slime slammed into hard metal, splintering on impact and sending shards everywhere. The Knight was likely very heavy, but not enough to absorb all of the kinetic force that the spinning worm had behind its body. As a result it was knocked back, moving a whole twenty feet before its boots dug into the ice enough to stop it.

By the time it did, the worm was already writhing again, but this time was obviously not trying to fling itself again. Ruby watched for a few seconds, bewildered, before she realized what it was doing. The worm's body slammed down on the ice all at once, and it started to push its head against the ice with all the strength. The ice started to crack, and started to penetrate the ground. The rest of its body followed almost faster than Ruby could understand, and before she was entirely sure what she had seen, the worm had disappeared back under the ice.

The ground started to shake again, and Ruby looked over to Naze. She didn't know what he wanted done now. They couldn't fight an enemy they couldn't reach.

Instead of giving some kind of command, Naze simply turned back to his hole and continued to extract the corpse of her mother. Ruby was about to shout out to him, asking for instruction, but before she could, the archer Knight beside her said, "Worry not, child. He will give command when we need it. Simply continue what you have been doing. It was a good shot, and you've definitely angered the beast."

Ruby let out a heavy breath and shook her head slightly, saying, "Yeah, I don't know if that's a good thing, though."

The Knight gave a raspy chuckle. "Perhaps not. I would not worry, though. This beast does not seem particularly intelligent, but do not underestimate it. Stay on guard, like my brothers over there. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it comes for either me or you now. Best to not allow it any advantage."

Yang spoke sarcastically, "You know, beyond the fact that it can move through the ground like its water. That's no big deal, right?"

The Knight gave a small laugh again, and knocked another massive arrow. "Indeed, young dead. A power that fades in comparison to our mastery and attrition. My friend down there-" he indicated the Death Knight who had been knocked back "-was not harmed at all, in function, by attack he bore. Even if one of us was to be consumed by this creature, it would only give us advantage. From the inside, it would be easy to destroy it."

The ground gave another mighty shake, and the sound of cracking started to ring out in the cold air. All conversation died, and the undead Knight seemed to spread his stance, readying himself for anything. Ruby and Yang did the same, their mother once again coiling closely around them, trying to keep her eyes out for the monster as well.

The three of the corporeal fighters made ready, and waited tensely. One second passed, then two, then ten. Still, nothing happened, and the ground continued to shake. Ruby's eyes darted back to Naze, and she wondered if he was going to offer any help during the fight. Surely he could dispose of the monster in an instant.

But he appeared focused on slicing through the ice. Ruby supposed that she wanted her mother back as soon as possible, but the monster was frightening.

An explosion of ice and force knocked Ruby off of her feet without warning. She was just able to keep ahold on Crescent Rose, but this meant sacrificing her control over her trip through the air. When she hit the ground again, she felt the wind knocked out of her lungs, but her fingers tightened around her weapon.

The cracks and sounds of the ice melded with the beast's scream, and Ruby found that it caused a stabbing pain in her ears. She didn't put her hands to her head, though, or even try to stop the pain. She had felt worse, and she wasn't going to let this keep her down.

Her face lifted off of the ice, and she got back to her feet. She was going to slay this creature. She was going to avenge her mother's death. And she was going to become a hero. It had always been her dream, and now she was going to make it her life.

Ruby's vision flicked to both her sister and the Death Knight that had been with them, and saw that both had been flung back in the same way she had been. Yang had been thrown farther, and was sprinting to regain ground, whereas the Knight's armor had brought him to the ground closer. He had already knocked an arrow to replace the one he had lost, and fired it just as Ruby started to charge.

Her cape flared up behind her, and rose petals filled her trail as she raced towards her target. She heard her mother's voice again in her ears, urging her to turn back, and to retreat to a safer distance, but she wouldn't. She had to do this. She would show everyone what she could do.

Less snow was thrown up from the worm's emergence this time than the last, which was good, because it allowed Ruby to keep a visual on the worm the entire time she approached. She let Crescent Rose hover over her head, tightening her grip around the weapon as she went, readying her body to impact the monster. In her mind, her thoughts came to a climax, ignoring the sensory data that she didn't need.

The monster's foul smell, the loud noises that surrounded its base, and the bitter cold all fell against Ruby's brain, dead. None of it mattered.

Crescent Rose's blade slammed into the icy shell on the creature's exterior, and she felt mild surprise that it offered more resistance than she had thought it would. Her scythe still penetrated the ice, though, and when Ruby felt her attack start to slow in the thick armor, she pulled the trigger.

Crescent Rose jolted forward with a new life, and broke free of the beast's coating, taking a large chunk of ice with it. Ruby allowed her body to slow again, and shifted the weight of her weapon to keep herself from falling over.

The chunk fell, and shattered on the ground as Ruby slid to a stop, immediately setting herself up to strike at the worm again. Before she could launch into a second attack at its now exposed area of black flesh, her senses returned to her, and she looked up, realizing that its head had tracked with her the whole time.

With a speed that surprised Ruby, the worm's head plummeted towards her, and she saw into the churning mass of teeth and grabbers. It was too dark to see anything further, but she could hear more vile organs churning away at their no doubt revolting tasks. For an instant she had thought she had made a grievous error, and was about to join her sister and mother in death. This proved to be wrong, though, when again she heard the massive twang of the undead Knight's bowstring again, and before she knew it, a massive jerk to the side threw her out of the path of the worm.

She was confused at first, thinking that she had been shot. Her mind slowed to a crawl as her body slammed into the ice again, asking herself softly, "Why did he shoot me?"

It took several seconds for her to look down, and see the huge metal spike embedded into the ice, pinning her hood down. It was a one in a million shot for any living archer, but she didn't know how the odds worked out for a dead one. She likely wanted to keep it that way as well. She pulled against the spike as best she could, trying to free herself, but found that it wasn't going to be easy to get out. It didn't seem that the arrow had actually penetrated the fabric, but rather simply pushed it down into the ice. She chalked that little miracle up to the magic Naze had given the cape, and tried again to pull herself free.

Unfortunately, the worm's attention had not faded from her. It picked its head off of the ice again, and swiveled towards her again, intending not to miss this time. Ruby's eyes widened as she realized that she wouldn't be able to escape this time, and she pulled even harder on the cape than before. She had to give Naze credit, the thing was certainly very durable. She didn't know if it was going to save her life or end it, though.

A roar rang out over the worms sounds, and Yang slammed a fiery metal fist into the worm's exposed flesh, causing its mucus-like covering to boil, and the flesh beneath to spit and hiss as fat was burned off. The worm's body flailed, and it unleashed another screech as Yang pushed her fist deeper into the thing's body, screaming out curses and threats about what she would do if the creature tried to hurt her sister again.

Ruby watched for a moment, a smile working its way across her face, before she returned her efforts to freeing herself as fast as she could. It was possible that she take the hood off, but she hated to do that, even under normal circumstances. It was the only thing that she felt really protected her, and kept her connected with her mother. Though, now that she thought about it, her mother was only a short distance away, and was about to be returned to her body. She tried to convince herself to take the thing off. It wouldn't be damaged anyways. She could come back after the worm was dead, and take the thing back.

Her hands were shaking, but she undid the clasp around her neck, and freed herself, standing up to fight again. The cold bit at her exposed skin more harshly, but she felt like she drew some strength from its absence as well. It made her want to kill the thing even more. It was because of it that she couldn't wear her hood now.

She brought Crescent Rose up, readying herself to attack again. Yang's fists might be good for distractions, but a larger weapon was what was needed to take it down. The blade of Crescent Rose would do a much better job of killing the monster.

She got a good grip on her scythe and fired it again, using the force of the shot to send herself flying towards her target. As she practically flew, she shouted to her sister, "Yang, get out of the way!"

The blonde looked up just a few brief seconds before Ruby was within striking distance, and peeled her fist off of the worm, diving to the side and rolling to catch herself. As she did this, the blade of Crescent Rose whooshed over her head, and would've sliced a large lock of hair off if she had been a few inches higher.

Crescent Rose slammed into the beast's exposed burned and blistered hide, and Ruby could only hope that she had hit something vital as the worm let another harsh screech escape its hideous mouth. Ruby's feet touched the ground again, and she dug them in as best she could, putting all of her somewhat meager weight into pushing the blade deeper in. She wanted to get every bit of damage she could out of the strike. The blade slid a few inches deeper, and the twang of the Death Knight's bow rang out again, followed almost immediately by another Ruby-sized arrow finding its way into the worm's mouth again.

It screeched and squirmed, but Ruby knew that it wouldn't be able to retreat if she kept Crescent Rose in it. If it did, she would be able to split it like a sausage, with one deadly slice. If it didn't, though, she would just continue standing there, and be vulnerable for attack.

The worm reared its head back again, and seemed to try and angle its head at as good of an angle as it could manage to get Ruby into its hole. She looked up at it, her eyes widening. Maybe staying embedded in its side wasn't the best idea. She was sure that she felt more annoying than a simple thorn in the side. And besides, the thing's ooze was starting to leak onto Crescent Rose, and Ruby didn't want it to stain the blade or anything. She would have to do the most damage she could, though. And she knew the perfect way to do it.

She pulled the trigger, and the kickback of the high-powered sniper rifle caused Crescent Rose to do its best to jump out of the worm's flesh. Blood started to fly as both the blade started to mutilate what it could, and the bullets pounded into remaining flesh. It was after about the fourth shot that Ruby broke through some kind of internal membrane, and things started to spill out of the new hole.

The first thing to come free was Crescent Rose, and Ruby was quick to leap back from the wound to avoid the spillage. The second thing to come from the dark hole was a torrent of the same effluvial slime that coated its body. It spilled out onto the ice, and was followed quickly by what looked like some kind of digestive tract. Several long strands of the tract flopped out onto the ice, a gross wet sound accompanying it, like a wet fish hitting a wood block.

Another twang from the bow came, and Ruby took another instinctual step away from the work, not wanting to be hit again. Instead, the arrow slammed into the exposed organs, essentially nailing them to the ice.

Ruby smiled, knowing that her enemy's escape had been cut off. The only way it was running away was if it disemboweled itself.

The worm screeched again and seemed to give up targeting Ruby, looking towards the archer instead. Heavy footsteps approached from behind Ruby, and she turned to find the Death Knights returning, large pieces of ice still falling from their armor as they ran with heavy steps. Their weapons were bared, and their eyes burned with a fury that made Ruby nervous just to see. They charged wordlessly, and when they passed Ruby, they set into the worm like it was nothing but a fleshy punching bag.

The Knight with the bastard sword was the first to hit his target, and the massive edge split the rip wider open, the edges of the cut starting to turn black. A second later, the crescent-bladed spear was rammed in, slicing easily through the exposed organs. Its glow illuminated the inside of the beast, and the sight of the disgusting colors made Ruby sick. Those colors seemed to sour the longer the blade was touching them, though, and organs hit directly started to rot.

The final Death Knight opted to make a new opening, slashing across the opposite side of the worm with his gladiolus. The sound of ice shattering, muscle tendon snapping, and hide splitting drowned out the sound of the worm's screech entirely. With its now damaged musculature, it was impossible for the thing to hold its own weight up, and it collapsed to the ice, breaking a wide dent in the sheet of ice on which they fought.

To Ruby's surprise, the Death Knights did not move in for the kill. Instead, they backed off, seeming to wait for something. Ruby looked around, puzzled, before deciding that if they weren't going to finish it off, she would. She took a few sprinting steps towards the worm, then leaped off of the ground, and on to its side. The worm wasn't totally immobilized, but Ruby started at where it emerged from the ice, working her way towards its head. It shifted weakly under her feet, but she gave a wicked smile, knowing that it couldn't escape.

As she ran, she delivered a series of ferocious strikes with Crescent Rose, knocking ice aside and cleaving the flesh beneath. Her aura gave Crescent Rose the strength to destroy the natural armor, and she did her best to maim the creature.

She struck once about every two steps, and was able to get in around thirty strikes before reaching the thing's head. Sweat started to accumulate on her face, steaming in the frigid air, but she didn't care. When she reached the end of the beast, she jumped off, and turned in midair to face the great gaping hole that was its mouth. From the angle she was at, she could see much further into its innards than before, and noted a large, pulsing organ almost passed the curve that indicated where its body returned to the ice.

Without a second of thought, Ruby brought Crescent Rose up, and fired directly at the organ. The kick of the shot flung her backwards, but she was able to land perfectly.

As if knowing that its life was at an end, the worm gave a sad wail, and its body seemed to loosen as a huge amount of dark blood, the same that all kinds of Grimm had, started to leak from every orifice in its ice.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, letting her weapon hand limply at her side, and turning back to face Naze. She was about to ask something about being done, when Yang's voice cut through the silence. "Ruby, watch out!"

She turned back to the worm, and found a huge cloud of the same gas that had frozen the Death Knights rolling towards her, released by the creature's death. She was too close to the mouth to get away, and the gas moved too quickly to allow her time to think.

Before anything else could happen, a deep roiling sound of fire consuming air grew behind her, and what looked like a flaming sphere flew from over Ruby's shoulder, hitting what little room there was between her and the cloud.

The next thing that Ruby was aware of was that she was on her back, and a faint smell of smoke filled the air. She shook her head, deciding that she must've blacked out, and picked herself up.

Ice wasn't flammable. Or at least, ice wasn't supposed to be flammable. That didn't seem to discourage the roaring inferno that had engulfed the worm, though. The flame stuck to the ice like napalm, boiling the armor away and reducing the flesh beneath to ash. The gas was gone, and Ruby turned, finding Yang approaching to help her.

A hand went to Ruby's head involuntarily as a stab of pain penetrated her skull, and she immediately felt dizzy. Yang hurried her last few steps, and caught her sister before she could fall back down. "Whoa Ruby, come on, you can stand up."

Ruby hadn't noticed at first, but Yang had her cape in her hands, and was in the process of returning it to its rightful place. This made Ruby happy, and she said, "Thanks. How long was I out?"

"A few minutes." Yang shrugged, as if to indicate that not much had happened. "There is something that I want you to see, though. Come over here." She put a hand on Ruby's back and started to usher her forwards.

Ruby went along with it, and when she came into view of what Yang wanted her to see, tears filled her eyes, and she moved faster than Yang could stop. Her arms wrapped around the woman, and she nuzzled her head into the crook of their neck, saying weakly, "Mom…"


	50. Chapter 50

Author's Note:

Dolor is another one of The Baz's OCs, so that's pretty cool.

As per the usual, leave a review! Yes, even you, current reader. What do you think about the first scene, and about the mother-daughter relationship.

And to the person who asked a question about the worm of last chapter without an account, I really don't know. I think I was remembering bits and pieces of some story my dad used to tell.

* * *

Adam Taurus could hardly bare the monotony any longer. He had been locked up in his cell for weeks now, and he was starting to go insane. There were voices on the edge of his mind, and although he couldn't quite be sure what they said, he was sure that they were speaking to him.

He heard the soldiers guarding his cell speak sometimes. They tried to keep their voices hushed, but he hadn't heard anything else for a very long time. Even through the metal walls and small shatter-resistant glass pane, he could hear their voices.

Something bad had happened. He wasn't sure what it was, but something very bad had even the soldiers worried. HE knew that he had to do something, but he didn't know what was going on. No one had told him anything. No one had even spoken directly to him in a week. It was like he had simply been shunted aside, forgotten.

He wasn't going to take it anymore. This was the problem with society. Dissenting voices were simply locked away, and other problems were what got the attention. He had only wanted fair rights for his people, and he had been forced into a cell for it.

He was going insane, he knew it. He had to be. It was the only way he could explain the anger that set his body on fire. It had grown steadily over his imprisonment, made worse by the dreams that he had about the injustices he and other Faunus had suffered, all at the hands of humans. The very name of the race felt sour in his thoughts. A bunch of good-for-nothing leeches, that's what they were. Living off of the backs of good, honest people. He hadn't formed the White Fang, but he had joined in an attempt to make a difference. Now it was time for something else.

He was barely able to stand in the meager conditions that had been given to him, but he straightened his back as best he could, twitching slightly as the voices in his ears became louder.

"Fight."

It was what he wanted. A good, clean fight between the Faunus and the humans. Something like that had never happened before, because humans had never played fair. They always cheated, taking advantage of others and laying deceit at every corner. It was about time that someone put them in their place, and show them what it was like to be the targets of an extermination campaign.

"Kill."

He didn't know if the words came from his own lips, or from his simple imagination. Regardless of their source, they were right. He needed to kill, to show what it was like, and there was only one way to do that. He needed to get out of this damned cell.

Without thinking, his fist hit the metal door, causing a loud thud to emanate from the other side, and a stab of pain in his knuckles. That wouldn't stop him, though. He had to get out, it was the only option left to him.

He drew his fist back, using what little space he could, and struck the door again with as much power as he could muster. As he did this, the voices in his head seemed to grow louder. He started to make out names, places, and times. They were trying to tell him what had happened, and he wanted to listen. They were still not loud enough to understand, though.

He tried again to hit the door, and this time one of the voices that responded as quite decidedly not from his head. "Hey, quiet down in there! There's no point, you're not going to get out."

That wasn't true. Even if he had to beat himself to a bloody pulp to get out, he would do just that. A wry smile worked across his face, the first of its kind in a long time, inspired by the thought of blood. It would be good to spill that of his enemies once he was free. The first to go would be whoever was outside his cell. They deserved every bit of what he was going to do to them. Nothing less.

Again, he hit the door, with his knee this time. He was able to get more power out of his legs, given the small space, but his body had grown weaker than he would've liked to admit over the time spent rotting. His aura, though, his spirit, was still unbreakable. It hurt to an extreme degree, but he wasn't about to stop.

Again his kneecap impacted the metal door flatly, transferring all of the power he was able to muster. But again his limb only bounced off, making a mockery of his strength. A faint sound from the other side of the door made its way to his ears, and he grit his teeth when he heard the laughter of the man outside. How lucky he was to be on the other side of the metal, while Adam was trapped inside. There would be a different laugh, if their situations were reversed.

With a new zeal, he continued pounding on the door, now letting the anger he felt drive him even more. His voice lifted into a stream of curses, threats, and promises as he continued to pound his body against the door, doing his best to break it. He was going to show humanity what happened when you locked a Faunus up like an animal. He was going to be just the animal they feared he was.

Some small part of him was aware that the guards outside were looking in through the window, and probably calling for something to subdue him. He had been subdued for far too long, though. He was going to be free now, and their corpses would be the things locked up in the cells. No human would escape his wrath. All of them had to pay, because all were guilty. It didn't matter what kind of person they were, it was simply that they existed.

A few more guards approached the door, and Adam's body slowed. It wasn't that he was afraid, or even hesitant, but that he felt too heavy to move. One of the voices, disembodied, but echoing his thoughts in an eerie manner, said, "Yes. Annihilate them."

The previous voices had been strange, intrusive things. More like thoughts than anything else. But this, that he was hearing now, was certainly real. It sounded like there was someone inside of his head, speaking to him as if they were having a normal conversation. He wondered if he could talk back.

"How?" It didn't matter who the voice was, or if it was even real. All he needed to do was escape.

The voice responded, deep words resonating around his head with power he had never known. "Kill them. Rend them piece by piece, until nothing remains. Then you will be able to serve our goals."

Adam raised an eyebrow to himself, some modicum of sense returning to his brain. "Our goals? Who is "our" in all this?"

The voice responded again, rising as if he had said something offensive. "You dare question me? You are but a maggot before my might!" Adam was forced to put his hands to his ears in a desperate attempt to block out the sheer volume, but it did nothing to help. "Do you wish to end your enemies or don't you? Serve me, and you will be the great blade that cleaves them in two! Falter, and survive off of their fetid bodies, maggot!"

The mental assault seemed to come to an end, and Adam straightened back up. It was hard to think, not only because of the noise, but because of the anger that filled his veins as well. This thing was right, it didn't matter who it was, or why it wanted him. All that mattered was that it wanted to help him kill. He couldn't do that from inside the cell, however, and it was becoming increasingly clear that he would need more than his mortal strength to break free.

"Fine! If you want me, than help me!"

The only answer he received from this was a deep chuckle, then for his blood to begin boiling. At first he felt pain from the blood being lit, then as it coursed through his body, he felt more anger. His voice lifted into a throat-ripping cry, and again he threw his strength at the door.

This time, his results were much better. The metal dented from his strikes, and his aura absorbed the whole of the shock. He struck almost faster than he ever had before, lading at least ten blows before the guards even he time to react. He didn't pay attention to them, though. He was focused on the container that kept him trapped.

The door started to creek as its hinges were put under far more stress than they had been designed for, and a few cracks in the glass started to appear. He didn't let himself become lax. That wouldn't free him. What would free him was the killing of those guards.

The door now had a large depression in it, metal almost splitting to reveal the outside world. He focused his efforts on the sides of the door, and it wasn't long before the thing was forced off.

With a prolonged groan, the metal started to be torn from the wall. Chunks of wall and ceiling matter fell to the floor of the cramped cell, and Adam strained to push it away.

With one final, mighty blow, he kicked the door away, and it exploded from its place, revealing to those outside the raw amount of power that Adam held. He was, at least to their eyes, burning. It wasn't simply a bright light, but instead appeared to be actual flame engulfing his body. They didn't know how he had been set ablaze, but they didn't want to find out.

Their weapons were already leveled on the door, and when it was blown off of its place, it collided with two of the men, striking them to the ground with such force that they were knocked out cold. The remaining three guards opened fire immediately, rifles sending rounds of dust at the man as quickly as they could.

Adam brought a hand in front of his face, shielding it from the hail of bullets, and charged forward. All the lethargy he had feared he would have was gone, replaced only by unspent energy. He moved almost faster than he ever had before, and lunged out at the closest man.

A strong jab connected with the man's nose, and Adam could fell the bone shift under the force of his knuckles. The guard went limp, crumpling to the ground like a ragdoll, before he turned to the other two. Both had started to step back fearfully, still firing away at him. One, the man further away from Adam, was starting to reach for his radio to signal what had happened. Adam knew that he could not allow this, and leaped off the ground, climbing at least six feet into the air before coming down directly on top of the man. He didn't recall ever being able to punch directly through body armor before, but as he withdrew his hand from the warm and wet hole that had appeared in the man's gut, his smile widened. He didn't much mind being able to do that. It would make everything easier for the future, he was sure.

The man fell to the ground, trying to cover the hole with his hands, but it was no use. Blood poured out of the wound, and was soon accompanied by organs never meant to see the light of day. Adam had no time to observe however, and finished him off with a quick stomp to the neck, severing his brain from his body. His jailors deserved no less.

He turned to the last man, who immediately started to plead with him. He dropped his firearm, signifying that he did not want to fight, and put his hands meekly over his head.

When Adam's fist met the side of his skull, the bone cracked and shattered in some places, and some amount of brain matter and spinal fluid were forced out. If he wasn't dead by the time his body hit the floor, it would not take long for his body to cease function.

Adam's fists worked without end, fingers curling and uncurling repeatedly, and breathe heavy in his chest. It felt good to be free, but he felt no relief from his anger.

At some point during the short battle, an alarm had started to sound, and red flashing lights indicated the utmost danger. This was a sign that more would be coming, and that he had to hurry. He had tread these halls before, but that had been with Cinder's little minion, Neo. That was when they had been trying to sneak their way through, and Adam had been shocked when she had killed even a single guard.

Not anymore.

Now he saw the reason for killing, and all of the good it could do. What was it that Blake used to say about the things they did? "Minor evils for a greater good." What he did was no different. What were a few human lives in the face of all the Faunus lives they had ruined?

A light squeak from behind him brought his attention back to the scene, and he turned to find a small girl, a child, looking at him with wide, shocked eyes. She had curly orange hair beneath a large pink bow that sat atop her head. Her skin was pale, and her face bore more than a few freckles. Her green eyes were almost brilliant in the dim red of the alarms.

Of all the things he saw about her, though, he didn't see anything remotely Faunus. It was clear that she was nothing but filth, and that he would be scraping her off the bottoms of his boots before long. She looked like she was still in shock from what she saw, and Adam intended to take full advantage of the situation.

She was about twenty feet away from him, so he wouldn't be able to catch her immediately. He hoped that she wasn't a fast runner, that would only be irritating. His sprint took him towards her, and she started to move. Surprising to him, she didn't start to run, but rather bent her legs, ready to jump. If she wanted to actually fight him, that was fine. Soon she would be splattered on the walls, just like the other humans had. Just as he got within range, his fingers almost brushing the front of her shirt, she lifted into the air.

It was such a precise movement that Adam immediately doubted that she was the little girl she seemed. There had to be something else beneath that skin, and he was going to find it.

She soared over him, barely an inch of space between them the whole time, before landing solidly behind Adam. He noted the ground crack beneath her feet, and his hatred deepened. It was almost impossible to stop on a dime from the speed he had been holding, but his legs tensed, and he did it, bringing his arms down and spinning in an attempt to sweep her legs out from under her.

What they met instead was the bottom of her shoe, as his attempt was blocked. He barely had any time to react to the knee that impacted the bridge of his nose, forcibly sending him sprawling. The blow didn't do any real damage though, and Adam was back on his feet within seconds.

By this time, the girl had changed. Perhaps not in any physical way, but there was undoubtable something off. Her pupils had narrowed, her expression was angry, and a large number of strangely shaped glowing green swords floated behind her back, angled towards him. He had never seen anything like it. More human trickery, of course. It was a clever trick to make the warden of a jail appear to be a small child. That way, escapees would be less likely to harm them. He wasn't going to let the trick work.

Adam charged again, but this time it seemed that it was not a wise decision. Four of the blades rocketed towards him, and he found their paths quite unavoidable. He was forced to only brace himself, and continue to try and push through.

When the four blades did hit, they ground against his aura, which had practically solidified around him by this point, and made it more difficult to advance. His shield was too strong for them to break through, and the pain wasn't about to stop him. He drew a fist back as he approached, ready to separate the little brat's head from her shoulders.

As he came within striking distance a second time, though, several things happened in the same second that made his victory impossible. First, one of the blades that encircled the girl rushed up from the side, and rammed right into his ribs. This knocked him off the path he'd had, and made contact impossible.

Second, the girl was snatched away before he could touch her. He didn't see well who it was that grabbed her, but he saw the white suit, and thought it rang a few bells. He would've guessed it was General Ironwood, but someone like that probably wouldn't risk their life for a little girl.

Third, from somewhere off to the side, there was the distinctive sound of somebody firing a grenade at them. It must've been an organized effort, because the man and the girl would be just outside of the blast when it hit.

Adam did his best to turn and swat the grenade out of the air, but it was too late, and the small grey cylinder hit the ground before exploding at his feet. He was thrown up into the air, and smashed through even the wall of the building before coming down on a mixture of grass and pieces of concrete. The grass felt good. It had been a long time since he had touched grass.

Although he would've liked to stay, and slaughter every single one of those disgusting people, the small, somewhat sane voice in his head told him to make a retreat. He knew he didn't have much in the way of other options, so he was forced to obey.

As the outlaw ran, Ironwood commanded his men to give chase, and do whatever was necessary to catch the man. He watched tensely as the man ran across the compound before jumping the wall that surrounded it.

With cold, calculating eyes, he tried to think of what they could do to catch that monster. He'd mutilated three men, and caused major damage to another two. Not just that, but he had gone after Penny. What kind of sick person would go after a little girl like Penny?

He sighed. Perhaps it was his fault. It was obvious that the effects of being locked up for so long were not easy to handle. He should have spoken more to the man, rather than leaving him in that cell. But there was nothing to be done about it now, he had broken free, and he had gained a huge amount of power. It was going to be Ironwood's new objective to put the man down before he could cause any more trouble. Perhaps that was what he should have done the first day he was brought in.

He shook his head, and let out a heavy sigh, and pulled Penny closer around his waist. She wasn't looking at the wall Adam had jumped over, but rather back at the corpses he had left behind. Ironwood remembered the last time she had been confronted with the idea or mortality, and felt an instinctual need to pull her away from the grizzly scene. He didn't, though, knowing that she would probably want to inspect them. While it might've been in her better interests to keep her away, Ironwood was feeling a little too melancholy to stop her. She was a child, and needed to explore the world anyways. A terrible place to start, maybe, but still something.

Penny slowly separated herself from him, and walked softly over to the corpses. Her body shook slightly, and she looked like she was on the edge of some kind of breakdown, but she didn't look like she was in danger. Ironwood kept a close eye on her, and followed a few steps behind.

When she got to them, she got down on her knees, and started to check the bodies. Two that she focused on specifically were the men who had been hit by the door. Ironwood hadn't had high hopes for the men, but Penny looked back at him and said with large, damp eyes, "He's still alive. We can help him."

He felt his heart break a little more than it already was. He had seen injuries like that before, the man's entire abdomen was crushed. There was no hope for the man. No surgery would be able to save his life. If they tried, it would only make the last few hours of the man's life full of pain and anguish. The kindest thing that they would be able to do for him was end it now, before he woke up.

Penny wouldn't understand that, though. There was no way she could. She had never seen suffering so intense that death would be better. And Ironwood never wanted her to.

He stepped forward and nodded, putting his hands on Penny's shoulder and saying, "Yes, we'll do what we can for him." After he said this, he motioned towards several of the soldiers, indicating to them to bring a medic as soon as they could. They all set off, speaking into their radios, and the chaos of what had just happened started to come into full swing.

Several Bullheads soared low through the sky, going out into the city to search for the escapee. Ironwood looked up, watching them go. He wished them the best on their mission, he really did, but he couldn't bring himself to genuinely believe that they would succeed. It was all just too much. He needed a break, and perhaps some of the tonic he had been saving.

Something wrapped around his waist, and he looked down to find Penny's arms, her hands with a thin veneer of blood that had wiped off on his white suit. There was nothing to be done about it, though. He would have to take Penny to wash up.

* * *

When Adam finally shook off his pursuers by slipping under a manhole cover and hiding, he took a few minutes to calm his nerves. Still, he was an enclosed space, and made him nothing but uncomfortable. Luckily he had plenty to distract him from his newfound claustrophobia, and this distraction took the form of an angry voice in his head.

He started the discussion in what seemed to him to be a perfectly logical way to do it. "If you want me to help you, you're going to have to tell me more about yourself. I won't just blindly follow."

The response he got was immediate and piercing, loud enough to completely rob him of his sense of balance. Without any hope of staying upright, he tumbled over onto the hard stone, hitting his head on the concrete and getting slightly wet as he did so. The fire had seemed to die down, and his rage had somewhat subsided.

"Maggots demand answers! The strong earn them. Which are you? Are you not deserving of my power?" It seemed completely unreasonable, but there was nothing Adam could do but accept its unfair deal. If he wanted to keep the power that he had gained, he was going to have to play by its rules.

"Can I at least get a name? How else am I supposed to address you…" he hesitated, before tying his luck by finishing, "…Lord."

The voice responded again, saying, "Do not seek to grovel at my feet like a spineless worm! I am not that wretch Cramus! If you are to serve me, you will be strong! Do not talk about what you want, take it!" The voice sounded very angry, but Adam was starting to think that was its default sound. He was starting to get angry too. He had never liked being shouted at, and by a voice in his own head was even worse.

He clenched his jaw tightly, and responded in a terse fashion, "Fine. What is it I have to do to show you I'm worth the time to talk to me?"

The answer he received was similar to the thoughts that had permeated his cell while he was imprisoned. "Kill."

Adam grinned. He had been planning on it anyways, so why not make a friend in the process? His fists closed tightly as he started to think about humans again, and everything that they had ever done. Maybe if he could get ahold of the White Fang again, they would be able to aid in his quest. Any proud Faunus would.

* * *

Summer's features were sharper than her daughter's, but they both shared silvery-grey eyes, and pale skin. Summer was about a head taller than her daughter, and possessed the same general physique. Both were somewhat wiry, and both were embraced in a tight hug with the other, as if trying to make up for all the years they had lost.

Yang stood beside them, a large smile on her face, obviously very pleased with the results of their mission. The Death Knights busied themselves scanning their weapons and armor meticulously for faults of any kind, even though they knew they would find none.

Naze was positioned a few feet away, watching the pair reunite. It was an uncommon sight to see such affection given to the undead, but not unheard of. What he knew was that the scene wouldn't last forever, and that the two would be forced to split up again. Summer couldn't fulfill her duty with her daughters at her side, and they couldn't serve as huntresses at the side of their mother. It wasn't his concern, but he did start to feel the stirrings of his humanity again.

He would've cursed, but it wasn't a strong stirring. It was one that he could easily smash down, and he did so without hesitation. He had no desire to feel anything. Instead, he started to think about what lay ahead. Demons were going to spring from Menagerie soon, and where they would go he didn't know. It would make the most sense to attack either Vale, or his own necropolis. Defenses would have to be readied in both areas soon.

If they did come for him, he would make sure to destroy them. The powers that they held would certainly be able to at least match the demons, if not overpower them. It would be important that no Arch-demon be brought into the world, though. If one did, it would make things significantly harder. Not even Naze could rightly hope to stand up to a being of such might. At least, not in a straight fight. If he was allowed time to prepare tricks and traps, it was possible that he defeat it. If he were able to kill one, it would open up almost boundless opportunities to research. Potential for large gain came at potential for large loss, however, and if he did pursue such an action, he faced the prospect of his body being destroyed. It had been many thousands of years since the last time he had been "killed."

His phylactery had never fallen into danger, though, and always served to bring him back. He had fortified it against nearly every threat imaginable.

The others in his service had no such insurance, and could be vulnerable to a demon's soul-stealing abilities. It would be harder to pull a soul out of a living subject than a dead one, but the dead could conjure wards and protections more easily to defend themselves.

He pulled himself back to the icy mountain, turning his attention to the smoldering corpse of the giant worm. There was a considerable amount of damage to its musculature and mouth, but it was nothing that was beyond repair. The advantages of having a monster like that on his side would be obvious. It wouldn't be the most bizarre corpse to grace his servitude. He wondered if there were more of them in the mountains. If so, it might be a worthwhile investment to "procure" a few more.

He didn't know if it was a simple creature, a vestige of the age he had missed, or if it was a kind of Grimm that had simply never been found. It would be important to halt its decay if it was, as he had observed the rapid deterioration that Grimm corpses underwent.

He started to approach, leaving Ruby, Yang, and their mother, to their personal business while he examined the thing. He was sure that they would appreciate his leave.

As he approached the massive corpse, he started to study it more closely. Its hardened shell of armor didn't seem to melt quite as quickly as regular water should've, and he found it logical to attribute that to the slime the creature exuded. Experimentally, he sliced a portion of its armor away, and found dark black skin beneath. He didn't found no plates of bone characteristic of the Grimm, but figured that it would make sense for it to lack them. The beast's eyes were odd, but nothing very interesting. Perhaps it was a Grimm, perhaps it wasn't. It didn't matter too much. He would have the corpse extracted, studied, and reanimated.

Back at the main group, all three of the Rose family were glad Naze had left. They didn't dislike him, his presence was simply rather stifling. When Ruby and Summer let their holds on each other fade, summer put her arm around Ruby's shoulder, pulling her close and doing the same with Yang.

Neither of the girls were sure what they had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Summer looked the same as she had any day when she was alive, her body had frozen so fast that no changes could take place. Every bit of the beauty they remembered had survived, and this extended almost even to her clothes. Her cape she wore was white, completely colorless, and created a sharp contrast with Ruby's attire. Instead of the black and red dress that Ruby wore, she had most of her body covered in dyed grey light leather armor. Various belts and small pouches containing a variety of items littered her chest, well organized in several small rows.

Ruby noted with particular interest that she didn't carry ammunition. Her mother's weapon had disappeared with her, and she had caught only glimpses of the thing so far.

The handle of the scythe extended a few feet over her shoulders before ending in a wicked looking head, sharpened not on the inside, but both edges. It lacked most of the mechanical parts that gave Crescent Rose its characteristic appearance, and seemed to be much simpler overall in its use.

Summer noted Ruby's staring, and smiled down at her. "Oh, I bet you want to see this." Ruby smiled and nodded like a dog, excitedly stepping in front of her mother. She continued speaking as she reached up and drew the thing from its place on her back. "I showed you how it worked once, when you were a baby, but I don't think you remember that, do you?"

Ruby shook her head, and Summer shrugged. "It doesn't matter much. Made you giggle harder than I've ever seen, that's for sure." Ruby strained her brain trying to remember, but she couldn't.

Her mother brought the instrument forth, and held it out for Ruby to see. The blade was as sharp as a razor, probably sharper than even Crescent Rose's, and about as wide. It was weighted strangely, with most of the mass being evenly distributed, instead of being top heavy like Ruby had learned to use scythes. A few small triggers lined the metal pole that served as the body, but Ruby couldn't find any place that a projectile would fire from.

The urge to pull one of the triggers suddenly became very strong, but Ruby knew that she shouldn't. Not without asking what they did first. Even so, she let her hand drift out towards one as she looked up at her mother's face again. "Mom, what do these do?"

Summer smiled, and said, "Those trigger the pressurization inside of the hilt to launch the head. Different triggers launch at different speeds and directions."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, and looked up at her mother again. "Launch the head? What do you mean?"

Again, Summer smiled, hefted the weapon back into her arms, and held it in roughly the same way Ruby held Crescent Rose while firing. She pulled the trigger, and an explosive hiss broke through the air as the double-sided scythe head rocketed away, a long silvery chain connecting the two.

Ruby's jaw dropped, and her head filled to the brim with questions. How did it work? What kind of dust did it use? Could the chain retract just as easily? How much weight would it support? She shook her head, trying to order her thoughts, but her mother wasn't done with her demonstration yet.

She adjusted her grip slightly, and pulled a finger, activating another trigger. The chain tensed immediately, and the head that had fallen to the snow started to drag back towards them. Summer ran with it, making the chain retreat back into the pole faster than before, as well as speeding her own steps up. As she neared the head again she jumped into the air, stopping the head from coming any closer. While airborne, she tucked herself into a ball, sending her body spinning quickly. The head of her scythe became a blurred wheel of destruction around her. As she came back towards the earth, she unfurled herself and placed her legs back under her. The head of the scythe hit the ice, accompanied by the sound of ice being sundered apart. The ground shook as the ice briefly shifted itself to compensate for the damage that Summer had done.

Ruby's jaw dropped again, and she didn't know what to say. She had never seen moves like that. She suddenly felt as though her own mode of combat, using Crescent Rose to fling herself around, wasn't quite as good as it used to be.

Her mother started to walk back, and Ruby felt like she had seen something amazing. It was probably a simple move to her mother, but Ruby thought that was one of the most devastating attacks she had ever seen. With so much force behind it, there was no armor that would be able to stop it. She could probably even pound through a person's aura with a single strike like that.

It was no wonder her mother used to be held in such esteem. She only wished that there wouldn't be too much vitriol from the fact that she was undead now. She would hate her mother to be spurned for such a small thing. She had always done nothing but serve the greater good. Even as a baby, Ruby had been inspired by her.

When her mother returned, she still had a bright smile on her face. Ruby started to praise her move, but she waved it off, saying, "It was nothing compared to that shot you took into that worm. I know I wouldn't have been able to make it."

Her spirits were lifted even further by this praise, and soon Ruby started to feel faint. Her body was exhausted from the energy she had used to fight the worm, and all of the getting excited she was doing didn't help matters at all. It was only minutes before she started to have trouble keeping her eyes open, and wobbling unsteadily on her feet.

Summer laughed after a particularly dramatic sway backwards, and said, "Maybe its time that you go to bed, Ruby."

Her daughter sighed. It was clear she didn't want to, she was loving every second she spent with her mother, but that didn't change the fact that she needed to rest. Summer knew from firsthand experience that getting exhausted like that was not a good thing to do under any circumstances.

She looked to Yang, and motioned for her to pick Ruby up. Yang smiled and did so, scooping Ruby up in her arms like a baby. Ruby voiced a few indignant objections, then quieted down when Yang pulled her hood over her head.

The two undead members of the family smiled to each other, and Ruby started to relax in Yang's arms. At this rate, she would fall asleep before they even returned home. Ruby spoke up again, saying, "I can walk by myself, I don't need any help!" A particularly harsh wind whipped across the frozen surface of the mountain, and Yang felt Ruby start to shiver in her arms as she pulled her cloak tighter. She pulled her sister tighter in her arms before remembering that she didn't have any body heat to share with Ruby. It would still be good to shield her from the wind, though.

Yang and Summer both looked at one another, wanting to return home. Summer wanted to meet her children' friends. Ruby and Yang had told her much about the Faunus Blake, and the heiress Weiss. It was hard to believe that her daughters had somehow befriended a Schnee, but they had. It was a testament to their own abilities, if nothing else. Summer had heard a lot about both of them, and was looking forward to meeting them. She hoped that they were just as her daughters had made them sound.

One of the four Death Knights approached from their own group, and spoke to Summer in an official tone. "I am to escort you back to the rune. Are you ready to depart?"

Summer looked slightly surprised, then nodded. "Yes, we should go. Is Naze going to be alright?"

The Death Knight nodded, and motioned towards the bottom of the mountain, starting to walk. Yang and Summer followed, looking out over the land they could see from their high place. In the distance, Atlas spanned a wide area across the coast, but that was barely visible at all. The only thing that revealed it through the clouds and distance that separated them was the multitude of glittering lights. Neither Ruby nor Yang had ever been to Atlas. They'd never had the opportunity.

They wouldn't have it now either, unfortunately. Summer had liked Atlas, though it was a little too stuffy for her tastes. The technology was nice, but there was simply an air about it that she had never found herself fond of. Thankfully, Ruby didn't seem too heartbroken about it. She simply stared into the distance.

The trip down the mountain was much easier than it had been up, and the ground was so steep in some places that it was a challenge not to slide down. Luckily enough, Yang and Summer were nimble enough to keep from losing control of their descent, and the Knight was dexterous enough to keep his armor from impeding his movement.

The rest of the trip down passed without too much issue. The air grew warmer as they came down, and Ruby stopped shivering, starting to snore peacefully. Summer walked alongside Yang, watching Ruby with a strange, peaceful expression on her face. Yang had never seen that kind of look before. It seemed to be a kind of motherly thing that she was feeling.

Yang shifted Ruby's weight in her arms, and held her sister out to her mother, hoping that Summer would take her. Summer looked first down at Ruby, then up at Yang with wide eyes. Yang nodded wordlessly, and again offered her sister over.

Summer put her arms around her little girl gently, and took her from Yang. Yang watched the way that she held Ruby, rocking her gently and putting their faces close. It was immediately obvious that she had gone into her own little world, where she and Ruby were the only things that she had to worry about.

It made Yang happy to see. Not only was her mother happy, but Ruby would finally have the opportunity to ask all of the questions that she had over the years that neither their father nor her sister could answer.

When they reached the base of the mountain, where the rune was that took them there, Summer turned to Yang, then looked to the runes. Two were on the ground, not one. One lead to the ziggurat, and one to Beacon. Both remembered which one was which, but Summer didn't want to return to the ziggurat. She wanted to go and see the world that her children lived in.

Maybe, if she was lucky, she would see a few of her old teachers. She didn't know if any were still around. She was sure that she would see some of her old classmates, though. She wondered how people would react to her coming back. Many would be surprised, she was sure, but there were others who could've guessed she would be back simply by observing what was happening.

Maybe she would have to pay a few visits around town. She would like to see a few of her old friends' faces when they saw their long-gone friend.

She made up her mind as to what she would do, and stepped with Yang onto the rune that would take them to Vale. Her daughters were obviously happy about this, and it was only a few seconds before their location changed in a bright flash.

* * *

As Naze continued to study the corpse, something else started to fill the area. His three remaining Death Knights were around him, and readying themselves for whatever was coming. Naze recognized the feeling in the air, though. It wasn't just any demon, it was one that he had spoken with before.

The demon's power started to coalesce around him, but it wasn't a large enough amount to worry him. Demon Lords had many powers, and if it was taking action against him, he was sure it would be in a much more aggressive form.

Gradually, a shape started to form out of light bent out of the sky. It was shifting constantly, and impossible to assign a real form. A fine imitation of the thing he had seen in his own home.

From this light, thousands of ethereal voice emanated, speaking what sounded like a warning. "Lich, I come with news." If Naze had eyebrows, they would have raised. The demon continued, saying "The last of the players has found a piece. Dolor, the Lord of hate and blood, has chosen a servant. It would be the recommendation of this demon that you eliminate his champion with utmost haste. His have a way of being rather volatile."

Naze stared at the demon for a few moments before letting his gaze fall back to the worm's corpse. "Why tell me this, Timor? If you are as uninterested in this world as you've said, there is no reason to share this knowledge."

The light shook slightly as it seemed to consider its answer. After a short while it responded, saying, "I am uninterested in the world, but not in the exploits of my competitors. Now, with so little power here, it is difficult to maintain a presence, so listen. His name is Adam Taurus, and he was one of the former leaders of the White Fang. In a fight he will be difficult to overcome, but his soul is not free of fear; he cares about one called "Blake Belladonna" and is deathly afraid of hurting her. That should make him much easier to deal with."

Naze nodded. "I've interacted with him before. I understand the danger he poses, but perhaps immediate destruction is not the only fate that awaits him." The structure of a plan started to form in his mind, and he looked back up at Timor, watching to gauge its reaction. "Perhaps his capabilities could be harnessed. If he cares so much for her, then it would be a simple task to set him against Cramus, no? It would only take him believing that she had been converted or possessed."

The light laughed with millions of throats before speaking. "An ingenious ploy, but you would likely have to pacify him. Dolor does not easy let the fires of rage die easy."

Naze had expected that. As he finished his examination of the worm, he said, "Very well, the matter will be addressed."

He started to turn, but before could so much as move, the demon said, "Wait. What's that you have there?" Naze didn't know what the demon referred to, so he didn't respond. "Could that be a little shred of a soul I see? Ha, I didn't think you'd be one to hold on to such a thing."

Naze knew that the demon was trying to get under his skin now, and he wasn't about to let it work. It was a mistake that had unfortunately been with him for an eternity.

Without another word, Naze started to leave. From behind him, he heard Timor say, "I think I was right to pick you, Lich. You could prove useful yet."


	51. Chapter 51

Blake walked slowly through the street. Her head hung low, and she couldn't believe what she had done. She was ashamed of it, and she hoped that her friends would be able to forgive her. She hadn't meant to do any of it. Not really.

Several cars drove past on the street, and a few people passed her by, talking among themselves. Her hand instinctively went to her head, making sure that the bow there was secure, and doing its job to conceal what she considered her most valuable secret. It was, and she let out a sigh of relief. It was horrible that she had to, but she knew the kind of treatment she would get if she didn't.

Distant sirens began to ring out through the streets, being more clearly picked up by the ear on the top of her head. The second one, the one that had been injured by Ruby, didn't pick much sound up anymore. It simply didn't have the structure to. The wound had healed over now, though, and it didn't hurt, so she wasn't too concerned about it. She was thinking of other things.

What was the siren for? Her mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion, and brought memories back of the reports of Menagerie. Had they heard similar alarms before they had been taken?

Her step started to quicken, and before she knew it, she was starting to run. Her boots pounded against the sidewalk, and her arms pumped at her side. She passed the group of humans who had passed her earlier, and heard them asking the same kinds of questions she was.

Blake had to get back to the others. If there was anyone that she could count on to have her back, even in the case of a demonic invasion, it was them. She'd trusted them with her biggest secret, and they hadn't told anyone that she didn't trust. She's fight for them, and they'd fight for her. They were the closest thing to a family she'd ever had. At least, almost. There were some others that she had gotten close to, but she didn't think of Adam as family. Not anymore.

When she got close to the campus, the ringing from the generators started to penetrate her ears again, and she flinched involuntarily as she passed by them. Many Huntsmen and Huntresses were depositing their weapons in the generators, and removing them systematically, inspecting them for new properties. A few undead oversaw the process, making sure that none completed the process incorrectly. Blake wondered if students were going to have to do that, or if it would be only the adults. She even saw a few teachers among the ones circled around the generator, and felt her heart sink. Was it really going to be bad enough that teachers were needed to fight?

Still, the calm that the Hunters seemed to be in seemed to suggest that whatever was going on wasn't too immediate. That did a little to set Blake's nerves at ease, but she was still nervous. Something bad was happening if the sirens were going off. They normally only went off if the perimeters of the city were breached, like when the White Fang had rammed a train into the city.

Team RWBY had done quite a bit to suppress that incident, and they had all been given a fairly large amount of extra credit. Blake wasn't thinking about classes as she ran, though. Instead she was thinking about how to fight a demon. If her experience with Nora was anything to judge by, the only thing that she could say about it was "don't".

She readied her scroll and held it up as she bust through the door, unlocking just a split second before she impacted. She charged up the stairs, running past a few people as she did so, and finally came to their room. She fumbled with the scroll for a few seconds, trying to get the door unlocked, before finally it clicked, and she barged inside. "Guys, something is happening!"

She waited a few seconds for an answer, but when none came, she looked further inside. It didn't seem that there was anybody home. She stepped further into the room, and he suspicion was confirmed. It was empty, except for her. Her hands went back to her scroll almost instantly, and almost before she was aware of what she was doing, Ruby's face was on her screen, the small text reading "Dialing" as she waited.

She put it up to her ear, but started to hear noise from the hall again. Someone was opening a door, and their scroll was ringing. It was the same song Ruby had set hers to play when receiving a call. Blake narrowed her eyes, and stepped out into the hall, finding Naze's door open, and Ruby stepping out, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She spoke to someone Blake couldn't see, saying, "I didn't fall asleep! I was just resting!"

She sounded annoyed, and as Blake stepped towards her to speak, Yang's voice came from inside the room. "Sure you didn't. You were just snoring to try and trick us, right?" The voice was accompanied by Yang's hand, which came out from the door and ruffled Ruby's hair. Yang stepped out into the hall, and seemed happy.

Blake was about to speak when a third voice, one she didn't recognize, said, "Now Yang, don't pick on Ruby. You saw how hard she was working out there."

It sounded feminine, a little like Ruby's, only a tad deeper and with a slight twang of an accent. Blake didn't know who it could belong to, but didn't quite care at the moment. There were more important things to worry about. "Ruby! Where's Weiss? We need to get together, something bad is happening!"

Ruby looked back at Blake, shocked, and Yang turned to face her. "Huh? What's going on? We weren't gone for too long, were we? And where did you go earlier?"

Blake shook her head, and shook her head dismissively. "None of that matters. The sirens started going off, and I don't know why. Something is up, and obviously we need to get out there!"

A pause settled over the small group, and all of them that Blake could see tilted their heads to listen. The sirens were louder at the school, and cut across the faint sounds of the city easily. Ruby and Yang's eyes widened, and they started to react. Before they could do anything, though, someone else stepped out from Naze's room. Blake had never seen the woman before, but the first thing that stuck her was how similar to Ruby she looked. A similar face, similar body structure, and the same kind of garb.

The white hood the woman wore reminded Blake of the Priests from the Order of the Holy Light, but lacked any of the golden hems or holy trinkets that would come with it. Her hair, the same black-red color as Ruby's, went down to her shoulders, and looked rather bedraggled, like it hadn't been cared for in a long time.

She wondered who the woman was, and why she was inside Naze's room. It was only a few brief seconds before she started taking large, sweeping steps down the hallway towards the exit. As she did so, she looked over her shoulder at the children, saying, "Come on, we have to hurry!"

As they moved, Blake felt her scroll start to buzz in her hand. She looked down at it, and was vaguely aware of her friends doing the same. A text message from the school administration itself, reading "Attention all students: you are required to return to your dormitories or, if you are in a school building, to stay inside until someone comes to retrieve you. Thank you."

The four of them pounded on, heedless of the school's warning. Whatever was going on, it was their duty to help. As they went, Blake made sure to keep a close eye on the woman, and found that she was starting to tilt her head to the side, like she was listening to something. Yang had done the same kind of thing when she had first come back from the dead. The woman also seemed to move with the same kind of strange heaviness that Yang had gained after dying.

As she continued to stare at the woman, she noticed that she wasn't breathing either. Blake felt somewhat shocked by the fact that whoever this woman was, she appeared to be dead. She had come out of Naze's room, but still, she didn't look dead. A niggling little suspicion started to work in Blake's brain, and she slowly looked over to Ruby.

Her chest was heaving, and her limbs almost seemed to be lagging behind the rest of her, showing that she was already exhausted. Blake didn't know what was going on, but obviously something big had happened. She doubted that it had anything to do with the sirens, though.

Yang was tilting her head as well, also listening in to whatever it was that only the undead could hear. Blake wished that she was able to hear it too, but before they had even reached the front door of the building, Yang turned to her and started to speak.

"Alright, Blake, this is going to sound a little crazy, but I think you're going to have to hear this. You know how that guy who used to run a lot of the White Fang got arrested a while back, right?" Blake nodded. She hated to think of Adam like that, but he had gone off the deep end when he had been willing to murder. She'd had to cut off her ties with him. She hoped dearly that no one had found out about the ties she had tried so hard to cover up.

Yang continued, saying, "Well something happened to him, and now he's, uh…" Yang's voice tempered off as the group came to the door and exited back out into the streets, but Blake's worry only grew.

She was quick to ask, "What happened? Does Ada-" she caught herself "Does that guy have anything to do with the alarm?"

Yang bit her lip, then nodded. "Well, you see, apparently something happened with a demon, and now he's free. Naze says that he's already killed a few people, and now he's just disappeared. Summer here is supposed to be in charge of the undead people protecting the city, and so we're going to help her get this guy under control."

Lake raised an eyebrow, and looked to the woman. "Summer? You mean that's…" Her mind clicked the pieces into place, and she was about to say something to the woman when she looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with Blake.

"Yes, I'm Ruby's mother, but we'll talk about that later. Right now I need to know, you're Blake Belladonna, correct?" Blake nodded, and Summer gave out a small sigh. "Very well. I'm very sorry to do this, but I need your help if this is going to work. I don't want to place your life at risk, but I'm afraid if you agree, you will be putting yourself in considerable danger. Are you willing to help?"

Blake thought for a brief moment. She was no coward, but she didn't know if she wanted to face Adam down again. She'd left him the first time, and she wasn't sure that he would be as willing to let her go a second time. Now that he had a demon inside of him, there was no telling what he might do. Nora had kidnapped Ren, so it wasn't too difficult something similar could happen to her.

"Do you have a plan? I wouldn't be going in on my own, right?"

Summer's pace slowed slightly, which made it easier to talk. "No, I have a plan. Other undead should be looking for him now, and once they find him, we can move to action. My plan is fairly simple. Naze has told me that he's been chosen by the demon lord of rage as a champion. He's already killed several, and will likely not stop. This is why we need you. He will be hesitant to attack you, and you may have a chance to talk him down before he takes any more lives. If you do, you might be able to turn his ire against the demons who overtook Menagerie, and lessen the burden on the rest of the world. If he fights them, the damage he does will be significant, and the damage he receives will likely take him out of the equation. It may not be a pretty solution, but for the rest of the living and uncorrupted, it is the least damaging."

Blake looked down towards the ground. It felt wrong to do something like this, but it was clear that the options available to them were limited. It was either she throw aside her reservation, or the city suffer more casualties in trying to bring Adam down. She closed her eyes, clutching her fists tightly shut and saying, "Fine, I'll do it. Just tell me where he is, and I'll go."

Summer gave a small, sad smile, and said, "Thank you. It's a lot to ask, I know, but you can give us the advantage we need."

Blake wasn't happy about it, but she knew it was the best thing she could do. If Adam was really simply killing people now, it was the only thing to do. He was normally so coolheaded and down to earth, but obviously that wasn't the case anymore.

Summer continued to move, speaking over her shoulder as she did so, "You three should stay here, at the school. It's safer here, and you'll be easier to contact than if you simply go out on your own. I can make sure that there is fast transport when we do find him, and then it should be simple enough to try this plan."

She stopped, and the three teens looked at the older woman, none of them looking like they liked the idea of waiting behind. Summer remembered the way she had been when she was at their age, and how restless she had always been in the face of action. Even Ruby looked like she wanted to go with her, and help in every way she could, despite the fact that she was having trouble simply keeping her eyes open. It was good to see that they wanted to help so much, but they needed to stay back. It wasn't for long, just long enough for her to figure out a plan. It had always been easy for her plan, but now things would depend on a different lynchpin than she was used to. She had always been good at predicting the actions and movements of Grimm, not the emotional responses of people.

But in an event that slightly surprised her, Yang and Ruby stepped forward, wrapping their arms around her in a hug. She returned the hug, then said. "Thank you. I know waiting will be hard, but you have to do it. There's no other way that I want to do it."

Her children bid farewell, and started to return to their room. She wished that she had been told what was going on before she had started to lead them out, but Naze had not shared the information fast enough. Now she was left alone to organize the effort that would take Adam down.

The first step was to spread shades over the majority of the city. There was already a good spread, but there were significant gaps in surveillance. Issuing orders with her mind was strange at first, but it was soon that she was looking through the eyes of shades and speaking to them without hesitation. If this was what Naze felt like all the time, she was slightly jealous.

She was also in contact with the risen undead from the area, and told them to gather at Beacon. They started to obey instantly, although she had to do some explaining as to who she was and why she was giving them orders. Eventually all who were to be under her command were convinced of the truth of her words, after Naze said a few things to support her story.

In the real world, she was simply standing stock still, eyes closed, leaning against a building, but her mind was stretched to what felt like her limit. It took a huge amount of mental strength to keep everything in line, but eventually, other warriors showed up beside her. When Naze said that he would manage the shades for her, it came as a godsend, and she almost collapsed to the ground as her mind snapped back to her.

When she picked herself back up, she found that the warriors she had summoned had actually gathered around her, and were waiting for her command. She had known that they were getting around her, but she had not considered how that would look.

As it turned out, most of them had been preserved fairly well. Some were in states of serious decay, but most were simply fine. Paler than a normal person, and with a few grievous wounds that Summer assumed had caused their deaths, but nothing that would impede their function too much.

With Naze handling the shades, she was free to spend some time with her new troops. She thought she found a few faces she recognized, and started to talk with them, waiting, just like she was sure her children were doing.

* * *

Shades flew all across the city, systematically searching every crevasse that would be easily missed by the living searchers. They were able to get in harder to reach places, and searched far more efficiently. Naze saw the vision of each one, and directed its actions in accordance to what Summer wanted. A grid search pattern, sweeping the whole city. He wouldn't escape, and he wouldn't be hidden for long. It was simply a matter of time before he was found.

As it turned out, hiding was not one of the rage demon's strong suits. A strong source of demonic power proved to be just what he thought it was, and a shade rounded a corner to find the man standing, staring at the shade as if he could really see it.

Naze suspected that he could, seeing as demons gave their followers many kinds of powers. The ability to see what most people simply could not wasn't too outlandish.

The two simply stared at each other for a few seconds, then Adam lunged out, hands reaching towards the shade like he meant to tear it limb from limb. An animalistic cry escaped his mouth, and before the shade could even react, his fists caught its smoky form, pulling its power apart. Naze was quick to jerk the shade back, melding into the wall to escape further damage from the man.

A few more blows fell against the stone wall, knocking large chunks off and sending cracks through much of the area surrounding the impact spot.

Naze communicated Adam's location to Summer, and she was quick to move into action. She selected a few of the more apt fighters from her available heroes, and sent for Blake to be retrieved. A car had been "appropriated" some time ago, so it wouldn't take long for Blake to reach the nearest sewer access point.

Ruby and Yang were sure to come with her, and Summer knew that there was nothing she could do to keep them away. She would just have to be sure to keep them safe. She climbed into a car too, and set off to meet the few she had chosen for the mission. It only took a few minutes, a welcome change from simply waiting around for Adam to be found.

She tried her best to fully pull her consciousness back to her body, but found that it was difficult to disentangle her thoughts from those of the people she had contacted. Making use of these mental capabilities was like using a muscle she had never exercised. Perhaps she would become more adept in time.

That would be a different time though, as she climbed out of her car and looked to the manhole cover that would bring them closest to Adam. Another car pulled up, and Blake, accompanied by Yang and Ruby, exited the car. The other undead she had brought with her made ready, taking their weapons out and readying themselves for as much of a battle as they could. Summer walked towards them, and tried to order her thoughts in her mind.

"Blake, I'm sorry, but you'll have to go in first. You should go in alone, but you should be ready to escape. All I can tell you is to be ready for anything. There's no predicting how Adam might react."

Blake sighed, then nodded. "You're right. I'll go in."

She started towards the hole, but before she reached it, Yang put a hand out onto her shoulder. "Hey, Blake, be careful in there. We'll be right out here, you know."

Blake nodded again, and continued towards the hole. She lifted off the cover and climbed down, taking care to make sure her feet fell quietly on the cement. There were no lights in the dark tunnels, but her Faunus eyes made short work of that issue. As it was, she was aware of almost everything around her.

A distant pounding made her ear twitch beneath her bow, and her head turn in the direction of its origin. She couldn't tell what its cause was, but she was sure that she could guess as to who was making it.

She started to creep in its direction, and put one hand down on the hilt of Gambol Shroud. If Adam was affected by a rage demon, he was bound to have a few anger issues. She would have to walk on eggshells around him, if he would end up listening at all. She hoped dearly that he wouldn't simply outright attack her. The two had shared a lot of good times, memories that she didn't want to spoil. He hadn't always been bad, he was just misguided. Like the rest of the White Fang.

Her steps barely made any noise, bouncing off the curved walls for only a few feet, but even so, Adam heard them before he could see her. His voice cut through the soft silence like the blade he had always carried, saying in a dark, angry voice, "Who's there? Come out, or I'll kill you!"

Blake was taken aback by the aggressive sharp edge to his voice, but called out. "It's me, Blake. Please, I just want to talk."

There were a few moments of silence, in which Blake's ears were straining to catch anything they could. Nothing particularly notable came forth, then Adam spoke again. "Blake? Is that really you? What are you doing here? I thought you had left me!"

She knew that she had to be very careful with how she responded. He had outright threatened her life, even without knowing who she was. That was something she had never heard him do before. It certainly did mark a difference in the way that he was acting.

"Adam, listen; I did, but do you remember why? I left because I thought you were getting too violent. I mean, you were becoming the monster that humans thought Faunus were. Playing right into their hands, basically."

She heard him start to growl angrily, and felt the color drain from her face. She wasn't done saying what she wanted, and hurriedly finished.

"But now I see what you were trying to do. Peace didn't work, so violence was the only option. I agree, but I think there are other people who need to face justice. Humans are at fault, but we can't persecute them first. Instead, we should go after the things that stole Menagerie from the Faunus. Demons, corrupting people and stealing their souls. It's the only way to make sure justice comes out of this."

* * *

Adam rolled what his old partner said around in his head. He wasn't sure he agreed. Humans were at fault, not demons. It was only a few seconds, however, before the bellowing voice shouted inside of his cranium again. "Yes! Cramus is a weakling, and deserves to be destroyed first! The girl speaks true, listen to her, and do a she says! Cramus will not have the blood of this earth!"

It shocked Adam how loud it was, and he fell to his knees, grunting. It almost knocked the wind out of him, and he slowly pulled himself back to his feet. He heard Blake asking in the distance, "Are you alright? Should I come other there?"

His response was swift. "No! I'm fine. Stay where you are, I'm coming to you."

He walked, his feet hitting heavily on the ground as he did so. He had started to grow tired, but started to invigorate himself with thought. If he was going to meet her, he would have to be stronger. He didn't want to appear weak.

As he walked, the slight limp that had started to settle in one leg started to vanish. It seemed that his body hadn't completely resisted damage from his encounter with Ironwood's guards, but he had ignored the little amount that he had taken. It had healed quickly, any was just now starting to mend completely.

Soon Blake started to come into his view, and he felt a soothing presence as he confirmed to himself that she was fine, uninjured and healthy. He had been fearing over his days in his cell that something terrible had happened to her, and that she might have been injured, or worse, dead. The life of a Huntress was dangerous, and for a Faunus one even more so.

Their eyes locked, and he noticed the look on her face. Anxious, full of trepidation and perhaps a small amount of fear. It wasn't how he had imagined their reunion would go, but it was something, at least.

He rushed towards her, a tad faster than he had meant to, and snatched her up in a hug that was tight enough to crack a lesser person's ribs. She gave a muffled squeal, pushing weakly against him, struggling to breathe. At least, it felt like she was pushing weakly. When he looked at her, it appeared that she was trying hard to escape his bear hug.

He let her go, and she took a few deep, gasping breaths before taking a small step back and looking back up at Adam's face. He was smiling, but the magic of seeing Blake again was starting to wear off. He was scaring her, he suddenly realized, and took a quick step back, feeling several emotions claw their way into his mind. Shame was one, he should've known not to do something like that. Another was longing, he had been alone for so long, he just wanted to talk to someone. He needed to talk to someone, and the voices in his head were remarkably poor conversationalists.

The biggest, though, was anger. He knew that he shouldn't feel anger towards her, but he did. Why was she so afraid? He had never done anything but care about her, and now she was spitting in his face. He took a deep breath, trying to control the feeling. It wasn't her fault. She couldn't help it. He was much more powerful now, it was natural that she would be intimidated.

When the feeling started to die down, he felt more confident in his ability to speak without putting her off more. "It's good to see you again. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

Blake still looked rather on edge, rubbing her arms where Adam had compressed them, before speaking. "Yeah, and I looked forward to you getting out. Anyways, you know what I'm talking about, right? After you left, Cinder lead the White Fang, and ended up getting most of them possessed by demons. Now they work for her, and are going to try to get the rest of the world under her control."

Adam's blood was boiling almost immediately again. Cinder was leading the White Fang? His White Fang? A filthy human?

It was difficult to keep from pounding a fist into the wall again, but he knew that for Blake's sake he had to refrain. "Cinder took control of the White Fang?" His voice was barely even, and the anger behind it threatened to boil over at any moment. Luckily enough, it didn't.

Blake nodded again, and spoke hesitantly. "Yeah, she did. Then she took over Menagerie. So, what I suggested before is that you go there, kill her first, then you can do whatever else it is that you want, right? I mean, of all the humans out there, Cinder deserves the worst, right?"

She didn't seem convinced of her own words, like she was speaking on somebody else's behalf. His Lord had commanded that he do as she said, but now he was suspicious. Maybe everything was not as good as it had seemed. "Blake, what's wrong? You don't seem alright. Is something the matter? Do you need help?"

Blake took another step back, but this time Adam followed. If someone was forcing her to say these things, he wanted to know. Nothing would happen to her as long as he was around, so she had nothing to worry about. If she needed someone dead, they would be.

She shook her head, and stepped back again. Again Adam followed, now closer than he had been before. He also reached forward to take one of Blake's hands in his, trying to show his sincerity. "If someone is trying to play you, just tell me. I've been locked up for who knows how long, and I'm out of the loop. I trust you, now you need to trust me."

A tear started to fall from Blake's eye, but she quickly wiped it away. She was starting to shudder, and her speech was becoming garbled. "Adam, please, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Just do like I say, because I'm telling you, this is the way it has to be!"

Adam jolted as some semblance of his sane mind returned, and took in the situation. Blake was crying, because he had hurt her. Not only emotionally, but perhaps physically as well. Bruises were starting to form on her arms. She didn't deserve that. She wasn't a human, and she was his friend. He shouldn't have done that.

He took a few slow steps away from Blake as he realized what he had almost dragged her into. She was against violence, and here he was hoping that she would join him in a genocide against humans. He was losing it.

He shook his head a few times in an attempt to clear it, then started to run in the opposite direction. He heard Blake call out after him, but he didn't respond. He couldn't. Not if there was the risk of hurting her again. He would have to do this on his own, without her. It was going to be hard, but she was right. Cinder deserved to die the most. He would be the instrument of bloody justice.

But how was he going to reach her? Blake had said that she had taken all of Menagerie for herself, and made everyone there to serve her. Thousands lived in that city, and it was almost unimaginable that they would all bend a knee to her like that. She had a huge force at her disposal, and all Adam had was himself.

That was alright, though. He was strong enough that he had confidence. If it required slaughtering his way through thousands, he would do it. They deserved nothing less, for serving such a horrible wench. Then he would be able to focus on humanity.

Their time was over as well.

* * *

When Blake climbed back out of the hole, it was clear that her encounter had shaken her up beyond what she had been ready for. Summer had heard some of it from the opening, but she looked forward to Blake's full account.

Once she had given it, none of those present knew what to say. It appeared that Adam had agreed, but fled at the same time. They had expected to have to bring him under control until the time came for him to do his task.

Blake seemed to believe that he would restrain himself from any more killing until then, but none of the others seemed to agree. Summer herself found it hard to believe that one chosen by the demon of rage and bloodlust would be able to contain himself for very long. She made sure to have shades stalk him, ensuring that he was committing no further violence.

Ten, as Blake finished her story, the sound of the sirens retook their dominance over the air, as if to remind them that they had still not succeeded. Blake had allowed him to escape when they had to capture him.

"No, please, just let him go. Someone is going to get hurt if you go after him again!" She tried to convince Summer that he deserved freedom, but she could not allow herself to be swayed. He had already killed several, and couldn't be given the opportunity to continue. It pained her to do, but she had to refuse Blake, and continue the hunt.

"I'm sorry, Blake, but we have to do this. There is simply no other choice. I know you care about him, but this is how it has to be." Blake didn't look at all comforted by the mother's words, so she tried switching gears. "We will do our best to keep from injuring him, and make sure that he isn't mistreated while being held, alright? Now, you should probably go back to your dorm. I'm afraid you've done all you can."

Yang and Ruby both looked about as sad as Blake, but Summer had to send them away as well. If there was going to be a battle, then there would be no place for children, even Hunters in training.

When the car carrying her children and their friend left, she made sure to watch it go. She was dead now, so there was little risk that anything Adam could do would do any real damage to her or her small team. They would have to hurry if they wanted to catch him before he struck again, though. She was sure that it was only a matter of time until he did.

* * *

Cinder's eyes opened, and she felt like she had woken up from a dream. A wonderful, entirely perverse dream. As she looked around her, taking stock of her surroundings, she came to realize that the dream had been entirely real.

Menagerie burned, and crowds of churning bodies filled what was left of the streets. As far as the eye could see, her master's domain had become clear, giving the mortals below everything that they could want for. The acrid sweet scent of pleasure wafted around the air, caressing Cinder's sensitive skin. She felt the way each individual strand of hair was disturbed by the light breeze, and sighed as her thoughts turned to what she felt.

Pleasure, yes, but that was a constant now. Her normal feeling was one so intense that it would reduce a regular human to a twitching mess. It was a different feeling, and one that she found much less enjoyable.

It was not want, it was need. Though, with the drives her maser had given her, those two were almost the same. No, it was something other than desire. She needed to do something, but what?

She looked out from the collapsed room, wondering. Things were going so well, so what was it she needed?

The answer came when she thought of what was not yet perfect. There wasn't much, but if she had to chose one thing, it was that her master was not here, in the flesh.

Something like that would never really happen, but she could do the best she could. An incarnation of her master, an avatar, could be brought about. Perhaps she could even be the one to ascend to such an illustrious position. To become so close to her master would feel better than anything she had experienced before. It was her destiny, it had to be. But how would she do it?

She knew that her lord needed someone to serve as an avatar, and she was only the natural choice.

As Cinder pulled herself from the bed, her dress hung loosely around her frame. It had fit so well once, but not anymore. Now she kept it only as a reminder of the days before she'd had her lord. She had been so concerned with things like power, or money. She had never really known how simple the world was, how she had overcomplicated everything. Life really was simple, with only one goal; to feel good.

It was the only thing worth pursuing, and she had made excellent progress towards it. But she could still feel the capacity for more. There was more room in her soul for pleasure, and she needed to fill it, until there was no possible way she could take more.

She walked over to the edge of the room that looked out over what remained of the city, and looked down. The dizzying height might've made her stomach churn before, but now it was like nothing. Without hesitation, she dropped off the side, and used her immense dexterity to guide her descent. She took a hold of the wall with both her feet and her hands, using joints that had been gained only recently, her strong bone and muscle preventing the stress from doing any damage.

The feeling of the concrete and steel sliding through her hands was a new one, and she relished it for every second that she experienced it. The skin that went against the concrete should have been torn apart without much resistance, but she was stronger than that now.

A small ledge approached quickly, but Cinder was ready for it. She pushed off the side of the building, then managed to guide herself back to the side. The ground quickly approached, and she clamped harder down on the wall to slow herself more.

When she hit the ground, the pavement cracked beneath her, and a small cloud of dust was thrown free. Her body wasn't damaged, though. Her legs straightened, and she stood straight again. She would make her way to the rift, and contact her master there. It was only a few minutes away, and she was patient enough to walk the way.

As she went, voices raised from all around, welcoming their mistress back from her slumber. She didn't respond, she had more important things to do. Millions of people had felt her master's gift now, and she could feel all of them, in a strange kind of way. It was like a small piece of her brain had formed only to share the sensations that her followers accrued. She loved it, of course. She could feel the pounding pressure from the millions, and she did her best to feel every piece.

It did a good job of distracting her for the rest of the walk, and when she came into the range of the rift, she could feel the change in the air. Everything felt sharper, and Cinder's skin tickled as she stepped over the gravel beneath her feet. All around her, people were indulging in whatever they wanted, fulfilling their deepest desires.

It was commonplace now, to do that around the rift. The reason was simply that everything was more intense under the gaze of their lord. Cinder walked past them, though, not caring to join or watch. Her matter was much more important than that.

The huge red orb hovered about thirty feet off the ground, and demons poured from it regularly. The light it threw off was bright, and welcoming, sometimes pulsing like a heartbeat. Shacks had been erected around it, and many people lived in awe of the thing, not doing anything but sitting in their homes and gazing at it. Sometimes corpses had to be removed of people who had starved to death after getting lost in its gentle majesty.

As Cinder approached, a gathering started to form behind her, people following, knowing that she was about to speak with their lord. When she reached the side of the rift and stopped, the people fell to their knees, and waited with bated breath in hopes of catching a glimpse of Cramus's beauty.

Cinder called out, and the rift responded, vibrating with sounds that only she could understand. She looked up at it the entire time, a smile on her face. Whatever she heard, it pleased her very much. Those behind her started to grovel, calling out and begging for their mistress to let them understand as well, for it would be their greatest pleasure to serve, no matter what the task was.

Cinder did not respond, and instead continued to listen for several minutes. When the communication was finally over, she fell to her knees and cried out, voice piercing every other sound. Some were deafened, their ears starting to bleed. Some were knocked unconscious, slumping over, unable to cope with the sense. All of them were forced back, whether by feeling some unbearable heat, or lured away by a scent impossible to resist, all of them left.

When Cinder's eyes opened again, there was something new residing behind them. A seed had been planted in her soul, a small bit of her master's self, and would grow Cinder into its incarnation. She laughed, and the thirst to conquer more of Remnant returned to her body. They were done waiting, and she would have her prizes.

.

.

* * *

Finals asdasdf

Author's Note:

Finals are starting in school again, so I don't know when I'll be able to get much more written. Don't be surprised if things move a little more slowly than usual.

As always, I appreciate every review and follow and stuff. Thanks.


	52. Chapter 52

Author's Note:

Finals can't keep me down. I'm going to try to write as much as I can next week, but no promises.  
As always, I love you when you review. I love you anyways, but reviews help. Have fun!

* * *

Roman ground his teeth, watching as the airship was loading with refugees. Chances were that at this rate, all the spots would be taken up by the time he had Neo got even remotely close to the front of the line. He wasn't even sure why he was in the line to begin with.

The big airship was at the center of the makeshift airfield, but there were many smaller crafts off to the sides, being loaded with essential supplies and refueled. The guards around the area were mostly around the line itself, making sure that no one tried to skip ahead or fight. It looked like a stressful job to Roman, but he couldn't sympathize with the guys. They all probably had guaranteed rides out. He was going to have to steal his.

He looked to his side and down, spying Neo's face. Her smile made it clear that she was thinking the same thing. They would have to either fight their way over to another Bullhead, or come up with a very good excuse to get close. Otherwise there was no way that they would be able to escape Menagerie for sure.

Roman shuddered as he thought about what would happen if Cinder managed to get her clutches on him. She had done a fine job of brainwashing other people, but Roman had the small amulet Naze had given him. He genuinely hoped that the thing worked, but even if it did, he didn't intend to meet Cinder face to face for a while. That was a meeting he didn't look forward to. He had never been fond of Cinder, but she had changed. Something weird had happened to her brain, and he didn't want to run the slightest risk of catching it.

He was just about to step off the line when a small whisper in his ear said, "Where do you think you're going?"

He jumped, and turned in the direction the voice had come from. The woman who he ended up facing looked back at him, startled for a few seconds, before averting her gaze back to the ground. She must've recognized his face.

It was probably safe to assume that she wasn't the one who had whispered to him, so he cast his gaze elsewhere. For a single brief moment, his eyes met those of one of the guards, and he felt his heart stop. This was something that he had been careful to avoid up to this point, and he was sure that it was going to have poor repercussions.

He immediately turned his face away from the man, and simultaneously gave Neo a hardy elbow to the shoulder, indicating that she needed to get ready. If there was going to be trouble, they could wait any more.

Neo got her parasol into what Roman recognized as a very subtle fighting stance, and he took some of his weight off of his cane. The man wouldn't call out their identity before confirming it, right? That would give him a nice opportunity to dispose of the single man, then turn his attention to the rest of them.

Footsteps approached from behind, and he saw Neo make a few final adjustments to her posture, before a hand fell flatly and limply on Roman's shoulder, and a slow, clumsy voice said, "If you agree to something, you should do it."

Roman's eyes narrowed. If this was some kind of trick, it was a weird one. He couldn't help but turn and look, wondering if there was something wrong with the man.

When their eyes met again, it was difficult for Roman to not cry out in surprise. The man was looking at him, but one eye was slowly lazing to the side, and both were half covered by his eyelids. His limbs hung from his body like sacks of sand, and his hand was slowly sliding off of Roman's shoulder like holding it there was too much trouble.

None of this was what surprised him, though. What surprised him the most was that there was a figure, so transparent it was almost invisible, protruding from the man's back. It had odd looking appendages attached to the man's limbs like some kind of bizarre marionette, and seemed to lack any definite form that Roman could make out.

He was sure that Neo could see the thing better, but he was forced to focus on the man. "Uh, I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"

He had the inclination that it was something to do with Naze, but his going completely insane wasn't a possibility that he dismissed. He had always felt a screw loose up there. Whether it was real or not, he would deal with it anyways in the best way he could.

The guard didn't react too much to his question at first, only giving a slow blink that re-focused his eyes. Then the thing on his back gave a few more pulls, and the somewhat unsettling meat-puppet sparked back into life.

"The deal you made. That-" it gave an uncoordinated jab at the amulet, which was under Roman's coat "-was not given for show! You are expected to use it."

The thing spoke in such oddly fluctuating tones that Roman wasn't convinced it had ever used any language before. Nevertheless, it continued to speak in what Roman thought mush have been a very good imitation of someone having a stroke. "You are going to return to Cinder, and stay until the time when you can strike. Throw your cowardice aside, else you yourself will be thrown aside."

That was about as much confirmation that the thing was sent by Naze as he expected he would get, and he sighed. He was working for Naze, so there wasn't much he could about it. If he was told to go back to Cinder, he had to. It wouldn't surprise him if the amulet was rigged to explode or something if he ever went against Naze.

"Alright, fine, I'll go back." He sounded about as happy as he felt about the situation. He felt Neo relax beside him, allowing her guard to fall slightly.

With a few unpleasant sounding grunts and groans, the specter on the man's back seemed to pull away from its host, resulting in him dropping to the ground. Roman and Neo watched him hit the ground, then slowly rub his head as he appeared to come back to his senses.

"Ouch, what the…" the man stood and rubbed his head, grimacing in pain. Without saying anything else, he turned, and started to walk away. Roman raised an eyebrow, watching his slow stumble back to wherever it was that he had come from.

Roman turned back to Neo, saying, "Well, I guess that we have to get back, then. I don't think anyone's ever made me as uncomfortable as Cinder has recently. She's just so… different."

Neo nodded, but Roman shook his head. "It doesn't matter anyways, I guess. Well, let's go. Wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

The two broke from the line, and Roman did his best to hide his face as he started to walk away. It wasn't going to be fun to get back to Cinder, but they were in the middle of a group of normal people. He was sure that she would come to them before too long. That seemed to be her "thing" now, spreading the weird thing that had made her all creepy. He still remembered some of the things that she had done in that little town.

It would be a while, but he was sure that she would come. Maybe she would beat the airship taking off, maybe she wouldn't. If Roman was totally honest, he hoped that she would miss it. Not because he actually cared about the people, but because it would piss her off.

When he and Neo got a good distance away, he put his back to a tree and slid down to the ground. If he was going to wait, he would prefer to be comfortable.

* * *

Weiss gave a sigh as her Scroll started to go off. Winter raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Weiss took the thing in a quick grabbing motion, and tried to look discreetly at the screen. Ruby was calling, and she knew that it had to do with the lockdown somehow. Did the rest of her team know what was going on? The people in the tower hadn't been told anything beyond the need to stay inside. It was for that reason that the guards were not allowing anyone out.

Weiss had figured that it would be a better idea to simply continue talking with her sister rather than demand to be let out. They were doing their job, and she couldn't get too upset about that. Normally she would, but her chat with her sister had made her significantly more melancholy than she normally was.

Things back at the mansion were mostly as they normally were. Her father was still as short tempered as ever, and Winter's studies had continued to progress, just as she wanted.

Apparently, though, their father was somewhat happy about what was happening in Menagerie. When Weiss heard this, she was shocked. She knew that her father had some hatred for the Faunus, and that it wasn't exactly unwarranted, but that was extreme. He had already made quite a profit off of the raising fear of the world, raising the prices of Dust powered weaponry to make a killing off of the desperation.

She wanted to say that it was wrong to do those things, but she knew that the world of business had little room for moral things like right or wrong. The only thing that mattered to them was the profits. That was a lesson her father had taken care to teach.

Her sister didn't like talking about this, obviously, but Weiss wanted to hear more. It felt like she had been stabbed in the back by someone close, even though she knew already how her father was. She didn't want to push more details, and run the risk of offending her sister. Not when they had spoken the most they had in years.

She found that while her sister and her were not quite as close as Yang and Ruby were, they had a kind of bond that couldn't be easily explained. It was simply easy to converse with. Or, at least, easier. Weiss didn't have problems talking to people, that was easy, but conversing was difficult. She always seemed to overpower whoever she was communicating with, taking control of whatever direction the conversation was going.

With Winter, it was easier not to do this. It was a sharp contrast to Ruby, whom she felt the urge to interrupt more than she would have liked to admit. She didn't want to acknowledge that she acted on those urges more than most would consider friendly. She would make an effort to change that.

She blinked, realizing that she had simply been staring at the Scroll for several rings now, and turned back to Winter, saying, "I'm sorry, but I really have to take this. Excuse me."

Winter nodded, and said, "Go ahead." In a gentle voice. Weiss was sure that it was something she got a lot from their father, but this was for a good reason. Winter would understand.

She stood from the desk and took a few steps away, answering the call and saying, "Ruby? What's going on out there? Are you guys alright?"

The response came quickly, as Ruby said, "Yeah, we're fine. I mean, Blake is a little shaken up, but she'll be alright. Where are you? Are you going to come back?" Weiss noticed that Ruby's voice seemed to be slurred. It was faint, almost nonexistent, but it was noticeably there. Ruby only got like that when she was tired after practice, or coming down from a caffeine high.

"Well, I don't think so. Not until whatever is keeping us here is cleared up. What is it, anyways? All Hunters would have been called to arms if the Grimm had gotten in again, and I've been seeing a few ships flying over the city, but-"

Ruby cut her off, indicating that she was probably more tired than her voice suggested. "It's a long story, but basically one of the old leaders of the White Fang escaped from prison and killed some people. We went out with Blake and my mom to try and catch him, but it turns out that he's possessed by a demon. Blake tried to convince him to fight the other demons, which kind of worked, but then he ran away, and we got sent back to the dorms."

Ruby stopped, as if it had been a simple order of events to follow. Weiss stuttered at first, trying to understand and respond at the same time. "Wait, what? Your mother? So the whole thing with Naze worked, then?"

A rustling of clothing seemed to suggest that Ruby was moving her head, but Weiss could not see what she assumed to be either a nod or a head shaking over a simple audio call. She waited a few seconds for Ruby to realize this too, which she did after what Weiss would consider a slightly embarrassingly long time.

"Oh! Yeah, it worked. We almost got killed by an avalanche, a worm tried to kill us, I killed the worm, and I think I got a concussion."

The incredibly blunt summary left plenty of questions unanswered, but Weiss knew better than to pursue specific answers from an exhausted and possibly concussed Ruby. That stream of nonsense was probably the best she was going to get. She wondered if Yang was available to talk, but knew that she was probably with Blake. Those two were close too.

Her desire to return to her friends grew, but she still wouldn't be able to leave the tower. She also wanted to say something to Ruby about being happy that she had gotten her mother back, but no words that seemed sincere enough came to mind. Instead, she simply said, "I'll be back when I can. Tell Yang and Blake I said hi."

There was another rustling of clothes, and Weiss assumed that she had nodded again. "Alright, will do. Bye Weiss!"

With that, there was a small click, and the call ended. Weiss brought the Scroll in front of her face, and stared at the portrait of her partner as it started to fade. She did hope she was alright.

She brought herself back to the monitor that Winter was still patently waiting at, and sat down again. "I'm sorry for that little interruption, it shouldn't happen again. Now, where were we?"

Winter looked back at Weiss with an expression that she had never seemed to use before. It was almost something like a mischievous smile, but Weiss knew that there wasn't a mischievous bone in Winter's body. Their father had done his best at ensuring that.

She spoke, and the words took Weiss by surprise. "You know, Weiss, I was looking at the design blueprints of the CCT earlier, and I couldn't help but notice the maintenance tunnels in the basement. Sure, they look a bit small, but I bet they wouldn't be guarded. Each one leads to a substation some was away from the tower. I'm sure that if you wanted to… I don't know, go on a little adventure, you could do it that way."

Weiss blinked. "When did you pull up the blueprints? Do we have those just laying around?"

Winter smiled wider, and even gave a small giggle. "Well, you remember how big the computer is, don't you? All sorts of things are just lying around in there."

Weiss wanted to hug her sister, but she settled for a verbal thanks. "Winter, you're awesome. I'll try to call again soon, alright? I really enjoyed the talk."

Winter smiled again, and nodded. "I did too. Have fun in those tunnels. Bye!"

Weiss smiled at her sister and waved, then her image blinked off of the screen. Maybe Winter didn't take as much after father as she had thought. She logged off the terminal, and started to make her way to the elevator. People were allowed to move between levels, just not to go out the exits. Most guards were observing the crowds of scared people, doing their best to calm them. If she was lucky, that would mean that fewer were posted in the basement.

With something of a remorseful look, she turned her attention to her own attire. Dresses and high heels were not well suited to stealth, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She had never much tried to be stealthy anyways, so it was going to be something of an experience if there was anyone in the basement. Pulling the "Heiress of the Schnee fortune" act probably wouldn't work, which was good, because she disliked playing it anyways. It felt like a cop out, if nothing else.

She pushed the small button on the wall, calling the elevator to her floor. The small light at the top of the door lit up, and the doors slid open with a ding. The trip to the basement was easier than expected, and she was surprised to find that it didn't even ask her to identify herself. Perhaps it was some measure taken when the cities alarms went off, she didn't know.

When the doors opened again, she found a cramped looking room mainly garnished with interface panels and fluorescent lights that gave her a headache. She squinted, hoping to block out the imminent pounding in her skull, and took a few steps forward.

The single room stretched a long distance, and she knew that it lay a large distance below the main server room. It was below even the power stations, and even janitorial equipment. The room was only really there for structural support, providing a good foundation for the rest of the tower to rest on. Why there were even access tunnels to begin with, but she wasn't going to complain about it now.

No guards seemed to be down in the room, which was something of a relief. Her heels clicked against the smooth concrete floor rather loudly. It was a good thing that she wasn't going to need to sneak, because she would have to take her shoes off completely to stand a chance.

A few large numbers were scattered somewhat haphazardly around the room along the walls, each one accompanied by a heavy hatch that seemed to cover up the tunnels that Winter had been talking about. Each hatch was small though, and she only just realized how much of a problem that might be. She wasn't the most flexible of people, but she also wasn't the largest. She wasn't at a complete disadvantage, she supposed.

Somewhat hesitantly, she walked towards one of the tunnels, labeled with a big faded grey "5"above it. The hatch itself was mostly red, and unpleasantly blocky. It seemed to stick out of the wall like some kind of growth, and looked like it had far more moving parts than necessary. One small, softly glowing light next to it seemed to invite Weiss to press it, but She wasn't about to hit a button she didn't know the function of.

Instead, she leaned in close, and examined the small panel around the button. Small printed letters read "open" and another non-illuminated light read "close."

It seemed straightforward enough to Weiss, and she made to hit the glowing button. Her finger hovered over it for a few seconds before she swallowed her trepidation and lurched forward, hitting it.

While the metal of the hatch was in good enough condition, its hinges had not seen anything but dust for a long time, and not the kind that her family specialized in. A high-pitched screeching split the air in the confined space, cutting through the sounds of Weiss's breathing and penetrating her ears hard enough to make her flinch. The hatch lifting was not slow, though, a fact for which she was grateful, but any positive feeling was somewhat drained when she saw the tunnel she would have to crawl through.

It was only about three square feet, and there was a heavy layer of dust settled along the sides and bottom. Maybe she would need something to save her lungs from being filled, she hadn't considered something like that. There was also no light within the tunnel, meaning that it simply tapered off into oblivion as it went further down.

She wiped a hand across the bottom of the tunnel experimentally, and found that it came back covered with a thick layer of the grime. Many particles also became airborne, floating towards her face lazily and making her draw back. If just her hand had stirred so much filth, there was no way that she would be able to make it through without suffocating.

A short look around the room confirmed that there were no old rags or pieces of fabric that she might be able to use as a filter. Her options seemed limited, almost exclusively to use the crook of her elbow to avoid choking. The unfortunate thing was that she was sure she would need that arm to pull herself through the tunnel.

Then her eyes fell back to her clothes. They were rather ornate, and definitely expensive, but it appeared to be her only choice. She had to get back to her friends, and this was the only way.

With some hesitation, she reached down and tore a stretch of cloth off of her dress. She was careful to make sure it wasn't too much, then set about tying it around her mouth and nose. The thick white fabric served its point well enough, and she forced herself to get head-first into the hole, pulling her Scroll out in her right hand to provide light.

After the first several feet, it hit her how uncomfortable this trip was going to be. Not only was the way covered in filth, but the metal was also cold against her bare skin. It made her flinch, but she continued on.

Ruby might've been able to navigate the tunnel better, and Blake would undoubtedly be more suited for something requiring such flexibility. But Weiss was not fit for it. She tried to look at the positives of the situation, like Yang always tried to get her to do. At least she wasn't as big as Yang.

She estimated that she was about halfway through the tunnel when she felt the first shake. It was a subtle thing, but disturbed dust all around the tunnel. She blinked away a few painful tears as some of it got her eyes, and let out a deep breath. Did that have anything to do with the sirens? Had she made a horrible mistake taking the tunnels? Were they even structurally sound?

Vale didn't get much in the way of earthquakes, so she knew that it was unlikely that they had been built to withstand a large earthquake. She had to hurry if she didn't want to be buried.

When she increased her pace, she also made more dust fly. Her eyes stung, but she blinked it away and kept going. Her limbs started to ache from the unnatural angles they were forced to adopt, but she didn't let herself slow or relax. She had to keep pushing herself. If she didn't, she was going to be stuck in the cramped hell forever. She didn't consider herself particularly claustrophobic, but she was starting to sweat, and see odd things at the corners of her vision.

Finally, after what felt like hours, she could see a light in front of her. The light didn't look natural, but it was better than the simple Scroll flashlight she had been using.

As she got closer, she could even feel a slight breeze on her face. it was gentle enough that it didn't kick up any more dust, but stood out against the stagnant air enough to get Weiss to redouble her efforts. When she finally got in grabbing distance of the hole, she practically threw herself towards it, poking her head back into the outer world.

Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the brighter light, but when they did she found herself in another depressingly grey room, this one much smaller than the last. It hardly mattered, as she scrambled from the vent, and hit the hard floor with an unceremonious squeal. She laid there on the ground for a while, simply enjoying the fact that she wasn't cramped anymore.

She felt a few scratches on her face, and berated herself for not having her aura ready. The scratches started to heal, and she lifted herself slowly to her feet.

If she had thought that ripping her clothes would ruin the outfit, she had severely underestimated the kind of damage that dust could do. It had practically embedded itself into every thread of her dress, and she knew that there was no chance it was coming out.

That wasn't important, though, she reminded herself. What was important was that she get back to her friends. She looked around the small room again, and found a door opposite the hole she had come from. She turned back to look at it, and spied another small light next to it. "Close" was not blinking a soft red color, and she figured that it would be best to close off her path of escape.

She punched the button, and flinched as the metal started to screech again. She turned quickly, not wanting to stay around longer than she had to.

The door was heavy, but it wasn't locked, and after a few seconds of trying, she managed to push it open. The cool, fresh air of the outside was a blessing to her lungs, and she removed the cloth from her face. The sweet, untainted air brought a new life back into her body, and her mind snapped back into seriousness. She needed to get back to her friends, who were at the dorm.

She looked around, trying to tell where she was. A few buildings and shops looked familiar, but the area was mostly residential. The buildings were either red brick or grey, a color that she was getting more and more sick of, and she could see faces up in the windows, looking down at her with frightened expressions. It took her a moment to process why they were staring.

They were probably scared of her. They might even have thought that she was the reason that the alarms were being sounded. It was a slightly amusing thing that she might be considered such a threat, but it was also sad too. She wasn't too intimidating, she didn't even have a weapon.

Her eyes widened as that fact reoccurred to her. She was out in the street, during a lockdown, without a weapon. Her pace quickened to a strong jog, and she started trying to find her way back to Beacon with a new zeal. It wasn't long before she came to a major street, and started to run in the correct direction.

Another rumble seemed to rock the earth, this time seeming to originate from right below her. Her gaze shifted down, dreading the worst, but it seemed to be just a normal blacktop street.

Another rumble, stronger this time, almost knocked her off her feet. She stumbled to the side of the street, and slowed her pace down, not wanting to hit the ground again.

This quake, or whatever it was, was swiftly followed by the sound of an explosion behind her. The ground quaked a second later, and she turned around as she fell, trying to see what it was.

Huge chunks of rubble from the street flew the air, and tongues of fires licked the air as a figure crawled from the new hole. This figure also appeared to be engulfed in flame, but didn't seem to mind it too much. Instead, the masculine figure seemed to be running away from something.

Almost immediately after he cleared the hole, several others climbed out after him. And Weiss thought she recognized a few of the forms. They were the resurrected Heroes.

As soon as they were out of the hole, the figure stopped running, and turned on them, striking what looked like a barely contained combative stance. She could tell from the way he moved that saying still was something that took enormous effort. Ruby got that look sometimes.

The small group of five or six undead Hunters barely had time to take in the situation before the one they were chasing charged them down like a bull. More fire seemed to blaze from his extremities, and he let out a scream loud enough to remind Weiss of Nora. The undead had only a split second to react, but most were able to get out of the way. One person in particular, wearing odd lime-green clothes and wielding a long scimitar-like weapon, was not so lucky. The flaming punch impacted the center of his chest, and the damage that it managed to do was startling.

Not only did the man's fist puncture the other's sternum, but as the punch continued, it didn't seem to lose any force. The Hunter's body was unable to withstand the force, and his torso split from his pelvis, the spine and muscles that connected them snapping. Weiss felt the sudden urge to vomit, but managed to keep her lunch down.

Nothing seemed to come out of the Hunter. No intestines, as would be expected from a split like that, nor blood, of which there would be no shortage if he were alive. Instead, the torso clung to its weapon, and did its best to guide itself through the air. It hit the side of a building, Weiss could see the force from the impact ripple through its structure, before falling back towards the street. Its attacker had moved on by now, turning to look at its other targets, and Weiss realized with some measure of awe what was about to happen.

The torso angled its blade down, and plummeted towards its target like a rock. The figure was about to kick off the ground again and attack another target, when the torso hit. The blade seemed to encounter resistance at first, but then pushed through the aura of fire that surrounded him. It then sank into his flesh, almost hilt-deep in the person's shoulder.

The reaction was immediate. The man screamed, and a wave of fire surrounded his body before expanding out in every direction, throwing both the blade and the disembodied torso away from him, both set ablaze by the ferocity of the flame.

Weiss saw the fingers of the fire grasp out for surrounding buildings, and decided that then was a good time to go and get her friends. They could help with this, they just needed to be here.

She turned around, and set off at sprint towards Beacon. It wasn't too far away, maybe they would be able to get there before any more damage was done. Dust fell from her dress, leaving a small trail in the air behind her as she ran. She hoped her friends would be ready for a fight.

* * *

Nora was extremely restless, and the rest of her friends were in that boat with her. The news of a lockdown was distressing, and even more so when it didn't seem that there was any reason for one. Ren's hospital room gave a good view of the rest of the city, and proved how much of a ghost town Vale had become.

Cars sat abandoned in some streets, while others were clear. Not a soul walked the streets, all having fled into shelter. Now the whole city waited for something to happen and break the otherworldly silence that had taken over.

Nora sat on the edge of Ren's bed, mostly trying to comfort her friend in between glances out the window like a dog that heard a noise. Pyrrha sat next to the window, keeping a vigilant watch for signs of danger or trouble, anything that would allow them a clue as to what was happening out there. Jaune had gone out, elsewhere in the hospital, to try and see if he could find out what was up. All Ren could do was stay in his bed and look concerned. They all knew that he didn't like that, but he wasn't strong enough to walk on his own, much less fight.

A few conversations had made attempts at living, but had quickly faltered and died, leaving only more silence in their wake. They all wanted to talk, they simply couldn't. Not when something presumably horrible was happening out in the city.

It was all of their duty to help and save as many people as they could, but under the orders to stay inside. At least, it had been. None were entirely sure that they were still Hunters anymore, given their abandonment of the school. Jaune's and Pyrrha's had been very deliberate, and Nora had, whether she liked it or not, caused considerable damage to other students. All three should have expelled the instant they set foot back on campus.

But maybe there would be mercy for them. They didn't know. Ozpin seemed like he had sympathized with their problems at first, but were they really worth the trouble anymore? None of them were sure that they were.

The silence that had settled over the room was interrupted when Pyrrha gasped, bringing all attention to both her and the window. Nora was off of Ren's bed in a flash, and practically had her face pushed against the glass. Ren spoke from his bed, straining to get a view, asking, "What is it? What's out there?"

Pyrrha was about to answer when Nora cut her off, taking a jerky step away from the window and saying, "It's a demon. It has to be." Her hands went to her head, running through her messy orange hair, and her eyes started to reflect a strange mixture of fear and anger.

Pyrrha stepped away from the window with her, and put a hand on her shoulder quickly. She had already suffered several panic attacks thinking about the things that she had done, but this seemed to be different. It wasn't just that she was starting to panic, it was that she saw a threat. Pyrrha had learned before she had even come to Beacon to be able to pick up on things like mental trauma, but even without that, it was obvious that she was not in a good state of mind.

She tried to speak comforting words to her friend, saying, "Nora, calm down. Please, you couldn't possibly know that whatever is out there is a demon." She glanced back at the rising plume of smoke. A fire large enough to make that much smoke had to have engulfed several whole buildings, and it had all started at once. She was sure that there were other explanations, but whatever they were, she wanted to get out there and help. There would be people to evacuate, and other jobs to do, she was sure.

When she got to thinking about it, perhaps going out wasn't such a bad idea. But still, Nora was distressed, and needed to calm down. Nora seemed like she was about to make a break for the door, and Pyrrha tried to subtly place herself between her friend and the exit. "Everything is fine, Nora, they've got to have everything under control. We can go out if you really want, but-"

She stopped talking when Nora lurched forward and grabbed her shoulders in her large hands, her grip was as a vice. "Pyrrha, you don't understand! I can feel it, there's a demon out there! A big one! If it goes wild in the city…" her gaze went unfocused as she started to picture it in her head, and Pyrrha felt the grip on her shoulders start to grow painful.

"Maybe you could let go? You're starting to…" Nora let go and took another step back, looking first at Pyrrha with shock, then at her own hands with shame. "…hurt me." Pyrrha hated to point things like that out, but she didn't know it Nora would've stopped otherwise. "Nora, it's alright, you didn't mean to. Don't worry about it. Let's keep talking about what's out there, okay?"

She tried to approach her friend again, but this time Nora stepped back with her, keeping distance. Her eyes were starting to water, and her breathing was speeding up. On the verge of panic, no doubt. Pyrrha could see that they were about to lose control of her.

She looked back to Ren, who sat up in his bed, pushing a few of the covers away and saying, "Come back, please. You don't know it's a demons out there. Just stay here, it's safer for everyone that way."

Normally Ren's voice served as the final decision maker for Nora, but for the first time since she had been brought back, it seemed that Ren didn't have much effect. Instead of looking any more soothed, Nora only looked from Pyrrha to Ren, starting to breathe even faster. "I'm… you don't believe me?"

Pyrrha realized what direction the conversation was going, and knew that she had to stop it before she started to doubt her friends. It was time to switch gears. "No, we just don't think that you can be sure yet." Nora looked as though this did make her calm down slightly, but she still shifted and shuffled anxiously. Pyrrha tried not to let her eyes flick to the still-growing plume of smoke. It was growing to a very worrying size now, like a whole city block had ignited.

Her own urge to see what was going on, and to help, was growing greatly as well. It seemed that she was running out of options. "Maybe we could both go out, staying together, you know." She knew that Ren would object, but she hoped that he would see what she did. This was going to be the only way to calm her down.

A small glimmer of hope came across Nora's face, and Pyrrha tried to return it. Her smile was awkward and forced, though. It didn't seem that Nora noticed, because she smiled back, along with stepping towards the door.

Pyrrha knew that delaying any amount of time was probably a bad idea, so she turned to Ren and gave him an apologetic smile. She didn't mean for any of this to happen, but there was no other way that she would be able to make sure that Nora didn't go crazy again. Ren didn't look happy at all, but he nodded his understanding of the situation. Pyrrha was about to offer some parting words, but the quick pattering of feet fading behind her told her that her time was up.

Nora ran through the halls as fast as her legs could take her. She had to dodge a few people dressed in medical scrubs along the way, but that wasn't too hard. When she got to the elevator, she pushed the button to summon the elevator, then leaned slightly back. All the cables were moving, but only one set was going towards their floor. She positioned herself in front of that set of doors, and waited, her mind wandering.

She was happy that Pyrrha wanted to go with her, but as she thought, she was reminded of the dire circumstances. She had felt a demon. Or, at least, a wave of demonic energy. The others couldn't feel it, but that was because they didn't know what to look for. She had been closer to demonic power than anyone.

After what felt like minutes, but, in reality, was around twenty seconds, the doors started to slide open, and Jaune started to step out. Nora could also hear the distinctive sound of Pyrrha's heavy footsteps racing up behind her. That was good, because it meant that Pyrrha would have to wait for the elevator.

If she wanted to take Jaune, she could, but Nora wasn't going to waste the time explaining what was going on. She had to get out there, and find out what was happening. Only then would she be able to feel even remotely calm.

She turned her body, and slid past Jaune into the elevator. He was only just starting to realize what was happening, and by the time He started to turn back, Nora was already looking at the top of the elevator. It only took her rapidly moving eyes a second to find the emergency hatch, and when she did, she reached up to open it without hesitation.

If she were still short, she wouldn't have been able to reach it. But now she was even taller than Jaune, something that she still wasn't quite used to. In her mind, she had never grown, everything else had only become smaller.

Pyrrha yelled something at her as she got closer to the elevator, but the roaring in Nora's ears was getting too loud. She had to go. She had to find out what it was. She had to kill it, if it was anything bad.

The hatch fell inwards, and a small ladder unfolded from it, allowing the occupants of the elevator easier access to the elevator shaft. Nora didn't need this, though, and simply jumped, pulling her arms in so they couldn't catch.

The difference in the air between the general hospital and the shaft was stark. One had an antiseptic, artificially scented air, and the other smelled like grease and machinery. Nora paid this little mind though, instincts driving he body more than anything else. She looked to the side, and spied a few support beams. Those would be enough to get her where she wanted, and she leaped the ten foot gap between the elevator and her destination.

Her fingers caught the edge of the metal, and pulled her close to it easily. Another shout from Pyrrha came from the suspended box, but she ignored it again. After making a few small adjustments to her grip, she pushed off the metal, aiming herself towards the cables beneath the elevator. Again, she caught them effortlessly, and immediately began her descent.

Her hands grew hot with the friction, but she ignored it. It didn't hurt anyways. She continued her controlled fall, the sir that she was rushing through pushing her hair up slightly as she went. It was about halfway down the dark shaft that she realized the imminent problem that she was going to have. Elevator doors normally only opened normally when an elevator was in front of them. Nora was not an elevator, and thus, the doors would not open.

She could force them open, she was sure of that, but she didn't want to. That would be sort of mean. She could damage the doors, and then they would have to get fixed. There was nothing to do about it, though. She couldn't stand waiting for one to open the doors. She shrugged her reservations off, and made peace with the fact that she might have to do that. She couldn't wait.

When she got to the first floor, it was an easy jump from the cable to the small ledge that stuck out from the wall. The elevator above her was sliding down, and although she had descended fast, it was catching up. There was not enough room between the door of the elevator and the door on the wall for Nora to not be crushed, so she knew that she had to hurry.

She pushed her fingers into the small slit between the two doors, feeling the metal bend. It wasn't particularly strong, but she was still surprised by how little it took. When her fingers were far enough in, she pushed her arms apart, and felt the doors start to move.

There were a lot of mechanical parts that she felt give way, making a series of clanking and grinding noises as they tried to keep the door closed. They were no match for her, though, and she had soon forced them back into the walls.

People all over the hall that the elevator opened into were staring at her, shocked and worried. A few were starting to come her way, thinking that she needed help.

She stepped from the hole she had made and started towards the door. She couldn't use the time it would take to wait for Pyrrha and Jaune. She had to get out there and see if her feeling was right. If it was, she needed to help take whatever it was out there down.

She broke out into a sprint towards the front doors. If anyone tried to stop her, she would just have to get them out of the way. She hoped they wouldn't, because then she would have to get them out. Pyrrha and Jaune could catch up, she couldn't afford to slow.

When Pyrrha and Jaune felt the elevator stop and the doors slide open, they were mildly surprised to find that it looked as though a Beowolf had charged through the place. A few people were picking themselves up off the ground, and it looked like one of the main doors had nearly been knocked off its hinges.

Just at the edge of what Pyrrha could see, a lone figure outside of the hospital turned a corner, and disappeared from sight. Pyrrha sighed for only a brief moment, then elbowed Jaune before setting off at a sprint herself. "Come on, hurry!"


	53. Chapter 53

Author's Note:

Summer (the season) is here, and finals are over. So tell me what you thought of this battle here.

Also, I did another one-shot. Its about as happy as most of the others, called "Fading Shadows." Some Weiss and Blake stuff.

* * *

Nora's feet pounded beneath her, and her mind readied itself for the fight she was sure she was about to face. Nothing would catch her off-guard. She was sure that Pyrrha was behind her, although she couldn't hear any footsteps. Perhaps her friend was simply letting her scout ahead.

The plume of smoke in the distance grew taller with each passing second, and she became more and more sure that whatever she had felt was indeed a demonic power. She couldn't let something like that stay in the city. Her senses seemed to raise to new heights as she ran, as brighter hues lit up the buildings and strange scents filled the air.

An unpleasant, acrid feeling seemed to be radiating from her goal, not just polluting the air, but the light and the sounds as well. Sickly colors shone off of walls towards her, and harsh sounds of battle rattled her ear drums. She followed both, hoping that she would find their sources before long.

Her hope was answered when she turned a corner, and found nearly a whole city block ablaze. Several charred corpses laid on the sides of the street, a few still smoldering. What grabbed Nora's attention though, was the scene at the middle of the smoky haze. She recognized the strange, unnerving presence of the undead, but there was something else, too. Something she had never seen.

A man, clothed mostly in black, and wearing a white mask that Nora thought looked something like a White Fang mask, was locked in combat with several undead. He had grappled the weapon of one of the lifeless soldiers, who Nora noticed looked a lot like Hunters, and was vying for control of the thing. While it didn't seem that the scythe-wielder's strength was any match for her opponent, the other undead did not simply stand by and watch. An instant before the weapon was torn from the Huntress's hands, a dagger was driven into the man's side, making him let go and shout.

As he shouted, what seemed like a solid wave of fire surrounded him, and expanded out to throw the undead fighter away. The scythe wielder leapt back to escape the effect of the wave, but the buildings were not so lucky. Flames scraped along the sides of the buildings, setting anything that was not yet already on fire ablaze.

Nora let her pace slow to a halt, watching the man as she felt another wave of demonic power. He was the one. He wasn't impacted the same way she had been, obviously, something was very different. It was like the power the man received was from a much larger demon. Her demon, Tiny, had grown feeding off of her energy. She got the feeling that this man was the opposite.

That just meant that she had to kill him fast. She started to run again, setting her sights on the man and gaining an inhuman level of focus. Time seemed to slow, and she became aware of every slight movement that the man made. Even through his clothes, the tensing and relaxing of muscles was clear.

She passed one of the undead Hunters as the wave of flame started to dissipate, and was partially aware that they shouted something after her along the lines of, "Get back!"

That probably wasn't the whole thing, but she didn't care. They were obviously having a hard time of taking him down, so she would help. As she drew closer, her fingers unfurled, fanning out to form a claw-like position. She wasn't sure if that was a good way to charge into battle, but she didn't have Magnhild to assist her. She would have to be her own weapon, unless she could find some random piece of rubble to substitute for her beloved hammer.

The man's eyes flicked to her just a second before she threw her swing, and he snarled like an animal at her. Despite his aggressive behavior, he seemed puzzled. Perhaps the switch from undead opponents to living ones was prominent enough to confuse him.

Whatever the reason, he stopped moving, and Nora's sharp nails raked across his face, taking a fair amount of skin with them. She also felt the hot material of his mask touch her fingers, but her skin resisted burning. It seemed that a layer of extreme heat surrounded him, which would've been a problem for someone else. Nora's body had been made largely immune to heat though, and she smiled, showing off her razor like teeth.

The man's response was nearly instant. He snapped out of whatever hesitation had stopped him before, and like he hadn't even felt her attack, threw an arm in a wide arc to knock her away.

He moved much faster than Nora anticipated, and his fist came within half an inch of her head. Again, she felt heat radiating off of him, but this time she paid it no mind. Her instinct told her to go in for another strike, but the part of her that stayed somewhat reserved told her that with the speed had had already shown, trying her luck wouldn't be a good idea.

Instinct won out, and she arched her back, bringing her lower to the ground and reaching out towards his middle. She saw the pieces of flesh that she had taken from his face, and glanced up briefly to see that the gashes she had caused were already starting to heal over.

Her hand got closer to his middle, and if she landed the hit, she would be able to damage a large set of muscles, making him much easier to fight. Unfortunately she never got the chance, because his knee came forward, and collided with her face with roughly the force of a speeding truck. All of her forward momentum stopped, and she felt her body begin to move in the opposite direction. Pain erupted in the front of her skull, and she felt a few of her features shift very slightly.

Her body skidded across the scorched blacktop, but she didn't stop moving. She threw her legs out, and started to roll. It took some quick thinking, but shew as able to flip back to her feet, and skidded a few more feet before she stopped sliding. Her eyes went from the man to her surroundings. Obviously relying on her natural weapons alone wasn't going to suffice for the battle. A pile of blackened concrete had fallen next to her, and several long lengths of steel rebar were protruding from it, bent in a variety of positions.

She picked one of the straightest lengths she could find, and pulled it out of the pile without hesitation. A few other chunks shifted to the side as she pulled, and when she freed the bar, she found that a piece of concrete roughly the size of her head had come with it. Maybe that would be good, though. The closer to Magnhild the better.

She found that she could handle the weight of the improvised weapon with ease. It wasn't quite weightless, but it was nowhere near as encumbering as it would have been for someone else.

She didn't have time to admire her strength, as her opponent was done waiting. He was charging at her again, fire building up around him like some kind of shell. A loud scream was coming from his throat, and his face was twisted into one of pure rage.

If the strike hit her, she was sure that she would have to be scraped off of the pavement with power tools, and that it was impossible to deflect enough force to make trying to block the attack possible. The only thing that would save her from damage was dodging, and for that, she would have to wait until the last second to make sure he didn't adjust for her movement. If she managed to do it right, it could even open him up for a strike.

His approach was fast though, and she was going to have to be exact. Like a deer in the headlights of a train, she stood, waiting. The man came within arm's reach, and made a grab for Nora's throat. She tried to pull her whole body to the side, bringing the rebar up, but the hand followed her. He was simply too fast.

His gloved fingers closed around her throat, and she felt her feet leave the ground. If she tried to breathe, her chest would find that pulling air in was impossible. She grabbed his wrist with her free hand, keeping a tight grip on the rebar with the other, and tired her best to pry it away, clawing at what she could.

Her nails pushed into muscle, but the man only seemed to smirk. Nora started to get desperate, and lifted the rebar. It was unlikely that she could get a hit off without him defending himself, but she had to try.

A sound like a gunshot came from behind him, and was followed by what sounded like chain unraveling. Nora's gaze went from the face of her attacker to behind him, and she saw what was coming a second before it hit.

The curved scythe blade slammed into the man's back, and just before it stopped moving, Nora saw the sharp edge gleam from the light of the fires behind her. He stumbled forward, and dropped Nora in surprise. It looked like the blade had gone several inches into the man's flesh, but if that had actually done any damage, he didn't show it. He turned to face his new attacker, and Nora took the opportunity to hit, bringing the rebar bludgeon in a circular motion, back, over her head, and then crashing down on his.

The concrete made a dull thud as it made solid contact, and Nora felt the rebar in her hands bend from the force that she put through it. The black and grey rock at the end seemed to falter slightly, cracking slightly and shedding several less attached chips and segments.

This was one attack that her opponent couldn't shrug off. He stumbled forward, and was clearly dazed from the impact. Nora wanted to push the advantage, and to attack again, but the undead fighters moved with a coordination that seemed to suggest it would be better to stay out of their way. It was hard to hold herself back, but managed to resist the urge of her more aggressive side.

The four undead converged on the man, all moving at fast rates so that they would reach him before he recovered. He sensed the danger he was in, but wasn't able to respond quickly enough. By the time he had pulled his head back up and saw his attackers, they were upon him.

Nora struggled to follow what happened next. A dagger was pushed into his stomach, an arrow sprouted from his shoulder, a long blade sliced the tendons on the backs of his legs, and, most devastatingly, the sharp point of the scythe erupted from his back, impaling him completely. His limbs went limp, and the only thing keeping him from crumpling was the scythe suspending him.

Vivid memories of Jaune's sword sprouting from her own chest returned to her mind, and she flinched, remembering the feeling. Cold metal, intrusive and sharp. It was easy to dismiss sympathy for the man though. He had tried hard to hurt her, so he deserved it right back. He wasn't dead, she could tell that much. There was still a strong demonic presence emitting from him.

His apparent blackout didn't last long, as soon he was pushing against the scythe weakly, trying to free himself. The arrow in his shoulder looked like it was preventing movement in the arm it was closest to, and his legs dangled uselessly below him, unable to move. The only function that he seemed to retain was speech, which was reduced to a low gurgle from the blood that welled in his lungs.

"Let me go. I'll destroy you all."

The undead woman with the scythe examined the man closer for a second, then turned to one of the others nearby. "He's already healing, look." She indicated the area, then looked around. "How many civilians were we able to pull?"

The Hunter was quick to respond, saying, "We got most of them out before things got too bad. The fire could easily spread, though. It'd be wise to…" his voice trailed off as several Bullheads soared above them and people started to spew water from hoses positioned in the open hull.

The woman smiled and said, "I guess they were already standing by. Let's hope they have something for this." She gave the scythe a shake, making the man stuck on it grit his teeth and moan. The Hunter nodded, and started to shuffle away. The woman then turned to look at Nora, and she was surprised by how familiar the woman looked. There was something about her face that distracted Nora. Her skin color, hair, clothes, even scythe.

Instead of waiting for Nora to say something, she smiled and said "Hello! You look pretty tired. You did a good job out there, though. Are you a Huntress?"

Nora would've like to say yes, but she wasn't sure anymore. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and gave an indecisive, "Maybe? It's complicated. I want to be, that's for-"

A voice from the way Nora had come cried out, and she turned to find Pyrrha rounding the corner, breathing heavily, her face red. "Nora! You can't just run off like that! What…" Her eyes drifted over the scene in front of her, and she stopped, shocked.

Nora gave her friend a gleeful wave, and said, "Look, we got him! I told you there was a demon!" She indicated the incapacitated man with a vague motion, and Pyrrha continued to approach. Nora could still see her gaze roaming around, examining the damage to the buildings. She also found the corpses on the ground, and paled when she looked back to Nora.

Her approach stopped, and she looked like she had been completely floored. Her eyes kept moving over the things in front of her in a way that made Nora start to worry. She started to sprint towards her friend, and as she got closer, Pyrrha's eyes went back to her. "Nora, did you do this? Please don't tell me…"

Nora tilted her head to the side, puzzled, and said, "No, he did." She pointed back at the man. "That's the guy with the demon. I knew there was one, and I found him. I don't know who he is really, he had a weird looking mask, but I helped take him down!"

"Adam Taurus." The woman who held the man on her scythe started to walk towards them, water starting to cascade down from the Bullheads around her, dousing the fires. "He used to be a leader of the White Fang, before all of this started. Apparently he broke out of prison to go on this little spree. It's a good thing we were able to catch up with him when I did." She stopped a few feet away, smiled, and held put a hand to Pyrrha. "Hello. You're a friend of hers, right?" She nodded her head in the direction of Nora, then said, "She was excellent in the fight. I didn't think someone would be able to move that fast. You're a Huntress, aren't you?"

Pyrrha looked at her, somewhat shocked. This woman was talking to her so nonchalantly, offering a handshake with one hand, and holding a semiconscious fugitive with the other. She didn't know what to do, so she put her hand out and shook. "Well, yes, I'm going to Beacon. One of my teammates got injured recently, so me and the others were at the hospital when the sirens started to go off. Nora said that she could feel a demon in the city, and I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. I'm sorry, but who are you?"

She smiled again, and said, "My name is Summer. It's a pleasure to meet you, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha took her hand, and was briefly surprised by how cold it was. She remembered the other people who's skin had been that cold, and in combination with the other people who seemed to be working with her, lingering around, she determined that the woman must've been undead. It was disconcerting to realize, but she tried to keep from letting it show.

Before anyone could say anything else, Adam started to move again. His fists were clenching, and his head rolled from side to side. He looked like he was emitting a soundless scream, the fire in his chest not letting him stay still.

His jaw worked, and he started to mutter in the same gurgling voice he'd used before. Pyrrha was only able to catch a few words of his murmuring, but they made a shiver run up her spine. "…not going back…"

She started to lean closer, but before anything else became audible, Nora stepped forward and placed a hand between her and the man, suddenly a deathly serious look on her face. "Get away from him."

Both Pyrrha and Summer raised their eyebrows, and looked at Nora, puzzled. Nora seemed to grow more upset though, even starting to push Pyrrha away. Pyrrha tried to ask what was going on, saying, "Wait, what? What's going on? Is he still dangerous?"

Nora gave her one mighty shove that sent her to the ground, and said, "Please, trust me, go away."

Pyrrha didn't wasn't to, but a sense of heat was starting to build up around Adam, and something definitely felt off. She figured that it was probably wise to listen to her friend, and started to move away. Adam's voice started to grow in volume, but it lost all wording, turning into merely increasingly loud gurgles. Summer started to hold the scythe away from her, and Nora turned to her, saying, "Get rid of him! Throw him away!"

A harsh glow started to come from Adam's insides, as though he had been filled with a new kind of energy. That seemed to be enough to convince Summer, who raised her scythe and pressed a small button on its handle. The blade that Adam was stuck on exploded off, chain following it as it bore Adam down the street. When it hit the ground again, she gave the handle a heavy pull. The blade was yanked from Adam's chest, and even from the distance they were at they could still hear his scream.

Nora tugged on the hood Summer wore, and said, "You need to get away too. I don't know what he's doing, but it's bad."

Summer looked between the two, then nodded. She was probably right anyways. If she was the same Nora that Summer had been told about, than she was also the one who had escaped from demonic possession. That would explain her physical traits, as well as her seemingly intense ability to sense demonic power.

Summer followed as she was led away, letting Nora decide what distance was probably safe. As she walked, she looked back over her shoulder to find that Adam was throwing off much more light now, enough to make seeing him difficult.

Then the scream reached a crescendo, and a powerful blast knocked Summer off her feet. Her face met the road, and she gave a small thanks for her inability to feel pain. Her ears were full first of the air rushing past her, then of the sounds of buildings crumbling. She pushed herself back up off the ground with her arms, and looked behind her again.

Red energy hung in the air, making strange patterns that wafted lazily around. It looked like it was residual from whatever had just happened, but she didn't waste time puzzling over it. Instead, she got back to her feet, and pulled her scythe with her. If this demon wanted to go another round, she would just have to oblige. Obviously there was no other way to settle the conflict.

The Bullheads that had been hovering above, dousing the flames that threatened to spread to the rest of the city, sputtered and fell as their engines incapable of keeping them aloft anymore. They plummeted back towards the fire they had controlled, sending up great plumes of ash and dust as they impacted.

Almost in the center of this, Adam was back on his feet, a brand new snarl on his face as he walked towards Summer. At first she had to blink, making sure that her eyes were not playing tricks on her, but she was able to confirm that he was, indeed, on fire. Flame didn't just cover his body, but was left in the places his feet touched the ground as well, drawing bubbling tar from the surface of the blacktop.

Behind her, she heard Nora get back to her feet as well, and give off a kind of growl that might be expected of a defensive beast, not a young girl. Further back than that, she heard Pyrrha's armor scrape across the ground slightly as she stood. She would want to help, no doubt, but Adam had already proved far too dangerous for children.

"Get out of here!" She barked over her shoulder. "We can handle this, just go!"

She didn't know how true that was. Without aid directly from Naze, this was going to be exceedingly difficult, and perhaps even impossible. But she had to try. She reached out with her mind, getting the positions of her allies. All had been thrown into the rubble by the blast Adam had conjured, but most had been able to escape major damage. The man who had been torn in two had already been forced to retreat, so he was out of the picture. She tried to formulate some find of plan she could use, but nothing came. She was out of ideas.

Her first order was for those trapped beneath the rubble to un-trap themselves as fast as possible. Then, although there was nearly no chance she would be able to best him, she started to step forwards. Maybe she only had to buy time. Maybe someone else had an Ace up their sleeve.

Adam let out a snort as the woman stepped forward again. She was persistent, but she was also hopeless. She was dead, too, he had determined through the fight. Hate started to leak from his mouth, though he was barely conscious of it. "Dirty, stinking, rotten, weak little human! Do you think cheating death makes me afraid?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she continued to approach him. "Do you think empty bravado frightens me? If you wish to scare the dead, you'll have to try harder than that!"

The fire around him intensified, proportional to his rage. How dare she talk back to him like that? He was clearly superior. She could not so much as hold a candle to his might, yet she insulted him.

His walk turned into a charge in the blink of an eye, and hellfire spiraled around him, his master's fury joining with his own. Together, they would annihilate the girl, and do what had to be done. Perhaps Blake had been wrong, and humans needed to be first to go. If they were as much trouble as this one was being, he would change his mind.

He was in front of her in a second, and a strike wasn't far behind. He lashed his arm out towards her, a hit that would splatter her across the rubble if it connected. Unfortunately, she jumped back, evading at the last second. The flame that crackled around him didn't grant her a free pass, though. It jumped off from his body, and lapped at the edges of her robes, incinerating them entirely. He knew that they would take care of her feeble flesh just as easily,

He didn't let her have any rest, throwing another vicious swing at her head. She moved faster than anyone Adam had seen before, but that wasn't going to save her skin. He was going to flay her, and see if she really couldn't feel pain. If she couldn't, he would cast her aside like the used up trash she was. That's all a dead human was anyways.

She dodged this strike as well, dodging under the swing far enough that she wasn't touched by the fire. He brought his arm down in hopes of catching her, but again she simply moved out of the way.

Adam roared, overcome with rage. Even in this state, though, he was not reduced to a stupid beast. At least, not completely. The disturbance of several chunks of concrete attracted his attention, and he glanced to the side to assess how much of a threat it was.

Another Hunter, also undead, had stood, and had a bow in their hands, string drawn, arrow notched. Adam glared for a moment, then started to turn his attention back to his current foe. Someone at such a distance didn't pose any threat, especially someone as pathetic as that.

The bow string gave a thump as it snapped back into position, throwing the arrow through the air. As it flew, the dust-laced tip ignited into brilliant color, the explosive tip primed and ready. Adam didn't flinch as the projectile approached, and a small smile came across as it closed the final stretch of distance. A few feet from his face, the projectile twisted and cracked, collapsing as its body was reduced to nothing but ash.

The black soot remains pelted harmlessly against his chest, and he turned back to Summer. If it was some kind of ambush she had planned, it wouldn't work.

Summer's eyes were wide in surprise, but she didn't look like she was beat. Before he could make to hit her again, she dashed away, taking to the nearby ruins that had recently been a residential building. Adam was only a step behind her the whole way, he wasn't about to allow his prey to escape him.

Concrete was crushed under his heel as he stormed after her, everything near him catching fire in seconds. Summer scrambled away from him, but he was gaining ground. The jagged shards of concrete slowed her progress through the rubble significantly, but she still struggled on. If she couldn't beat him, she wouldn't have a body to come back to when everything was said and done.

Several more arrows, or rather, remains of arrows pelted against his back, but he paid them no mind. Summer was the first to deserve his ire, and she would feel it, whether she was dead or not.

As she neared the top of the pile, she looked back over her shoulder again. At first she thought she imagined it, but the image endured as she stared. Ruby, along with her friends, had come. Why were they here? She had told them to get back inside, and stay there.

She couldn't keep herself from reacting. "Ruby! Yang! Get out of here!"

Adam noted the desperation in her voice, and knew that he was about to gain an upper hand on his opponent. What he found when he looked, though, was something far, far worse.

His shout was far louder than anything he had said so far, it would have likely caused windows to shatter, if there were any close by that hadn't already.

"Schnee!"

Weiss froze, a stab of terror piercing her heart. What did that person, if it could still be called that, want with her? It all clicked at once, making horrible sense. The mask they wore wasn't just random, they were a real White Fang member.

Her blood turned to ice as they started to charge at her, and her body refused to move. The man running towards her was little more than a glowing streak. She tried to move, but found that her body had stopped responding entirely. All she could do was to gawk.

Yang gave her a strong shove, snapping her out of the daze she was in. Yang shouted, "Go!"

She did. She started to run as fast as she could, and didn't look back. She knew better than to look back. That would slow her down, and she couldn't afford that. She turned the corner they had come around, and came back into the rest of the city. She hoped that no one would be hurt by her running, but there was nothing that she could do about that now. The best thing that she could do was run as fast as she could, so that the man wouldn't have the opportunity to hurt anyone.

She heard footsteps start to grow closer behind her, and hurriedly turned down an alleyway, hoping that would divert her, or at least give her a few more seconds of running before she had her insides made into her outsides, and her bones made into another mask.

Those thoughts alone were enough to make her feet pump a little faster, and she put a new wind into her sprint. She made a nimble leap over a scattered array of trash bins, and heard them be knocked over almost immediately after.

Another ear-splitting cry of, "Schnee!" almost made her stop running, but she resisted the urge to stop, feeling a burn on her back. "You and you kin have done more damage to us than anyone ever has! I'll wear your skin, you little bitch!"

Glyphs appeared on the ground in front of her, and made her run faster than ever before. Unfortunately, she was running out of alleyway to run through, and didn't quite want her skin to be taken. She needed it. And she especially didn't want someone him to wear it. Not that anyone wearing it would be alright, of course.

She hoped that what she was about to do would work, praying to any being that might make it so, and placed more glyphs on the wall. Maybe she didn't need to be as fast as Ruby for something like that to work.

She reached the end of the line, and put a foot on the wall, unsure of how to angle herself. Luckily, it didn't matter too much, as the spinning rune seemed to pull her down onto the wall, anchoring her. They flung her forward, which was now up, and it was all that she could do to keep her feet under her. She reached the top of the wall before her brain had time to adjust to the shift in what was up and what was down, and she fell rather unceremoniously onto her front.

Her brain was frantic enough that it was able to resist getting dazed, and immediately started to get up. If she didn't, a horrible fate awaited her. She scrambled back to her feet, and started to run again. Then she was forced to stop. She had run out of roof, and the drop was about five stories long. She hesitated on the edge, then heard a heavy crash behind her. She turned, just in time to receive a foot to the belly.

Her vision blurred, and she felt wind blowing through her hair. It also became much harder to breathe, though she wasn't sure why. Everything felt fuzzy, and she thought she felt something starting to leak out of her mouth.

When Weiss hit the ground, her teammates could tell that she was probably out cold. Her body bounced slightly when it hit the concrete. On the upside, though, it seemed that she hadn't been hit long enough to burn her. At least, not in any way that they could see. All three started to run towards their friend, readying their weapons. They had tried to keep up with the chase, but it had all gone too fast. It was lucky that Weiss had fallen where they could see her at all.

They could see Adam, standing on the edge of the roof that he had just kicked Weiss off of, a grimace of hatred on his face as he looked down at her. They ran as fast as they could, Ruby dashing forward with her Semblance, and came to a stop in front of Weiss, just as Adam leapt from his position. She held Crescent Rose up as Adam pulled a fist back, neither opponent intending to sway their course.

Unfortunately for Ruby, Adam was the mightier fighter, and Ruby didn't stand the whisper of a chance. She was swept aside as it she was nothing, a single kick sending her spinning through the air. She hit the ground again flat, skidded for a while, and then lay still.

Yang felt fury like she never had before. This man had hurt her friend, and now her very sister. He was going to pay. Dearly.

She kicked off the ground and placed her metal fist square on the side of Adam's face, but was surprised when this had little to no effect. Adam barely reacted, but threw an arm out to the side, not even looking at her. It collided with her chest, and sent her flying even further than Ruby. There was no way that she would be able to stop him now.

Blake was the only one who could hope to save Weiss now. She hoped that Adam would stop when he saw her, like he did before. Maybe her presence would be able to calm him down, and she could explain that Weiss was her friend, and not like the other Schnees. She had empathized with the faunus, and didn't think of them in the same way that her father did.

Adam raised his hands above his head, balling them into fists, readying himself to bring them down on Weiss's head. A blow like that would kill her easily, especially if it was Adam striking the blow.

She didn't draw Gambol Shroud as she got closer. Unlike the others, she knew that a weapon would do no good. She would have to rely on Adam to stop, she just had to make it clear he needed to.

Her voice rang out, different tone seeming to slice through Adam's yell in a strange way. She couldn't tell if he heard her or not, but she shouted all the same, "Adam, wait! Don't-"

She placed herself between Weiss and Adam, putting her hands up defensibly, just as his hands started to come down. The angry snarl on Adam's face wavered briefly, and Blake thought for a moment that her plan had worked, before…

Crack.

The sound that Blake's body made as it folded under his fists was loud, and she immediately slumped to the ground, her consciousness gone.

Adam watched her fall, dumbstruck for a moment. That was Blake. His friend, the one he loved, the one that he had promised he would never hurt. She meant more to him than anything else, and he had just felt her bones snap and break under his arms.

He looked down at his hands, struggling to keep his thoughts ordered. Why had he done that? There was time to stop, more than enough to get her out of the way before continuing. Why had he not done that?

And perhaps, more importantly, why had she placed herself in danger at all for the filthy spawn of the Schnee house? It wasn't possible that she didn't know who this girl was, they were both extremely familiar with all the relatives of the family.

He should not have done that. He should have stopped. But he hadn't. His anger had blinded him, and he had not even tried to brush it aside. His anger started to grow, but not at anything that he could fight. His anger grew at himself. He should have stopped, but he didn't. Now Blake was possibly dead, and he was the only one to blame.

He felt the asphalt hit his knees, and was vaguely aware of the tears that started to fill his eyes, but his hands went to his ears when he heard the voice of his master again, shouting loud enough to distract him from every other thought. "Are you becoming soft already? Cowardly? Should I have picked another to carry my power? Perhaps I will! If you do not get back to killing, I'll destroy you!"

Adam didn't want to kill anymore, but the rage boiling inside him said otherwise. Blake obviously didn't want him doing either. At least, not in the city. He recalled what she had said about others, people possessed by demons in Menagerie. The whole city had fallen, and the continent was following closely behind. That was something it was easy to get angry about. Maybe that would be best. It would be the best way to respect Blake, at least.

He wanted to check if she was still alive, but he knew better than to reach out towards her. It didn't look like she had been burned by his flame, but he wasn't going to chance it. Instead, he pushed himself back to his feet and looked around. The girl, Ruby, was starting to stir, and the undead Yang was starting to get close again. It was clear she intended to protect her friends, but he didn't intend to harm them anymore. Blake wouldn't have liked that.

He shook his head, trying to clear it, and looked for the Hunters. They were standing nearby, Summer approaching with an angry expression. He had hurt her child too. She was a human, yes, but there were bigger problems. Faunus were being made into slaves for Cinder, and he wouldn't allow that. Anything else was secondary now, all he wanted was to make those demons pay.

He eyed the south, the direction that Menagerie was from Vale. He would swim across the ocean if he had to, as long as he got to kill some demons. They deserved that much, and he would happy to give it to them. They couldn't simply make nearly the whole faunus race subservient and expect to go consequence-free.

The blonde haired undead drew within striking distance again, but Adam jerked to the side, so that her fist only struck air. He wanted to say something, to apologize for what had happened, but he couldn't. Instead, he started to sprint in the opposite direction, to the south. He didn't know if he was going to find some other kind of transport or simply run the whole way, but he didn't care too much. Voices called out from behind him, demanding his return, but he paid them no heed.

Yang watched as the man fled, shouting obscenities as he went. She wanted to give chase, but the wellbeing of her friends took precedence over her want to beat Adam to a bloody pulp. She had seen Ruby climbing to her feet, so she wasn't too worried about her sister. Blake was still lying on the ground, and Weiss hadn't moved yet. It was them that concerned her most.

She and her mother reached her two downed friends at about the same time, and they immediately set about checking them. Weiss seemed to be having trouble breathing, taking in air lightly and quickly, and Yang thought she could feel an odd bend in her spine, but she didn't want to think too hard about what that could mean. Weiss was alive, and didn't seem to be getting any worse though, and that was what counted.

Her mother was examining Blake, and given the expression on her face, she wasn't looking too good. Yang was hesitant to ask what was wrong, but she did so anyways. "Mom, how's she looking?"

Summer continued to examine Blake for a few more seconds before shaking her head and looking up. "She needs help. Badly. We should get her somewhere as soon as possible. What about Weiss?"

Yang nodded. "About the same. She's breathing strangely, and I think something's wrong with her back. We should really get her somewhere better."

Summer nodded, and carefully took Blake into her arms. Yang could see the odd way that Blake bent in her arms, and suddenly had the terrible thought that her mother might be downplaying the damage her friend had taken. Was she going to be alright? Her eyes were half shut, and she didn't look like she was going to be conscious any time soon.

Ruby was slowly limping her way over to them, a concerned look on her face. "Hey, how are they? Do they need help?"

Yang cupped a hand over her mouth and shouted, "Yeah! We're going to get them to the hospital. Sorry, but there's no time! Pyrrha or Nora can help you get back, we've got to go!"

Ruby sounded somewhat dejected, but responded with a sure voice. "Alright, I'll just wait here then. Be quick!"

Yang managed an awkward wave as she picked Weiss off the ground, then turned to her mother again. She looked hesitant about leaving Ruby, but Yang had the feeling that no worry was necessary. If Adam was going to hurt anyone else, he wouldn't have run off. He wasn't coming back. Not after breaking Blake like he did. Her thoughts about the man were bitter, but at least he was going to be useful. She wanted to stay mad, and she could easily for what he had done, and she would never forgive him, but letting him go was the best thing that she could do. Not only her herself or for her team, but for the whole world as well. She just hoped that Blake's faith he wasn't totally forgone. He was running out of Vale, and her intuition told her he wouldn't come back.

"Come on, he's not going to come back. We need to hurry."

Her mother nodded, and both set off again in the direction of the hospital.


	54. Chapter 54

Author's Note:

Get the popcorn, because things are going to get crazy soon.

* * *

Roman jerked rather unflatteringly awake when he felt Neo's elbow against his head, and felt his cap slide off the side of his head. His eyes opened, and he started to move without being sure what was around him. "What's happening? What's up?"

His vison was blurry at first, but he rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand, clearing his view. Neo was giving him a concerned look, something that he wasn't used to seeing, and that worried him considerably. It generally took quite a bit to frighten Neo, and he had an idea of what it was that was getting to her.

She pointed, wordless, as she always was, and Roman followed her hand. The ship that was being loaded when he had drifted off to sleep had just started to take off, but there was still a fairly large amount of people who had not boarded yet. It puzzled him at first why they would be leaving with so few having boarded, but then his gaze drifted to the side, revealing something that promised disaster for everyone who wasn't working for Cinder.

Cinder had come, and brought the whole crew with her. They hadn't reached the clearing yet, but he could see the signs of their approach. He could hear their voices raised in the distance, and he could see a large cloud of dust being kicked up behind them.

The people who had not yet boarded the only means of escape they had were starting to panic, chaos erupting among them. Guards did their best to contain the issue, scooping as many into Bullheads as they could, and trying to calm the remaining people. A few of the more desperate started to flee in all directions, either hoping to hide in the woods or swim their way to safety. They didn't have a prayer though, and Roman knew it. Chances were that they knew it too, but they wouldn't be persuaded to simply lose their minds sitting down.

Roman started to walk out from the trees, and felt Neo close on his heels. She didn't want to let him out of her sight, and her presence made him feel slightly safer with the prospect of confronting Cinder face-to-face again. Thinking of the last time still made him feel uncomfortable, but now he had something that would hopefully shield him from Cinder's little tricks. Naze had told them that Neo would be more resistant to Cinder's influence, but neither knew just how resistant she was, so it would probably be best if they stuck together. Maybe the trinket hidden under Roman's coat would offer her some protection as well if she was close enough.

Guards started readying their weapons and forming a defensive line as the demons started to come rolling down the path towards them, and Roman wondered if he should stop and watch the show, or keep going down there. He didn't fancy the idea of getting caught by stray bullets or, as was somewhat more likely for him, being a notorious outlaw, being singled out as a target if anyone recognized him.

When the horde of demons and their followers came into view, Roman felt like he hadn't prepared himself enough mentally for what met his eyes.

He had known that Cinder got popular in the city, but she was leading thousands upon thousands of people behind her, in varying states of what looked like horrific mutation. It was hard for his eyes to focus on what was wrong with anyone specifically, but after a few seconds he was able to pick certain things out of the crowd. A few arms ending in tentacle-like appendages, more than a few tongues extending well beyond the chin, and more bizarre things that made him unsure as to whether he was looking at a man or a woman. He had never considered that someone could be both, but it seemed that it was entirely possible.

Every person had a crazed look in their eyes, like there was something that they desperately wanted in each of those who had been left behind. What it was, he thought he could imagine, but he didn't want to think about it too hard.

Most of them were naked or barely clothed, and they seemed to bring with them a slight shift in the air. At first he expected it to be hot, and smell revolting. Instead, it was only a change warm enough to be comfortable, and the smell that accompanied it was sweet, and almost made Roman want to lie back down and drift off to sleep again. Not quite, though, and even if he had, he was sure that Neo would have some way to get him back to his feet.

Cinder seemed to draw his eye, she had changed much in the time that Roman hadn't seen her. He hadn't expected it, but she had the same insane glint in her eyes that the rest of her followers had. She was normally so aloof, even when she hadn't been serving a demon. It wasn't like her to let something like that show. She should've been at the back of the horde she drove.

She had changed physically as well, and to Roman, all of the new features looked rather beastly. Her hands were like claws now, and her hair hung messily off her head, falling down her back and showing that she had not cared for it in days. He would say that she was nude, except that what seemed to be a single shredded piece of her dress still somehow clung to her body, barely covering anything. He had always thought he would like to see Cinder half nude, but the circumstances he was currently in made the occasion rather hard to enjoy.

Her legs appeared to have changed significantly, having much more muscle, and having changed to what almost looked like hooves. He could feel some part of his brain telling him that she was attractive, He supposed that she was, in the kind of way that you didn't tell your friends about. The more dominant feeling was a kind of disgust, and a sudden awareness of the medal around his neck starting to vibrate gently. That must've been it doing its job, something that he was thankful for.

None had noticed him yet, and he hoped that it would stay that way as long as possible. If they did see him, they might try to share the things that they had "found" which would be a very awkward and unpleasant experience, given that it wouldn't pervert him like it did others.

The guards of the clearing started to fire, and even a few Atlesian Paladins stepped from hidden alcoves, adding their firepower to the firing line.

The noise of the barrage was sudden, and quickly roused screaming from both sides of the forces, the charging cultists and the fleeing civilians. The effect of the bullets and heavier ordinance slamming into the line of approaching madness seemed to be nothing, A few people fell, struck down by occasionally fatal hits on their vital regions, or by being made unable to keep running, but many more took their place, simply trampling them without hesitation.

Roman was sure that he saw Cinder take a few bullets, but they seemed to deflect off her skin like they were nothing, not even leaving a scratch. They even whipped through her hair, but couldn't do so much as separate it from the scalp. He could also distinctly see a smile on Cinder's face, as she entered the final stretch of the charge.

Guards, both men and women, stopped firing before Cinder even reached them, turning to one another and doing things that he had never expected to see people in uniform doing. Not all did, though, and those who continued fighting did so until they were reached by the demons who approached, and then seemed to be forced into what the others were doing. All resistance was gone in seconds, and they appeared as insane as the rest of the crowd, doing what animals without any sense of modesty did.

The Paladins kept firing a little longer than the foot soldiers, but when the metal was rended apart, exposing the pilots to the same thing as their brothers and sisters. The followers of Cinder surged past, and started to overtake the civilians who had not yet made it far enough.

Roman watched with a scowl as his old master started to do things that even he thought were disgusting. He felt Neo tighten her hold on his arm, and glanced down to his longtime friend. She was watching, her eyes wide, horrified. Her irises were a dead white, showing that she was truly terrified of what was going on. He tried to follow her gaze, and found that she was staring straight at Cinder. She was often aware of things that normal humans were not. It was possible that Cinder had changed in some greater, more dramatic way that he couldn't see.

That didn't do much for Roman's confidence about his reunion with his previous boss, but there was nothing that could be done about that now. They had to meet her, and he doubted that they could get away without being noticed. He started to walk, but found that Neo was unwilling to move her legs. Her feet were dug into the ground, and the few inches of progress he had made were marked with tracks from her heels.

He gave an exasperated sigh, and said, "Oh, come on! I'm not looking forward to this either, but we've got to go! You remember what the skeleton said, we really don't have a choice here."

Neo didn't break from her being frozen, and instead started to tug Roman back towards the trees, a small, airy whimper escaping from her throat. It was about the most noise that he had ever heard come out of her, and showed just how afraid she was. Unfortunately, there really was no time for things like this.

He stopped trying to walk, and instead turned, kneeling down in front of the girl, and taking a hold of her head, turning her gaze away from Cinder with a little more force than he would've liked. It took a few seconds, but her eyes flicked to his face, and he made sure to hold them there. "Hey, hey, focus on me, alright?"

Neo swallowed down a lump in her throat, and Roman felt her eyes center on his. He gave as comforting a smile as he could, and let go, moving his hand to brush over the side of her face. "It's going to be fine, right? I mean, you're speedy enough to get away from anything she tries, right? So you've got nothing to worry about, I'm sure she's going to going to love you anyways. She always did."

He realized a second too late that this was perhaps not the best way he could've said it, but the damage had been done. Neo's eyes widened again, and she lashed out towards him. He couldn't move fast enough away even if he had wanted to, and before he knew it, Neo had his head in a vicelike hug. He sighed again, cursed himself under his breath, then said, "You know I didn't… oh forget it. Look-" he did his best to slowly disentangle himself before continuing, "-you've protected me for a long time, right? And I'd like to think I've saved your skin a few times. This is no different, I'm not going to let her touch you."

Neo slowly let him go, and looked him straight in the face. She still looked scared, but now only one eye was white. She could tell he was telling the truth, though, and that he wouldn't let the slightest harm come to her. She let out a deep breath, and nodded, wrapping her arms around Roman's. She didn't want them to get separated, for any reason.

Roman breathed a small sigh of relief. It was hard to convince Neo to do anything she didn't want to. Now he would just have to convince himself. He started to walk, and put an arm around Neo. No one was going to touch her, that was a promise he would make good on.

They started to make progress down the hill, and were spotted by a few of the demons and followers. They started to sprint towards them, but Roman put his cane above his head, and shouted, "Hey, back off. We're with Cinder! So back off, I'd like to have a word with her!"

At the mention of Cinder's name, an excited look came across her followers, and more turned their attention towards them. A large number even started to approach, and he felt Neo's arms tighten around his. He hoped that she wouldn't break the bone, or do so much as bruise. He hated when things like that happened.

He did his best to keep his cool as the demons and cultists came within a few feet, doing his best to not react. He desperately didn't want to think about what would happen if he continued to walk leisurely, instead of turning and running as fast as he could, like any sane man would. He couldn't do that, though. There was a certain image that he had to project, and he knew that.

Just as her lackeys were almost falling on him, Cinder called out a single word that brought them all to an abrupt halt. "Stop!"

There was something oddly sultry about her voice, but Roman was sure that it was more of the demon she served making her more a suitable servant. Though, now that he thought about it, she did always had the air before, too. The crowd stopped just a few steps away, hot breath lapping against Roman's face. It didn't smell quite as good as the air that they had brought with them, but he didn't concern himself with that too much. When he got a close up look at the faces of the people, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

They all looked like they weren't really entirely aware of what was going on. Many of the humans and faunus were salivating uncontrollably, reaching out towards him hesitantly, or doing things that he avoided looking at, generally below the waistline. He was glad that he was a tall man, and felt sorry that Neo likely wouldn't be able to ignore it like he did. But that wasn't what made Neo nervous, he was sure. What had her on edge was Cinder. Something was definitely up with Cinder, and not in the weird way that he had come to expect recently.

He kept walking with Neo, and a path started to form in front of them. Still, hands reached out towards them, like it was almost impossible for them to hold back. Neo pressed closer against him, fearing the same corruptions that befell the people before them. The path that opened in front of them met with one that had been opening in front of Cinder, and the two stared at one another for a few seconds before Cinder put her arms out towards him and said, "Roman, it's been too long."

If she wanted him to touch her, she was going to have to bear disappointment. He wasn't risking catching the countless diseases she undoubtedly amassed from her followers, or the demon possession.

He put a hand up, and took a small step back. The sound of shuffling feet told him that the path behind him had closed, and that he was now completely trapped. Fingers brushing against his back startled him, and he turned to find the dazed and longing looking people still reaching out for him.

He raised his cane in the hand that wasn't around Neo, and made a few swipes at the fingers. There were a few satisfying yelps from several of his targets, but more than a few unsettling moans. He looked down, and saw Neo shrinking away from another pair of hands. This time he didn't care if they enjoyed it or not, he simply struck out.

He wasn't sure if it was really the crack of bones that he heard, but he sincerely hoped that the slightly scaled, purplish fingers would be so bent out of shape that they wouldn't be usable for whatever it was that they were normally used for.

The hand withdrew immediately, and he pulled Neo a little closer, trying to let her know that he had her back.

Cinder made a small noise, perhaps a giggle, making both Roman and Neo look back to her. She shook her head, a small smile on her face, and said, "That wasn't very nice. I thought I taught you to play nice, Roman. What happened?"

Roman shook his head and said, frustrated, "Maybe I would be a little more friendly if it were just you, me, and Neo talking. Then I think I could be much nicer."

Cinder gave him an impish look, then another nod. "Alright, fine. In the meantime…" she gestured behind her, to the airship that had started to make its escape. Feminine demons rose off the ground, into the sky, bearing people on their backs who looked to Roman like they were absolutely insane. He knew that the airship hadn't gotten far enough to be safe, and that the demons would soon catch up.

Next Cinder gestured to the crowd around them, saying, "Leave us to our business, please. We've much to discuss, I'm sure."

The crowd did as it was told, and started to thin. People went about whatever it was that Cinder had brainwash them to do, Roman didn't particularly care what it was. Not as long as they did it quietly, and where he could ignore them. After several moments the crowd was mostly gone, and Cinder started to walk towards them.

The sashay in her hips drew Roman's eye, and he felt the thing around his neck start to vibrate harder, and grow warm. It wasn't uncomfortable, but did seem to be slightly ominous. He tried not to let that show, and kept his eyes focused on Cinder's face. Her eyes burned with something that he had not seen before, and that was far more unsettling than the changes to her physical body.

He was nowhere near the mind-reader that Neo was, but he was sure that what his aura told him was no lie. It wasn't exactly that he could see something in her eyes, but he could without a doubt feel it. Something was swimming behind her eyes, growing in strength and magnitude, like some kind of waiting monster. He got the feeling that whatever it was, it was something that would be very, very bad to let out.

If that was the thing that scared Neo, maybe it would be better that he couldn't feel it. Then he wouldn't be paralyzed in fear. But, the possibility was also there that he should've been scared. He had no idea what Cinder had become, but for once in his life, he was sure that he was doing the world a favor. It was a funny feeling, and he didn't think he liked it, but he was sure that he would like the feeling of being killed by a corpse older than the rocks he stood on much less.

Cinder came within a few feet of him, like she always used to do, but this time she didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. "Well Roman, we are alone enough. What is it you wanted to talk about?" He didn't have a chance to answer before she took another step closer, bringing her a little closer than she used to get. "To tell you the truth Roman, I've missed you. You always had this way about you, so confident, and assured. I want to know that again, and I want more."

With those final words, she pressed her lips against Roman's, and pushed the rest of her body against him like a jigsaw piece. For a brief second, he felt his mind leave him, leaving only pleasure in its place. He had never known that he could feel something so intense.

Then, as soon as it had come, the feeling was gone, and his eyes rolled back into their proper positions. The amulet around his neck was now vibrating violently, and felt like it was going to scorch his skin before too long.

He jerked back, and felt Cinder's hands leave his back. Neo stumbled back with him, ready to catch him if he fell. He was disoriented, but didn't seem like he was going to topple. A hand went to his head, making sure that it was still attached to his body, and he tried to tell if anything had changed. Would he be able to tell if he got corrupted?

He looked down to Neo, hoping that she would be able to provide some answer. Her eyes were wider than he had ever seen them, and dead white. He could even see small tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

He blinked a few times, then said, "Well, that was weird. I don't feel any different."

Neo smiled, and shot out in another rib cracking hug. This time Roman found it much less endearing, what with Cinder so close, watching. He got the feeling that they should be very careful what they showed around her. He pushed her away, and she got the idea immediately, stepping away from him, then immediately stepping back to his side when she looked back at Cinder.

Cinder, for her part, had stared on with a rather amused expression. When Neo retook her place at Roman's side, she giggled again, and said, "Oh please, don't mind me. If there's something you two would like to do, don't let me interrupt."

Roman shook his head clear. The burst of pleasure was difficult to get out of his mind, but he didn't really know if he wanted to. It felt good, that was sure.

His amulet gave another increase in its vibration and heat, then a sharp shock racked his body. His muscles locked for an instant, preventing him from reacting. It was sharp enough that he thought twice about wanting to remember the pleasure, at least. He was sure that it was probably the point, but he would've thought that Naze could find a less painful way to do it.

His muscles relaxed again, and he involuntarily put a hand to his chest. Cinder saw the motion, and gave him a mock-puzzled look, saying, "Are you alright, Roman? You look like you just had a heart attack."

He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, doing his best to feign that nothing had happened. "No, no, I'm fine. What I wanted to talk about, though, is what's up next. I mean, what are we going to do now? You got Menagerie, and you're trying to get another airship, so I'd assume that you're going for somewhere else. Anywhere in particular?"

Cinder started to walk towards him again, but he didn't move. She'd take that wrong, he was sure, or it would cause suspicion. Not that his questions weren't, of course.

She gave a small laugh, and draped her arms over his shoulders. "Oh Roman, whatever happened to that wonderful, doglike attitude of yours? You used to just follow orders so well, and now you need to know things?"

Her face drew closer to his, and he felt her hot breath on his cheeks. "What changed?"

Thoughts of the last kiss he had gotten returned, but this time his trinket didn't zap him. Instead, it seemed to produce an almost revolting smell, enough to kill any mood, unless the mood was decomposing already.

That was just the shot of reality he needed, and he leaned back, saying, "I'll think about that one. Now, I'd really appreciate knowing where it is that we're going next. I can't go on ahead if I don't know what we're targeting."

Her face drew even closer to his, threatening another kiss, but she opted to speak instead. "But Roma, must you go on ahead? It would give me such pleasure-" she placed a fair amount of emphasis on the word "-to have you at my side again. Wouldn't you stay just a little while longer?"

If she weren't so close, Roman would've cursed the Lich under his breath. He had to agree, and yet be sure to resist her. He sighed and nodded, careful to make sure that his face was far enough away. Cinder gave his body a squeeze, and his eyes bulged out as he was almost crushed. He couldn't help but let out a breath as it was squeezed out of his lungs, and fight against her arms with all the strength he could.

Her grip was like iron, and it was clear that he could not do anything against her. She was stronger even than Neo, a comparison that he had never thought he would make. After a few seconds of thinking he was going to die by being choked out in the arms of his old boss, Cinder either seemed to realize that she was on the verge of murder, or decide that she had had enough fun suffocating him.

She let him go, and smiled as he stumbled back a few paces, Neo going along with him, positioning herself behind Roman. As Cinder allowed her focus to shift, she started to walk towards Neo. She had never done things like this before, so what had changed? A few ideas came to her mind, but nothing she was sure about. And besides, it didn't really matter what had prompted this new reaction. As that mattered to her was that Neo had a new fear.

"How have you been, Neo? Still keeping Roman safe, I see, but why do you cower now? You know he couldn't save you if I wanted to do something, right?"

The short girl looked up to Cinder, scared, but Cinder had no intention of really hurting her. She wouldn't be too useful if she was broken. Instead, she wanted to see if she would be able to resist as well as Roman had.

Of all the people who might resist her, she didn't expect Roman to be one. She had never thought of him as someone with extraordinary amounts of self-control. He was full of surprises though, she couldn't deny. Neo had also been full of surprises, even more so than Roman. It was for that reason she wanted to test Neo.

Neo was clearly torn between staying at Roman's side, and fleeing like her life depended on it. The conflict made Cinder smile wider, but she put her hands out towards the girl in an inviting manner. "Come now, why so scared? I could show you such delights, there would be no more space for fear in that pretty little head of yours. Come on, I'd love to share."

She stopped, watching to see what Neo did next. She continued to stare, almost paralyzed. Cinder took that to mean she invited her presence, and continued to approach. Still, she clung to Roman like he was the only thing that would be able to help her.

He tried to get back to his feet, but the damage that Cinder had managed to do to him was too great to allow him back to his feet. It was nothing that would last, of course, but he wouldn't be able to intervene.

Cinder got close, and Neo put up a hand in hopes of protecting herself. Unfortunately for her, Cinder simply shot out with her own hand, pulling Neo up from Roman's side.

Neo was strong for her size, but she was nowhere near strong enough to pull away. Cinder pulled her in close, and relished everything about her friend. The way her muscles tightened as she tried to escape was incredible in a bizarre, inhuman way. She could feel through the glove that not only were the muscles beneath incredibly strong, but they were also starting to shift their positions in ways that no human should've been able to do.

Cinder's eyes widened again, and she felt her tongue start to slide out of her mouth towards Neo. Her efforts redoubled, and some sense started to return to her body as her fear started to peak. She struggled and thrashed, too afraid to strike Cinder, but too frightened to stand still.

Cinder's lips raised, and two long fang-like teeth extended from her top row of teeth. They already dripped with venom, and she intended fully to use it. Her greater body allowed her to move before even Neo could react, and the fangs penetrated the fabric of her clothes and delivered their warm ichor into her veins.

The concoction was something that Cinder knew wouldn't affect Neo too much, only make her more cooperative. Now Cinder would be able to test her more easily, without having to battle her. Roman made a few groaning noises from the ground, trying to get back up, but he couldn't. Cinder grinned again as Neo's struggles weakened, and Cinder started to drag her away. She could feel her reaching out for Roman, hoping that he would be able to save her, but he was immobilized, and she was made too weak.

She would make sure that Neo knew what she was missing. Even if she made the unthinkable decision that she didn't want it, she would experience a small taste. She owed it to her for the help she had given Roman, anyways.

* * *

Amber's eyes were plastered on the floor, and she fought the urge to shrink back. She knew that Solace wouldn't like the suggestion, but she had to make it. To her, it was the only way that The Order would be able to help. There was simply no other way for them to get into the fight, and help the world.

She could feel Solace's eyes drilling into the top of her head, and couldn't help but feel stupid for suggesting it. She had known that he would hate the idea, but she had hoped that he might be able to see her reason on the matter. He had been so reasonable about other things, but this was a sticking point.

She understood that the undead couldn't be trusted well, but Yang had started to change her mind on the matter. She had been more relatable than any of the others had, and her message made sense.

She didn't think that Solace liked the idea of working with the undead. The silence since she had said it started to grow too large, and she felt the urge to look up. Her hood blocked some of her vision, but Solace was directly in front of her, so he was unobscured. His arms were crossed, but his face looked frozen.

Slowly, she straightened up and took a small step towards him. "Please, sir, I just want the best for the order. There may be no other option, and be cannot just sit idly by while the world is corrupted by demons!"

Solace put a hand to his chin and turned around, starting to think. Whether this was good or bad, Amber couldn't tell. "Please Sir, don't be too mad! It seemed to be the only way I could help! I know I shouldn't have gone behind your back like I did, but there was no other option."

Solace nodded, but remained silent. The silence was starting to grate against Amber's nerves in a new way, conjuring anger inside of her. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Couldn't he see her reasons? This attitude was exactly why she thought such radical action was necessary.

She took a deep breath and tried to dismiss the annoyance. Solace was stubborn, but he was also fair. If she made it clear why she said it, and why she thought that it was right, he would have to see at least some logic in her reasoning. Tears of stress started to flow from her face as she started to consider the impacts that this could have. Would she be expelled from the Order? No, certainly not. But that didn't make the thought any less terrifying. Her emotions were gradually quelled as she tried to steady herself with the Light, reassuring herself that nothing would go wrong.

"I only-"

Before she could say anything else, Solace shook his head and turned back, holding a hand up. His deep voice cut hers off softly, not wanting to upset her anymore. "My apologies. I should not have reacted that way. It's simply that, well, I never thought I'd see the day a priestess suggested working with the undead."

He swallowed down the lump in his throat, ran a hand across his face, and gave her a smile. She thought it looked forced, but she wasn't about to say anything about it.

Solace took a few heavy steps towards her, and put his hands on her shoulders in a comforting way. "I'm happy that you felt you could come forward with this idea, even though you knew I wouldn't be quite agreeable."

Amber shrugged. "I did wait a long time, though. I felt…" she shook her head, and gave up trying to explain. Of course he'd understand.

Solace removed a hand from her shoulders, and moved her hood back, exposing her face to the light from the ceiling. They were in the "Chapel" when the lockdown had started, and not left since. Disturbing whatever was going on out there wouldn't help anybody.

"It's fine, you needn't justify yourself. I suppose…" he sighed heavily, and his other hand fell from her shoulder. "I may appear somewhat uncaring at times. Stoic, towards accepting such a deal. But please, consider my view; the undead have always been remorseless monsters, and only the most powerful have had any semblance of consciousness. The things that the Lich proposes are so unheard of, I can't even begin to describe how insane it sounds."

He nodded again, as if confirming his words to himself. "But I am rather behind the times, aren't I? And, in addition, so little is known about him, I must be forced to confront the fact that he may be telling the truth."

Amber's eyes lit up with hope, but Solace was not yet finished talking. "But even if he is, I cannot bring myself to bend a knee to such a vile thing. It is an affront to everything Holy. I would disgrace everything that I once stood for."

The pit returned to Amber's stomach, and she felt like she should have expected such an outcome. She found that he still wasn't done, though, as he continued again. "But you are the purest symbol of what I hoped for my people. Open-mindedness, and freedom from such a curse. If you think that we should, I will follow you, and you can depend on the strength of my hammer. On the strength of all of us, I'm sure. You need only say the words."

Amber was taken aback. The sudden responsibility seemed to add weight to her shoulders, as though Solace were pushing down on them, but his hands had returned to his side. She met this new weight with resolve. Just because she was given the final choice didn't mean that she would buckle.

She nodded. "Yes, we should cooperate with Naze, if only long enough to repel the demons from this world. They are clearly a larger threat than he is, and he himself has offered to help. For the good of the world, not our order, we will fight with them."

Solace nodded, saying, "So it shall be. I'll notify everyone of your decision immediately."

Amber nodded. She hoped that they would all be as understanding as him. They held most of his convictions almost as dearly as he did, but maybe they could be convinced more easily. Even though they had trained for it, they had not had the experiences he had, and wouldn't have the same oppositions.

* * *

Penny wanted to help the large number of guards who were swarming around the compound, but there didn't seem to be anything that she could do. Whenever she offered, she was simply told "Go back to your room." or "Please, just get somewhere safe." She knew that they had her best interests in mind, but it was beginning to get frustrating.

She had managed to slip away from her personal guards, and had to keep constantly on the move to stay ahead of them. She was sure that they would catch up with her eventually, but until then, there had to be something that she could do. Ironwood was in his private room again, probably commanding large numbers of people, like he always did. It couldn't just be what was going on in the city, or else there would've been far more going on out there. From what she could tell, things were fairly still.

He had to be doing something else, but she had no way of finding out. She rounded a corner, and then saw one of her bodyguards. He was faced away from her, talking to another guard about where she was. She zipped as quickly as she could back around the corner, and gritted her teeth. It was so irritating. She was being blocked everywhere she tried to help. If only someone would listen…

As if on cue, an echoing voice came from behind her, and she thought she recognized the wavering tone. "You wish to help, correct?"

She placed a finger to her lips. "Be quiet! I'm hiding." She peaked around the corner again, making sure that her bodyguard had not caught any of the sound. He didn't appear to have, and she went back around the corner.

The shimmering, translucent figure of the Shade was the same as the other times she had seen them, but that didn't make it any less startling. Nonetheless, she did want to help somebody. "Yes! I could do so much, but no one will let me. Do you have something I could do?"

The Shade shifted, like it was nodding, then continued, "Something simple, but no less important. Adam Taurus, a White Fang leader, was held here for a long time. His weapons, Wilt and Blush, are still here. Bring them, and you will assist the plan greatly."

A slight confusion crossed her face, but she dismissed it quickly. She had worked with Naze in the past, and everything had turned out alright. She could trust him.

She nodded, smiling, and gave an enthusiastic salute. "I'll do it. The only problem is that I don't know if I'll be able to get past the guards." She thought for a moment, then shrugged. It didn't matter anyways, she supposed. It was only a matter of time before she was found again.

She looked back up, meaning to say something to the Shade, but it was already gone. She was left alone again, but at least now she had a goal.

If they still had the weapons, they would likely be in an evidence storeroom. Those were near the cells, and probably wouldn't be guarded in a situation like this. Not while the cells were empty. She set off, walking quickly, doing her best to stay clandestine. It would be terrible if she was offered a chance, then failed.

Her journey to the cells was quick, and relatively untroubled. By the time that she managed to get to the evidence rooms, she was sure that her bodyguards were starting to close in on her. The door was locked, and she didn't want to force it open, but to help Naze, there was no other option. She had to have those weapons before her guards found her.

Her foot impacted the doorknob, and the lock was broken, sending the door swinging inward rather loudly. Voices down the hall indicated that she was about to be found out, and she stepped inside quickly. Several boxes sat innocently, but one had to contain what she needed. There was no time to bother with locks on the boxes either, so she was forced to simply pry the lids open. The first box contained only what looked like a few small devices, she was able to identify a few of them as makeshift grenades, or other similar items. Each was inside of a clear plastic bag, with a note on the side, but she didn't care.

The next box dented when she kneed the lock, and as she opened its lid, she smiled. The long blade sat at the bottom, almost peacefully, waiting to be removed. She took it deftly in one hand, then turned back towards the door. Now she only had to get rid of it. But where was a good place to do that? She could hurl it over the perimeter wall, but she would certainly be seen if she tried that.

The voices and footsteps of her guards drew very close to the door, and she looked around frantically for something she could use to escape them. The door was the room's only exit, so she was trapped if she couldn't use it.

Her eyes flicked back to the grenades. One had been a concussion-style grenade, she was sure of it. Something like that would stun the men long enough for her to get away.

She didn't want to do it, but they gave her no choice. She jumped towards the box, and hurriedly tore the plastic away from the thing before pulling the pin, dropping it, and turning the other direction, her hands over her ears.

Her timing was perfect, as a fraction of a second after the footsteps started to enter the room, the explosion happened. The wall she faced was bathed in a bright white, and for a brief moment everything was silent as her ears were tricked into adjusting to a much higher ambient volume. The effect was gone quickly though, and she turned again, pushing past the now stunned men. "I'm sorry!"

It was no good, they couldn't hear her, but she figured that she may as well try. She really liked them, and normally she would've never done something like that, but she needed to help Naze. If he was contacting her, then it was something that needed to be done.

She did her best to avoid knocking them over as she passed by them, and once back out in the hall, spied another Shade-like thing hovering near a window. She was going to run towards it, hoping to speak, but instead a voice said somewhere over her left shoulder, "Throw it."

A quick glance revealed that it was the shade from before, and she followed its instruction. She stopped running, dropped her shoulder, cocked her arm, and launched the thing towards the poltergeist, doing her best to aim so that it would land in front of it.

The weapon hit where she had meant it to, but skidded along afterword. It didn't skid for long, though, as the poltergeist scooped it off the ground with countless little limbs, and started to carry it off.

A deep breath left Penny's chest. She'd done a good thing, she was sure.

But she doubted that Ironwood would see it that way.

If she wanted to be safe, it'd be best for her to return to her room. There, she was sure that her actually complying with what she was told to do would soften whatever punishment she would get. She wanted to make sure that her bodyguards were alright first, though. Now that she had done everything she could to help, she didn't want them to be angry with her. It would be an awkward explanation, she was sure, but she owed them that, at least.


	55. Chapter 55

Author's Note:

This chapter is a little late, but that's because I was doing another one-shot. Its one I've had on the backburner for a while, and I think it turned out pretty good. Maybe go check it out, its called "A Wilted Lotus."

Anyways, as always, tell me what you think of this chapter. Amber's pretty cool.

* * *

Amber clutched her holy book to her chest, watching as people started to reluctantly retake the streets. The alarms had died down, and things seemed quiet.

She was eager to get out, and see what had been going on. She had lived in Vale all her life, and knew that the alarms only went off in cases of dire emergencies. The first thing that she saw was the large plume of smoke that drifted lazily into the sky. She didn't want to think that someone had been hurt, but she knew it was more than likely.

She called to the other members of the Order who had agreed to come with her, and announced that they would be going to the source of the smoke. Maybe there they would be able to find out what had happened a little faster than they would otherwise. Confirmations hit her ears, and she started to walk.

It was a strange feeling, telling people what to do. She wasn't used to it, but she wasn't necessarily uncomfortable. Her main concern was that she might tell them to do something that they didn't like, and that they wouldn't speak up about it. If they didn't, she couldn't know that it was bad.

She tried to dispel those fears, though. Solace had told her that confidence was very important. And besides, she knew most of them personally. Being a Priestess, it was one of her jobs to make sure that they were all in good mental health. She knew that they wouldn't think worse of her if she did start giving such orders, which was a large weight off of her shoulders.

None of them spoke while they walked, which might've been odd to someone else, but Amber knew why it was the case. Solace had told them that Paladins were to keep a certain image in the public eye, not aloof or unapproachable, but not undisciplined either.

Amber still wore her pearly white robes, and the others had on darker colored, looser robes meant to conceal the fact that they were wearing armor. None had quite come to grips with movement in such an armored state, so they stuck to lighter kinds of protection. Their auras would be able to work in combination with the scarce metal and leather. Once they had become comfortable enough, they would be given heavier armor, like Solace's. Amber could tell by the way they talked about it, when they did, that there wasn't a one among them who would even dream of denying it.

It wasn't for her though, and for good reason. Her body was still weak, even with the light. Sometimes she wondered what it would feel like to be encased like that in metal, made impervious to almost everything.

She had with her ten Paladins, and walked at the front of the group. All of them were armed, just in case things didn't turn out quite so safe. Civilians were also walking in the same direction as she was, interested in finding out what the source of the smoke was, to see the extent of the damage, or to check on loved ones who lived in the general area. Amber hoped that nothing had gone horribly wrong.

If there were injured, she would do her best to see to them, and if they had already been moved, than she would go with them. The others were capable of healing, of course, but none had the abilities she did.

She felt the urge to open her book again, and ensure that the passages inside were just as she memorized them, but resisted. Not while she was walking. The Holy power radiating off the book gave her comfort, and in the emerging dusk, it seemed to emit a faint glow.

She looked over her shoulder, and saw that her brothers and sisters were also giving off such a slight glow. It was a little less pronounced than that of the tome, but still noticeable. She wondered if she was giving off a similar glow, and if so, how bright it was.

They started to get close enough to smell the smoke, and realized that there was more than simple building materials that were giving off the fumes. The acrid scent of charred meat was definitely thick in the air, and a large amount of dust in the air seemed to indicate that buildings had collapsed. Also hanging in the sky were Bullheads, hovering directly over the smoke, jets of water shooting down from their hulls. The crowd of people started to get thicker, and Amber realized that they were very close. She stopped, motioning for her followers to get into tighter formation. She didn't want them to get separated.

Next, when they had pulled together, she started to try getting through the crowd. Her slight figure made it easier for her to slip between the increasingly small gaps between people, but she knew that the others would probably have to push to get through. She started to apologize, not necessarily for herself, but for the others. They would be courteous, she was sure, but it never hurt.

When they got closer to the front of the crowd, she started to hear a voice being projected from the Bullheads that had been previously drowned out by the sounds of the hundreds around her. "Please keep your distance, there are still fires in the area that could be potentially dangerous. We cannot allow you across the yellow line, the chances of injury are too great. Thank you for your understanding."

It didn't sound like a recorded message, but a few seconds after the voice stopped, it immediately started up again, but this time with different inflection. It was the same message though, so she felt fairly safe in simply blocking it out. She needed to find someone to talk to. If they were already giving the situation this much attention, most of the injured would probably have been dealt with somehow. She needed to find out if they were still here, or had been taken somewhere else.

She slipped her way past the last few people who formed a line between her and the scene, and found her view promptly blocked by a large body. She was moving a bit too fast to stop in time, and she hit her nose on the hard breastplate of the man.

She took a step back, and looked up into the face of the man, blinking away the tears that started to accumulate as her body's response to the pain. He had a kind of guilty smirk on his face, and said, "I'm sorry ma'am, but this area is off limits. No one allowed in until things get cleared up."

Amber couldn't say that she cared too much about the area itself, but the people were another matter. "Fine, yes, I know, but where are the injured? I'm a Priestess, I can help them."

He raised an eyebrow, and looked Amber over with a curious eye. "Really? From the Holy light, or whatever it is, right? Heard something about that recently, yeah. So, what, you going to heal them or something?"

Amber gritted her teeth, and answered, "Yes! Now please, where are they? If there are any major injuries, I need to be there as soon as possible!" It was obvious that the man didn't understand the urgency of the situation, and Amber didn't have the time to deal with him. Luckily, just as she thought this, the rest of the Paladins managed to make their way through the crowd. They all stood close together, and made it clear that they were with Amber.

The man looked up, gulped down a large lump in his throat, and took an involuntary step back. They did nothing to outright threaten him, but their mere presence seemed to be enough to focus the man.

"Oh, uh, well, I don't know exactly what happened, but most of the injured were taken to the hospital. Not many were really hurt though, a lot got evacuated before anything too bad went down. I think the ones who got it worst were the Huntresses who were here. I don't know what they were doing here, but they fought like hell against the guy who did this. Or so I hear, at least. I wasn't there. My friend told me."

Amber rolled her eyes. That was probably the best information they were going to get out of him, so she should just take it and be happy with it. She did just that, and turned to face her Paladins. "If they were taken away, they will have been taken to the nearest hospital. We should check there first, then, if we don't find them here, we move on."

They all nodded, and started to push their way through the crowd again. This time Amber followed behind them, as it would be better than having to wait for them. She couldn't leave them behind, and couldn't argue with the ease of the way.

Once they were out of the thick of people enough to speed up, she made sure to take the front of the group. She led her friends again, and tried to recall the fastest way to the hospital. This challenge was made even more difficult when she realized that she would also have to take into consideration the large number of people who were refilling the streets. She remembered turns, street names, and past experience though, and that was enough to make her confident.

Her arms tightened around the holy tome she held, and she softly began to whisper to herself the prayers and hymns within. She felt their blessings strengthen her body and soul, as well as those of her friends. They were going to heal everything that they could, and what they couldn't, they would do their best to help.

Amber had the niggling feeling that she knew the Huntresses who had been injured in the fight. She couldn't explain quite what the feeling was, but it was definitely there. There was only a small handful of Hunters that she knew, and she would be happy to see any of them. Even Yang, if that was who it was. It would allow her to give the good news. Chances of Yang being in a hospital were not good though, unless one of her teammates or friends had been hurt. She hoped that wasn't the case.

She did her best to keep the light bright in her chest, and her hopes high. Things weren't too bad yet, and she hoped that things would keep up like that as well.

As they walked, one body emerged from behind her to walk by her side. She was a few inches taller than Amber, and about twice as strongly built. Celeste, someone who Amber had become close friends with, had come to speak with her. It was a slight break from the things that Solace had told them to do, but he had also said that they should also seek guidance from a Priest if ever they felt their own musings were leading them astray. Amber thought that she could guess what was troubling her friend, but didn't try to assume. "What's the matter?"

A small, slightly awkward smile came across the taller woman's face, but she didn't hesitate to say, "You're really going to help the undead, right? Even after everything we've been told?"

Amber thought that would be the case. She hadn't really gone into a great deal of depth as to why she wanted to lead what she considered her closest family in such a cause, and knew that she would have to soon, not only to Celeste, but to the group as a whole. She was sure that Celeste's doubt wasn't an isolated incident.

She spoke softly, as she always did. "Yes, I really am. I know, Solace has told us about what the undead did in his time, but this isn't his time anymore. Things have changed. And I'm not saying that I trust the undead completely, because I don't. I simply see that they are not the biggest threat to things anymore. I mean, I don't think the undead set that fire back there." She indicated the place they had left behind with a nod on her head. "If they did, why stop there, and why that place? You've seen Naze, and you've heard about how he acts. He wouldn't just pick a random place in the city to burn. Demons, on the other hand, would be perfectly fine doing something like that."

Celeste walked in silence for a few more moments, processing everything that Amber had said. She wasn't the quickest thinker, and tended to stay on the simple side of things. Amber knew that a complex explanation of the situation wouldn't do much good, so instead opted to simplify it. "Have you seen anything Solace was talking about? The rampant attacks, and lunges for power?"

Celeste smiled, happy to have a question she could answer with assurance. "No, none of that. But he did bring back the old Hunters. I'd say that counts."

Amber sighed. "If the Hunters hadn't been brought back from the dead, then the military would not be able to respond completely to the demons. That would be even worse. And besides, they still have their minds, and their souls aren't corrupted. I've met with Yang twice, and she is almost exactly the same as a living person. It's not the same as what Solace said necromancers used to do."

Celeste went quiet again, and Amber looked up to find that they were almost to the hospital. "Get with the others, we can talk about this when we get back. I'll talk with everybody when we get back. And get ready to do what healing you can."

Celeste looked up at the hospital for a brief second, then nodded, doing as she was told. Amber felt a shiver run up her spine as her command was obeyed. It was still a totally alien feeling.

She returned to her prayer for a few seconds as she approached the door, then stopped as she pushed them open. The small amount she had finished gave her some confidence, and she continued to walk towards the desk. One of the doors seemed to have been subject to a large impact recently, but she didn't know if that was from before or after the alarms had started to go off.

It was a different person behind the desk now than it had been last time, but she didn't mind that too much. They looked rather frazzled, and she could imagine that the stress of the situation had gotten to them. She didn't want to place any more undue stress on the person, and simply said, "Are the injured from the fire here?"

She secretary looked up at her, and nodded. "There were some burns and scratched, major and minor, but the two worst were Huntress girls. Beacon students, I think. They're still being examined, though, so if you want to get in to see them, you'd better hurry."

Amber was somewhat shocked by his forthcoming nature, and it must've shown on her face, because he smirked and said, "Yeah, about the whole hospital knows about you. Someone doesn't just walk into a hospital, heal majorly injured patients, and walk out without getting noticed. I'm supposed to let you go wherever you want to go." He leaned to the side, peering at the other Paladins behind her. "You can take your friends too, I guess."

He gave her the location that the Huntresses were at, and she thanked him. It was good that she was being let in so easily.

The halls of the hospital were sterile, and somewhat comforting to Amber, but she knew that she was getting strange looks from everyone they passed. She knew that their robes and rather large entourage were out of place, but she was going to do good.

When they got to the emergency room, she told the Paladins to wait outside. The last thing that injured people needed was to be crowded by so many people. The door opened, and she stepped in, finding the room startling.

The bright yellow of Yang's hair was the first thing that she saw, and the undead girl quickly turned to see who the newcomer was. She didn't look happy, though, and Amber quickly saw why. On two beds behind her, the ones who Amber was fairly sure were her teammates lay still, one with a welt of alarming size on their head, and the other with their torso tilted at an odd angle.

There was no time to take the situation in, though, as Yang quickly stepped towards Amber, grabbing her shoulders with her hands in a grip that would probably leave bruises, and said, "Oh thank everything! Listen, they need you, like, now! You've got to do something!"

She was pushed towards the beds, and it was clear that Yang was in a state of distress. Amber tried to speak as she was pushed, wanting to find out what their issues were. "Yang, you need to calm down. Tell me what happened. Quickly, if possible."

The quick explanation left her with many more questions than she had anticipated, but she was able to tell the basics. Weiss had been kicked from a rooftop, and Blake had been struck in the head. Neither were particularly encouraging as to Amber's job, but she was going to do her best. Apparently Yang's sister had also broken an arm, but an injury like that was dwarfed by what the other two had suffered, and she had been taken elsewhere in the hospital.

Amber stepped towards one of the beds, putting her hands out and summoning the Light she had become so familiar with, and started to bring them towards Blake's wound. The welt was large, discolored, and looked like it was going to burst, but before she tried to treat it she needed to know the extent of the damage.

Before she could finish diagnosing the damage, Yang put a hand on her shoulder, distracting her. "What's wrong with her? Is she going to be alright?" A second after she asked the question, she drew her hand back like it had been burned. "Ow! Right, Holy power, I forgot…" her voice trailed off, and left a silence for Amber to speak.

"Yes, I'm using Holy energy, so you'd better stand back. Now, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to focus to find out what's wrong. To do that, I need some quiet, alright?"

The undead sighed and stepped back, saying, "Alright, I guess you're right. You kind of sound like Blake, you know that?"

Amber smiled, taking it as a compliment.

She returned to healing, letting the light flow through her and into Blake once again. It didn't look good, there was major damage. She was no doctor, but it appeared that her skull had actually been fractured by the force of the blow, as well as some heavy bruising of the brain. It was a serious injury, and one that if left untreated, could cost Blake her life.

Fortunately, it was also a fairly easy thing for the light to fix. Amber let the power surge out, feeling the hairline cracks in the bone close up, and the fluid stop flowing from inside. The soft tissue of the brain was harder to manage, but with great care, Amber knit the closely tied blood vessels back together. Unfortunately, the blood and spinal fluid that had already leaked out could not be returned to circulation. Amber was good, but she wasn't that good. The fluid would have to dissipate on its own, or be drained by a professional, she wasn't going to try anything.

She let out a breath, and looked down at Blake's face. She was tense, and looked troubled, but Amber suspected that that was only the result of bad dreams. Even so, she knew that when the faunus woke up, she would have what was going to be the worst headache of her life.

Amber turned to face the other bed, containing the Schnee girl. She looked like even more of a mess than Blake did, and her injury looked like it was far less treatable. As she walked over to the bed, she turned lightly and spoke to Yang, saying, "I did what I could. Her skull was fractured, and I healed most of her concussion. She might still have a few problems when she waked up, but they should be far more manageable now. Now, you said that Weiss fell on her back from a rooftop?"

Yang nodded before taking a step to Weiss's side, then immediately stepped back when she realized how close to Amber she was. "Yeah, and got kicked in the chest. She's got to be really messed up."

Amber put her hands out, and before she even started to use the light, she could tell that Yang's assessment of "really messed up" was something of an understatement. She was laid out on the bed flat on her back, and her torso bent to the side. If it were possible, Amber would have turned her over, but she knew it would be best to inspect the damage to her chest first.

She conjured the light again, and gently put her hands on Weiss's sternum. Or, at least, where her sternum should have been. Instead of the hard bone she expected to find, disconnected fragments and shards met with Amber's fingertips, sliding and shifting in ways that bone shouldn't.

Amber immediately felt guilty. She shouldn't have spent the time on Blake first. Every second that Weiss's injury was affecting her, more bone cells would die, making the bone harder and harder to repair. Amber felt the light inside of her dim a little when she realized her mistake. The girl could die because of such a poor decision.

The glow began to subside from Amber's hands, but she soon refocused her mind. No, she wasn't going to lose control, and she certainly wasn't going to let Weiss die. Her light returned, stronger than it had been before, and she pushed herself to make it do as she wished.

The light was blinding, and Yang was forced to cover her eyes, as not even the dead receptors could withstand such a burst. An odd feeling filled her body like nothing had since she had died, and as she took a few more steps back from the Priestess, she tried to figure out what it was. Pain? It didn't seem as sharp as she remembered, but that was definitely a possibility. Her body stopped responding as much as it should have when she gave it commands, and she soon found that she had slunk to her knees, leaning against a wall for support. Whatever happened, it would be good for Weiss, but she didn't want to get forced back into the nothingness of death. Not yet, anyways. There was a lot left to do. Demons to kill, people to save, adventures to have…

Before her musings could continue, the light dimmed again, and Amber crumpled to the floor, just barely catching herself with her hands before her face hit the ground. Yang raised an eyebrow, and pushed herself back to her feet. "You alright? That looked like it took a lot out of you."

Yang took a shambling, zombie-like step towards Amber, holding out a stiff arm to help the Priestess up. Amber peered back, disoriented for a few seconds, before smiling and reaching out to take the help. Yang tried to close her hand around Amber's wrist to better help her up, but her fingers didn't respond. She settled for letting Amber do the gripping.

Amber smiled her thanks, and turned back to Weiss, putting an arm on the side of the bed to help support her weight. "Well, I managed to fix her chest, but I'm afraid that the problem is deeper than that. There's a spinal injury that could potentially ruin Weiss's life, and if I want a better look at it, we're going to have to flip her over. If we had done it before, we could have collapsed her ribcage, but now it should be much safer. There's still a risk that we could make her back injury worse flipping her, but as long as we're gentle, it should be alright."

Yang gave Amber another raised eyebrow, but agreed. Weiss couldn't be helped if they didn't know the extent of her injury.

Amber took a few small steps to the side, making room for Yang, and started to slowly slide her hands under Weiss's back. She motioned for Yang to do the same, and she did. Her body was starting to come under her control again, which was good, because she was sure that something like this was going to require a lot of coordination.

Weiss felt hot, and Amber was startled to find that she could feel the vertebrae of Weiss's spine several inches before she should've. She didn't let that distract her though, instead starting to gently lift. "Come on. Slowly, but not too soft."

Yang lifted, and Weiss's unconscious body started to move. As she did so, Amber moved her hands out from under her and adjusted Weiss's arms so that they wouldn't get in the way. Weiss completed the flip, and both girls breathes a sigh of relief that nothing else had happened.

"Now, I would be able to tell more precisely what the damage is if I could touch her skin. With her chest it was fine, bone isn't too complex, but this…" Amber didn't need to finish the sentence. Before she had, Yang was tearing the white clothing off, being careful not to disturb her body, but not giving the cloth any mercy. The hole was wide enough in seconds, and when the majority of the wound was revealed Amber said, "That's enough."

Yang was smart enough to put as much distance between herself and the Paladin as she could this time, and got ready to turn away from the process if she needed to. She was sure to be close by the door as well, but in case Amber needed to go all out with her miracles.

Amber's fingers started to glow again, but it was nowhere near as harsh a light as the last time. She had no intent of healing it yet. She needed to know everything she could.

The results were not good. She found as she probed gently with her fingers that the bones of Weiss's spine had been crushed, and several were misaligned so that any more pressure could slice right through her spinal cord, paralyzing her from the waist down.

She shuddered to think of what something like that must have felt like. Her mind raced with possibilities she might be able to use to save the girl, but nothing came to mind. If he tried to heal the wound, the structure of the spine would shift, potentially severing precious nerve connections, which she knew she couldn't fix.

The risk was too great. Something else would have to be done first, before she was even willing to attempt something like that.

She stepped back from the bed, and gave Yang a sad shake of her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that one. Something else has to be done first. Maybe a surgery can get her to the point where I could help, but she's not there now."

Yang looked worried, but nodded her head understandingly. "That's alright. And, I mean, that last one really wiped you out, didn't it? You collapsed and everything. Maybe it's best that you get some rest first. Don't worry, I'm sure that we can figure something out."

Her words were comforting, but Amber's head still spun with thoughts. Maybe she could try healing slowly. That would reduce the risk of reforming vertebrae damaging the spinal cord, but wouldn't help if the angle caused it to be severed. Using not only her powers, but those of the Paladins she had brought as well wouldn't make that any better, as the healing needed to be guided, and none of them were capable of the control needed. There had to be some way…

Amber gave a startled gasp when a hand touched her shoulder, and she found Yang waving her other hand in front of her face. "Hello? Remnant to Amber, come in."

She saw that she had snapped her out of her focus, and gave her a small smile. "Listen, you can't do everything. I know it sucks, but sometimes other people have to do their jobs. I'll make sure that they don't make a move without you, if you want. Then you can jump in and heal her up whenever you get the chance. Does that sound good?"

Amber sighed, looked at the ground, and nodded. Yang seemed to speak with some kind of personal passion on this. It was easy to imagine the heavily built blonde getting herself into more trouble than she could handle, and Amber would've guessed that it took more than a few lessons to teach her what she had just said.

Turning down wisdom like that was nothing but folly, so Amber decided to listen. She stepped away from the bed, and looked around for a place to sit. She hadn't noticed it before, but her legs felt like they were about to give out on her again. She had used more power than she needed to heal her sternum, she knew that now. She had simply gotten caught up in the moment, and let the zeal she had felt guide her actions.

Yang pulled a char from the nearby corner, and scooted it along the ground, seat facing Amber. She looked at it a few seconds, then took it gratefully. As she sat, a positive thought entered her mind. "Oh, Yang, I've something to tell you!"

Yang leaned back against the wall, folding her arms and saying, "Yeah? What is it?"

Amber smiled, in spite of the grim state she had been in before, as she tried to imagine Yang's reaction to the only good news that Amber could give. "Remember your little… offer you made me a while ago? I talked to Solace, and he agreed to let me lead the Order in helping you. I think working together is going to be good."

When Yang reacted, it was with a crooked, cocky smile. She leaned forwards off of the wall and clapped her hands together, stepping towards Amber again. "That's awesome! I'm sure Naze will be… well, he is never really happy about anything, but he'll do the closest thing he can. I'm happy, though! I'm sure you'll do a great job. And besides, the world could sure use a little more help against the demons and all that."

Amber nodded eagerly, and asked, "Yes, but how can we get into that? I mean, we don't have means for transportation, or provisions to support an extended campaign. We barely have enough to fight a battle!"

Her voice raised gradually as the thoughts of everything they didn't have flooded into her head, but Yang reached out and put a hand on her shoulder again. "Hey, it's going to be fine. I don't think Naze is going to have any objections to us taking you somewhere, and even if he does, I'm sure that you can find someone else who will want you out there fighting. Don't worry about it."

A moment after she finished encouraging Amber, she withdrew her hand, flipping her wrist from side to side like her fingers had been burned and making a high pitched yelp. Amber moved towards her, concerned, then stopped herself. It was touching that hurt her, so doing it more wouldn't help anything. Still, it didn't feel good to know that she had hurt Yang, even if it was something so minor.

The door opened, and both girls turned to find a man in a white coat staring at them, a shocked look on his face. Yang was the first to speak, saying, "Hey, Doc, about time you showed up. Weiss needs your help." She gestured to her unconscious friend, and the doctor took a few steps towards her, a mortified look on his face.

Amber turned to face her too, and started to speak in a slightly timid voice, saying, "She's been badly injured. Her chest was in danger of collapse, but I was able to fix it. Now the only problem is her spine. A few vertebrae are broken, and she's in danger of becoming paralyzed. I didn't want to try healing it, because I could end up doing far more harm than good."

He eyed Amber for a moment before saying, "Healed? Ah, you're the Priest. Right, well, if your powers cannot heal the wound, what can we do? I apologize, but the limits of your abilities are rather unknown to us."

Amber shook her head, and replied, "No, its fine. To be honest, I'm not really too sure myself. Anyways, her spine needs to be straightened before I can do anything, and I'm certain that the only way that could be done is through surgery. Please, every moment we delay, the healing process is going to be more difficult. If we could hurry this up…"

The man grunted, and pulled a clipboard from his side, looking it over. "Yes, emergency preparations have been made for surgery. You will want to be present, correct?" Amber nodded, and he continued. "Then you will have to come with me to prep. What about her?"

He gestured to Blake, eyeing the discolored welt on her head. Amber answered as best she could, with as much surety as she could manage. "She had a concussion, and a slight skull fracture, but I was able to heal that. I am concerned about the fluids, though. Will those left behind have to be drained to relieve pressure, or would it be better to left to drain naturally?"

The doctor peered for a minute before shaking his head, saying, "No, I do not believe that to be necessary. It may be painful for a while, but it should be better in a day or two. The one that requires more urgent attention is her." He indicated Weiss, and started to move again, taking the head of her bed in his hands and thumbing some mechanism that the others hadn't known was there. A small click indicated that a lock had been released, and he started to push. The bed moved easily, and Amber walked with him and the bed.

Yang started to follow them, but Amber looked over her shoulder, a sorry look on her face. "I'm sorry, but it'd probably be best if you didn't come. I know you mean well, but you'd probably only get in the way. If you really want to help, you could find something else to do. How is your sister? You could go and check on her."

Yang felt somewhat dejected, but she knew that Amber was probably right. The last things that surgeons needed was for her to be hovering around during the operation. She nodded, and let the three leave before leaving herself. She would be sure to come back before Blake woke up, and tell her what happened. Until then, she guessed that she could hang out with Ruby and Summer.

She waited a few more moments before leaving the room, and when she did, she found herself surrounded by Holy power. She could feel it, pushing against her, but she stood against it as best as she could.

The Paladins looked at her with shocked expressions, and she thought she could detect a few malicious or mistrusting glints in their eyes. She walked past them, not saying a word. She guessed that they didn't have anything to say to her, which was good, because she wasn't terribly interested in having a conversation either.

She walked, and they parted before her, giving a path out. At least their manners were alright. As she walked past, she tried to keep from looking at any one in particular for too long. They all had an odd haze surrounding them, like there was some kind of gaseous light surrounding them. It obscured their faces, some more heavily than others, and made Yang feel uneasy. They would certainly have the edge in a fight against her, but she wouldn't count herself out. She had tricks up her sleeves too, more magic than they would know what to do with. It'd just be a matter of being able to pop it off before she got taken down.

She shook the violent thoughts out of her mind. It was her brawling nature to size up any possible opponent, but now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time to get to Ruby and Summer. She hurried her steps, and tried to find her way through the hospital as fast as she could. Ruby's injuries weren't too bad, she had only broken an arm, a small blow compared to what her other team members had suffered, but still something that she would have to deal with. Her aura would be able to heal it in a few days if she just got a cast, but Yang hoped that maybe Amber would be able to stop by after Weiss was all fixed up and repair Ruby as well. She wasn't about to ask one of those Paladins to do it, they were strangers. She wasn't going to trust Ruby to one of them.

She rounded a corner and walked towards an elevator, trying to remember what room Ruby had been placed in. She wasn't going to stay, of course, but she would have to stay there for a while after she got the cast.

Yang stopped before pushing the button to call the elevator, distracted for a second by the fact that the doors looked deformed, like someone had tried to shove their hand through the doors. She couldn't imagine who would do that, but figured that they'd probably done a pretty good job of it.

She hit the button, and waited, arms crossed, for the elevator to come. As she waited, she thought about the Paladins. They gave off that energy that almost repelled her, and in Amber's case did, but did they mean to do that? She didn't think so. Amber certainly hadn't, at least. Whether they meant it or not didn't change the fact that it did repel her, though, and that put the two groups, undead and Holy Order, at natural odds with one another.

It was a shame. She'd learned all about the battles that had been fought between the two. Vicious didn't even begin to describe some of the conflicts between the Order and Necromancers. Entire cities were fought over by both sides, and for a long while it seemed the Order was doomed to fail, and that the dead would overtake the living.

Then something strange happened. The Paladins got an upper hand, a more complete understanding of the powers that they wielded. It was something that they didn't hesitate to use in their fights, and that had essentially borne them out of the dire situation they had been in. She hadn't studied far enough to know where that little leap had come from, but she had the feeling that Naze had something to do with it. It was hard to imagine, and would be more than a little ironic, but by no means impossible. Naze had done stranger things, to be sure.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open, one more slowly than the other. It sounded damaged, but then again, it probably was. She stepped inside, wondering if the thing was actually safe, and hit the button again. The doors slid closed again, and it started to move up.

Falling down the elevator shaft would probably be pretty exciting, at least for a few seconds. The fact that she would probably have to spend a few hours digging pieces of herself out of the rubble, however, was enough to make her reconsider that.

Her foot tapped against the floor of the box as it was dragged up by its cables, and she wished that it was going faster. Thankfully, Ruby wasn't too far up, so the ride would be short anyways. When the doors did finally slide slowly open, she stepped out, and started to look for Ruby's room. It didn't take long to find, as she heard her mother's voice far before she could see her.

She peeked around a doorway, and smiled when she saw what was happening. Ruby already had her arm wrapped in a hard cast, and was rubbing on its side gently. Summer was saying, "Ruby, don't pick at it. You need to let it dry first. Trust me, I've had my share of casts."

Yang entered the room, tapping the doorway as she did, smiling and waving. "How's things up here? I see Ruby has a stylish new accessory to show off."

Her sister stuck her tongue out, blowing a childish raspberry that made Yang smirk. Yang returned the action, and then shrugged her shoulders, stepping closer. "What? I'm serious, it looks good on you! You can get it signed, show it off, everything! That sounds fun, right?"

Ruby snorted, and gave the injured arm a stiff wave. "Beware all who face the mighty cast arm!"

Both Yang and Summer laughed, but Ruby instantly looked like her mood was dampened. She waited for a moment for the laughter to die down, then asked, "So, how are Weiss and Blake? Are they going to be alright?"

Yang hesitated, and rubbed the back of her head as she tried to think of a way to say it without actually revealing just how damaged Weiss was. "Well, I mean, Blake isn't bad, Amber came by and healed her. But Weiss…" her voice trailed off for a few seconds, and both Ruby and her mother started to look worried. She picked up quickly, saying, "She isn't too great, but she's getting surgery right now. She's going to be good to go before you know it."

Ruby had a hopeful look, but Summer didn't mirror that. Instead, she stood, and said gently to Ruby, "Stay here, please. I'd like to talk to Yang about some undead stuff. Nothing too important."

Ruby tilted her head, puzzled, then shrugged. "Alright, whatever."

Yang stepped out of the room, and waited as her mother followed her. She closed the door behind her, and looked at her daughter with a slightly anxious expression. "I'm sorry, I know you probably want to comfort your sister, but I need to discuss a few things. Has Naze been telling you what's going on?"

Yang shook her head. "No, not really. I mean, I know what's up with Adam, but I haven't heard about Cinder in a while. Why?"

Summer sighed, and leaned up against the wall. "Cinder is coming to Vytal next. Menagerie is hers, and now she wants this place. If either Vale or Vacuo fall to her, she'll become too powerful to stop. Luckily Naze doesn't think she'll try for either of those places first. She'd rather have him out of the way, then take the world at her leisure. Do you see why that's a good thing?"

Yang nodded, and gave a smile. "If she thinks she can take the ziggurat, she's got another thing coming. She could throw as much of an army she wants at it, and never make any progress."

Summer nodded, but didn't seem too happy. "Yes, but it's only a matter of time until she realizes that, and diverts her attention elsewhere. You know the reason Naze hasn't attacked her outright yet is, right? Because he doesn't want to be seen as someone who will rise up and save the world. He's not interested in that, but he's less interested in everyone dying off. When Cinder attacks, he will have no reservations about destroying her. We just have to wait until then."

Yang nodded again, and asked, "Will he actually fight? Like, as in, go toe to toe with her? If so, we could try to sell tickets. I'd pay to see that."

Summer shook her head. "Yang, this isn't something to joke about. My worry is that Cinder may be too powerful. Yes, Naze is a Lich, but Cinder may be on another level entirely. She might not take the ziggurat, but Naze might not be able to push back. If that happens, Cinder wins. I think that's why he wants to use Adam to his advantage, as well as the people of Remnant. He knows what's coming, and he is trying to soften her up as much as he can before they meet."

This news came as a great surprise to Yang. She had never thought that someone would be able to outclass Naze. He could command the very powers of death itself, so how could someone kill him? He was already dead!

Her voice was slow to exit her throat. "So… what? Why are you telling me this?"

Her mother heaved another sigh, and put an arm out towards her daughter. She wanted to give what little comfort she could before she gave her daughter the terrible warning. It wrapped around her shoulders, and she said in a hushed voice, "Because a lot of sacrifices will have to be made, and I don't want you to be hurt if someone close to you…"

She couldn't finish the sentence. By the look on Yang's face, she got what Summer meant. Any one of her friends, any number of people, all could potentially die. Or worse, be corrupted.

Its wasn't a good piece of news to deliver, but she had to anyways. Now that she had, there was a weight off her chest. Yang wouldn't like confronting that fact, though. There was nothing she could do about that. It was better that she know and be somewhat prepared than not.

The weight was gone, but that didn't change the fact that the terrible event was coming. She would have to enforce the defenses of Vytal to ensure that no stragglers from the demonic force were able to corrupt the cities.


	56. Chapter 56

Author's Note:

This chapter is pretty feely, so I've heard. So tell me how you feel about that.

* * *

Roman tried for a while to pick himself off the ground, but found that Cinder had done a fine job of making walking a daunting task. He had ended up crawling a short distance to a nearby tree, putting his back to it, and taking some time to recover.

Cinder had dragged Neo off, and he didn't know what was happening to her. Cinder had been getting weirder and weirder, but this was over a line. If there was anything he could do to get his friend back, he was going to do it. At some point he must have slipped into unconsciousness, because when his body jerked back into motion, and his eyes opened again.

A small crowd of people was starting to surround him again, drooling and muttering to one another about various things, the way Roman looked when he slept, the complexion of his skin, color of his clothes, things that seemed totally random to Roman. They seemed to be some of the more "normal" people who followed Cinder, and by that, he meant that they weren't starting to mutate into disgusting monsters. At least, not yet.

His action was based mostly on his gut reaction, and that was to tighten his fingers around his cane and take a few swings at the freaks.

A smile came across his face as the metal end connected with more than a few cheekbones, resulting in some satisfying cracking sounds, but they were also accompanied by a few satisfied yelps and moans. A scowl came across Roman's face, and he started to push against the tree, getting back to his feet. "Alright, back off, or you get a nice hot Dust round to the face."

The threat seemed barely effective, but did award him some space. He found that his body didn't have quite the ridiculous pain he had suffered before passing out, but he was still considerably sore. That had never stopped him from beating someone down before, though, and now was going to be no exception.

He took a threatening step towards them, feeling his legs wobble beneath him, but didn't let his weakness show. The others did back off slightly, but not as much as he would have liked.

His cane met the grass, and he was glad to find that he could walk with nearly no pain if he put his weight on it. He wasn't used to doing that, but it would have to work. He took another step towards the people, larger this time, and found that they did move to the side. He continued to walk, parting the small group and looking around. The airship was still hanging in the horizon, but there was something different about it now. It took Roman a few seconds of peering, but eventually he saw that it was turned the other way, returning to the clearing. That would mean that it had been taken over, no doubt.

In his mind, he saw Neo being dragged away again, and shook his head to rid himself of the grogginess that still lingered. A kind of fire burst to life in his veins that he hadn't known for a long time, and he found all his motions faster, and more aggressive. Cinder was going to give him Neo back, and she was going to pay for anything she had done.

The only problem was that he didn't know where Cinder was. The clearing was large, but there weren't many structures. If he wanted to find Neo, he was going to need some information.

Without hesitating, he turned on his heels and reached out for one of the cultists. They seemed to have mostly forgotten about him, and as he dragged them the few feet between them by the collar of the ragged shirt they still had. It was a young woman, perhaps in her twenties, and her eyes took several seconds to focus on his face. She didn't seem to grasp that Roman was ready to tear her head off if it would get him the answers he wanted, so Roman gave her a few good shakes to try and bring her mind around.

"Hey! Where's Cinder? I'd like to have some words with my "boss" now."

For a few seconds it was like he was talking to a brick wall, then she responded. A dazed smile crept across her face, and she pointed towards the opposite end of the clearing. "She's over there. I wish I was with her, but she wants to be alone right now." A confused look came across her face, and she tilted her head to the side. "Can't you feel her? I can feel her. Everyone can feel her. She's impossible not to feel! You feel her too, right?"

Roman didn't answer. Instead, he let the girl go with an abrasive shove, and turned again to walk in the direction she had indicated. She stumbled back, but caught herself before she fell. Roman started to stalk off, walking as fast as he could making use of the cane that had served him in almost every way other than what a cane was actually designed to do. Now it was serving that purpose, and he was glad he had it. Its use as a blunt instrument, and as a launcher of explosives, was no doubt going to be useful again. Potentially very soon, depending on how Neo was doing.

The wanton acts of debauchery all around were still going on, but his rage made it easier to ignore than before. Now he walked on, knowing that if Cinder wanted, she could probably kill him in a heartbeat. She couldn't just do what she wished with Neo and expect to get away with it.

As he drew closer, he saw a large tent, surrounded by those Cinder had already enslaved. If Neo was going to be like one of them, Roman didn't know what he would do. It was impossible to imagine, and every fiber of his body rejected contemplating it further.

He reached the exterior of the tent, and stopped for a moment to listen. There was heavy breathing by one person, and a slight rustling in a different spot. Two people, one of whom could be Neo. That was enough for him, and he took the last few steps towards the entrance before shouldering his way through the small flap and stopping.

It appeared to be some kind of military tent, with communication devices and maps of the world. On a chair near the map, Cinder was sitting, facing away from him, and giggling quietly to herself. The sight was unnerving, but it was far from his only interest. His eyes drifted around the tent, adjusting to the dim light.

Lying on a pile of what looked like broken shards of mechanical devices, twitching and spasming, was Neo. Her eyes had rolled back in her head, and she looked like she had lost it completely.

Roman moved to her side, his legs flaring up in pain as his cane dropped to the ground, forgotten. He didn't care though, all he wanted to do was see if he could help her. His knees met painfully with the dirt ground as he bent over her, taking her body in his hands and pulling her closer. One hand gently wrapped around the back of her head, gloved fingers running through her hair.

He spoke in a soft, desperate voice, praying to every deity he didn't believe in that she would be alright. When he touched her, her spasms seemed to increase. He didn't know if she was in pain or not, but he started trying to find out. He snapped his fingers in front of her face, saying, "Hey! Neo, come on! Wake up! Give me something!"

She didn't respond in any way that suggested she was conscious, instead her eyes simply rolled back further in her head. From behind him, Roman heard Cinder's chuckling stop, and she said, "Don't worry. She's simply in awe of the things I gave her. It's such a pity though, she was far more resistant than the others, and in the end, I don't think that she would have adjusted. Now she'll just have to feel my gift-" she drew in a breath, like she was savoring the moment "-forever."

Roman's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Cinder, Neo still firmly in his grasp. "What? How could you do that? What did you do to her?"

His shout rang out in the clearing beyond the tent, but he didn't care. Cinder had crossed a very clear line. It was hard to see the woman he used to work for anymore. Now he only saw a monster. A smirk slid across Cinder's face, and she spoke in a sultry whisper, barely loud enough to hear. "She was so fun to toy with. You should have seen her face."

Neo slid out of Roman's arms and gently back to the floor, while Roman stood back up and faced his former mistress. He wanted to say something, to make some demand or throw some scalding insult, but nothing came to him. Instead, the only sound he made was a low growl from somewhere deep in his throat. His vision went red, and he charged at Cinder.

He didn't remember picking his cane off the ground, but when he lashed out to attack, it was back in his hands. The curve of the handle felt smooth against his palm, and the end whistled through the air as it rushed towards Cinder.

Just before it hit, Cinder moved almost faster than his eyes could see. She ducked down, allowing the metal to soar over her head, then leaped off the chair towards him. He didn't have time to react before her knees hit his shoulders, and he was knocked off balance. He fell towards the ground, and felt the air leave his lungs when his body slammed into the dirt.

Cinder spoke again, leaning close to Roman's face, breath heavy on his face. "Oh Roman, do you really think you can hurt me? You? No, my dear, to me, you are like an insect. I could swat you away any time I please." Her knees pushed down harder, and he felt sharp pain start to stab into his shoulders. Bone was beginning to be pushed apart, and if she kept up his arms would be dislocated.

Cinder didn't look like what she was struggling in the least. In fact, if Roman were to focus on her face instead of continuously struggling to push her off, he would have seen a twisted, perverse expression on her face. She was taking a great deal of pleasure in this, and he knew it.

One of the legs slid across his chest, and for a second provocative thoughts entered his mind, before the smooth leg pushed against his throat, cutting off his heavy breathing. "You have no idea what you passed up, Roman. You could be over there, losing yourself with her, unable to think about anything else. But no, you kept your control, and decided to stay miserable. It's sad, really. You don't even know what you're missing."

If he'd had the ability, he would have spat the glob of saliva that had gradually built up in his mouth directly at her face, both trying to get her off of him, and to show what he thought of her offer. He couldn't, though, and instead simply continued to struggle. His head was starting to ring, and his vision started to blur. The feeling of the ground starting to undulate underneath him was disorienting, and soon the only thing that he could make out from his eyes was Cinder's smirking face.

Then the pressure lifted off of his throat, and Cinder's face disappeared. He gasped for air, fingers clawing at his windpipe, trying to make sure that there was nothing obstructing it. His body gradually scraped enough oxygen back through his lungs to bring his mind back around, and he rolled over, coughing and spluttering, crawling over to Neo once again.

The strain on his shoulders and arms didn't feel good at all, and his vision still swam, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Neo was still twitching and jerking in an erratic manner, and her eyes were still rolled back. Roman tried to get her to look at him, but her eyes simply ignored him, like he wasn't even there.

It was a crazy idea, and he was sure that his oxygen deprivation had something to do with his coming up with it, but that didn't deter him as he reached for his chest, digging his fingers under his clothing for the little medallion he had been given. It protected him from what Cinder tried to do, so maybe it would be able to drive out whatever she had done to Neo. He felt blisters as he pulled it away, and was sure that there was going to be some permanent damage to the area from the heat that the thing had generated. It was better than the alternative, though.

As he drew the thing out from beneath his coat, he started to feel nervous. Would it be safe to take the thing off? If he did, would he become corrupted? He didn't know, but it was a risk he had to take. Carefully, he lifted the line that had kept it secure over his head, and drew it away from his body. Immediately, he felt his muscles relax, almost against his will, but he bit down on his tongue and kept going. The further the trinket got from him, the more he wanted to simply slump over and go to sleep. He bit down harder on his tongue, and leaned closer to her. "Don't worry, you're going to be alright."

He didn't know if that was true, but he had to try. He pushed his trinket against Neo's chest hard, and closed his eyes, hoping that it would work. Neo continued to twitch under his fingers, he could feel it, but it could have been his imagination.

Her breathing was hard and ragged, but started to slow. Roman felt the amulet grow hotter and hotter, burning his hand through his glove. He wasn't about to let go of it, though, Neo meant too much to him. The heat in the object continued to grow, as if it was leeching some kind of energy out of Neo's body. He hoped it was, but also that it wouldn't do any damage to his friend. The smell of burning skin started to enter his nostrils, and the pain in his hands was too much to bear.

He withdrew his hand, eyes watering and fingers closing tightly into the scorched palm, trying to keep it from hurting. He looked up at her, hoping to see that she was getting better, but what he did see horrified him.

The object was lying flat against her exposed skin, and the fat around it was starting to practically boil, sizzling and spitting. The amulet looked like it couldn't be removed now if he tried, and if he did, his hands would join the melting mass.

Neo, though, didn't look like she could feel the slightest bit of pain. Instead, her eyes had locked to a certain point on the limp ceiling of the tent. She was blinking rapidly, like she was trying to interpret what her eyes were showing her, and slowly coming to grips with reality again. It was a bizarre to see her like this, and he didn't like it. She was always more handled than this, and he knew she wouldn't like him seeing it.

The only thing that he could do was to struggle back to his feet, and turn to the door of the tent. No one was going to interrupt this process, and he wasn't going to let Neo get hurt. He had to make sure that the amulet didn't burn straight through her, and that she wasn't disturbed.

He bent over and picked his cane back up, stretching as best he could. If anyone was going to come in, he would beat them senseless without hesitation. Unless, of course, it was Cinder. Then he would be hopeless.

There was no need to stay standing and wear himself out, though. He found the chair that Cinder had been sitting on and positioned himself nearby Neo. It didn't sound like anyone was drawing near, but he tried to keep his guard up. The drain on his mind continued to try and beacon him to sleep, but he continued to resist as best he could. It was certainly more difficult without the amulet, but it was too hot to touch now, and he knew that the thing probably didn't need the extra strain.

He looked over his shoulder again, and found that Neo was starting to seem more conscious. Her eyes roved around the tent like she was trying to take in her environment but couldn't quite get it right. He spoke hopefully, saying, "Neo? Can you hear me?"

Her eyes flicked to his face, lingered for a few seconds, then returned to flicking around. She could hear, he was sure, she just didn't quite know what it meant. He shook his head, trying to calm himself without giving the urge to sleep any ground in his mind.

At least it didn't seem that he would have to wait long. Neo seemed to have made great progress in recovering very quickly, which was good, because the skin around the amulet was starting to look quite damaged.

He had to wait what felt to him like a painfully long time, doing nothing but watching the entrance, and occasionally looking back at his friend, trying to see if she was conscious yet. The first time he did, she seemed to be coming around a little more, with fewer movements and slowing breath, but still not responding to anything with understanding. The second time, her movements seemed to be more efforts to figure out where she was. She grasped around at the dirt, the material of the tent, and the pieces of metal beneath her. It occurred to Roman that he probably should have checked to see if any of those shards were stabbing into her back, but it was a little late for that now.

The third time that he looked back, he jumped up to his feet, finding that Neo was reaching out to him. "Neo! Hey, are you alright? What's wrong?" She seemed like she was in pain, and was reaching out to Roman, her fingers stretched out, trying to get as close as possible. When he leaped over to her side again, he could also see a hand clutching at the charm, like she was trying to scrape it out.

Roman paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. If she took it out, any corruption that was still afflicting her would remain. He could do this again later, of course, and make sure that she was fixed, but he would have to wait for the thing to cool off.

Neo's eyes gave him a certain glint, showing clearly that she was in pain. Something like that was impossible for him to ignore. He couldn't just let her suffer, even if she was still somewhat different. Without hesitating, he reached forward, gritted his teeth, and wrapped his fingers around the thing. The pain was immediate, he could feel the heat radiating through his glove and burning his flesh, but he didn't let that stop him. His fingers dug into the hardened flesh around the object, and he found that it was surprisingly stuck. A panic started to set into his mind, and his movements became more frantic, trying to work the thing from one side to the other, loosening it.

Pieces of charred fat and other tissue started to fall away, and Neo expression changed from one of panic and pain to one of just pain. Her arms flailed in Roman's direction, and one just happened to impact one of his injured shoulders. The pain was immediate and sharp, but when he glanced back to her face, he saw that her eyes were tightly shut. To someone else that might have meant little, but he knew Neo's pain tolerance was far beyond that of a normal human's. If it was bad enough to make her act like this, then getting the thing out was the best thing he could do.

He dropped his cane and put both hands towards his task, leaning as far away from her flailing arms as he could. It was a few tense seconds before he got any kind of a good grip on the thing, but when he felt one side pop out of the indent it had created, he didn't hesitate to jerk it out with as much force as he could manage.

Neo had never made so much as a whisper before, but the amount of air that suddenly started to come from her mouth indicated that if she could, she would be screaming bloody murder. His hands started to burn again, and he dropped the amulet. It skittered across the dirt, making more hissing noises as it destroyed anything it touched.

Without tending to his own injuries, he reached out to Neo, and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and whispering uncharacteristic comforts to her. Slowly, he felt the panicked and pained movements slow, and eventually stop. When they did, he slowly moved her away, until she was at arm's length, and looked her in the eye.

She was looking at him too, still scared, but also grateful. Her hands were over the burn, covering it from Roman's sight, but he wanted to see if it was going to be a serious problem or not. He wasn't very experienced with medicine, but he was sure that he could do something about it. Clean it, give her painkiller, something.

The two stared at each other for a few moments, Neo gradually calming down, before Roman finally asked, "Can I see that?"

He pointed to the spot her hands covered, and she gave a slow nod, hesitating slightly before letting them fall away. Roman was surprised to find that the blackened, burned, and aggravated red flesh was almost gone, replaced by normal pale skin. A few lines of redness, speckled with blisters and burns, still stood, but they gradually disappeared as it seemed like pale healthy skin knit over it, repairing all the damage that Roman could see.

Roman smiled and laughed, shaking his head as he spoke with renewed spirit. "I can't believe I forgot about that." He sighed, and Neo gave him an enthusiastic smile.

She lurched forward and hugged him again, and he returned the motion, happy that she seemed to be fine. As he did this though, his hands erupted in a new wave of pain, and he involuntarily jerked back. Neo backed off, sensing his pain before he could say anything. She grabbed his wrists and turned them to the side, revealing the palms of his gloves.

Charred and melted leather met her eyes, and she looked back to Roman's face with an expression he didn't know how to place. It was like she was furious at him for doing this to himself, but also overtaken with gratitude he had.

She gently moved his hands away, and wrapped her arms around his neck. This hug was different than the last. That one had been from the heat of the moment, two desperate people overjoyed that they hadn't lost everything. This one was between two people who owed each other everything, and knew they would do anything for one another.

Roman tried to return it as best he could, keeping his hands from touching anything that might cause more pain. He normally considered himself a fairly cold person, not easily moved by anything. But now, the tears that started to drip from his eyes seemed to tell a different story. He could've blamed it on the manipulating effect that the area had on him, or on the stress of the situation, or any number of other reasons, but he knew that they weren't the cause.

He loved Neo.

* * *

Penny hugged herself tightly, trying not to look at Ironwood, who was nothing short of furious. His hands slammed down on the metal table she sat at, and he shouted, "What were you thinking? I mean, what possible excuse is there for this behavior?"

She shrank back away from him, scared for the first time of what he might do to her. He didn't lose his temper easily, and it was a terrifying thing for her to see. He usually kept a cool head, but now he had lost all composure.

She felt terrible about what she did. At the time, it had seemed like the best thing to do. All she ever wanted to do was help, and she had been kept from it. But, maybe her eagerness to do something had made her get ahead of herself. It was simply that when Naze had suggested that she could do something that would benefit everyone, she couldn't possibly say no.

"What did you even hope to accomplish, Penny? All you did was throw a known criminal's weapon away? Do you know what that man is doing now? Do you have any idea what would happen if he managed to get his hands on that thing again? And now it's gone!" The anger was clear in his voice, in his face, and in his body language.

Penny's eyes went to the silvery metal table, and she pushed further against her chair, hoping that maybe she would be able to find some refuge in it. She couldn't, and the one who she considered to be her father continued to berate her. "I try to keep you safe, to give you everything that you could want or need, and this is how you act?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, and shook his head. "I just don't know what to do with you, Penny. You seem to be determined to make everything difficult."

She shifted her arms uncomfortably. She wanted to speak, to say something about how she had only wanted to help, but she knew that doing so would only make him angry again. He seemed to be calming down, which was good. Now she had to make sure that he stayed that way, otherwise she wouldn't be able to handle the situation. Something inside of her simply shut down when Ironwood was angry, and she knew it wasn't a simple mechanism or physical component.

She didn't want to speak, but the silence seemed to generate a pressure on her that continued to grow. After several seconds, she was pushed over the brink of what she could take, and her mouth opened as she started. "I'm sorry Mr. Ironwood. I know that I shouldn't have done what I did. I didn't mean any harm by it, though. No one got hurt, and I'm alright, so there's nothing too bad about it, right?"

This was the wrong thing to say. Ironwood's hand left his nose, and his fingers curled into a tight fist, the material of his glove making a noise as it was pulled. He turned his back to Penny, and seemed to be struggling to keep from becoming too angry. Penny started to stand, wanting to move in front of him so that she could continue apologizing.

When the back legs of the chair scraped against the smooth, sterile floor, Ironwood turned fast, whirling around and slamming a fist into the table, putting a sizeable dent in its solid surface. His face was suddenly mere inches from hers, and was beet red. His voice was the loudest Penny had ever heard, and while it didn't make her ears hurt from volume alone, there was another ache deeper in her chest.

"It is very bad, Penny! We've been working on you for years, and yet you still behave like a delinquent sometimes! It seems that you can't follow even the simplest orders!" It looked like he could have kept going, but made a strong effort to stop. He simply stared, breathing deeply, straight into Penny's eyes.

Tears started to accumulate in Penny's eyes, and her body started to shake. She had been halfway standing, but the strength drained from her legs, and she slumped back into the chair. Her arms were hard to move, but she managed to pull them up to her face, not wanting Ironwood to see her just as much as she didn't want to see him.

Her body curled up, legs pulled towards her chest, and she started to disconnect from the world around her. All she had wanted to do was to help, to save the world, like she had always been told she would do. Why couldn't anyone see that? It seemed like she had been given the power, and the will to become a great hero, but those who had created her were holding her back from this. It was all so confusing. What she was supposed to do and what she wasn't supposed to do were apparently nearly the same thing. Why couldn't she figure the difference out?

When she looked up again, she found that Ironwood was gone. She was alone. She didn't want to be alone, but she was. He had promised to always be there for her, but now he was gone. Nothing was right anymore, and it was all her fault. It had to be.

She stayed there, crying, for a long time. She didn't want to leave, because outside the small room, there would be more people who blamed her for what she had done. They weren't wrong, of course, but she wished desperately that there was something she could do to redeem herself.

As if she could really hear it, the offer Naze had made rattled around in her head again. If she ever wanted, she could seek refuge with him, and escape from Ironwood until she was ready to face him again. It sounded good, but she couldn't simply leave Ironwood like that. She needed him. He supported her whenever she needed it.

Except, of course, for now.

A shift started in her mind, her thoughts starting to slowly rearrange as she thought about her current predicament. She loved Ironwood, but she didn't know if he still loved her. She wanted to stay with him, but she also wanted to save the world. These two things didn't seem like they could both happen, and it broke her heart that she was going to have to choose. It was horrible, but she had to think about it.

Naze had said that she could return to Ironwood whenever she wanted, so maybe that option wasn't so bad. Ironwood didn't like Naze, though, and it was possible that he wouldn't like her either, if she really did go to serve him. But she was sure that she would be making a difference if she went to Naze, as opposed to what she had done so far.

Her emotions started to swirl around in her head, guilt about wanting to leave Mr. Ironwood, who had given her everything, unease at being forced to make a decision like this, anxiety that she would make the wrong choice, and excitement at the prospect of helping people. She just didn't know what to do.

Her bawling returned in full-force now, and made her curl up on the chair, hoping that some kind of freak accident would cause a chasm to open up in the ground below her, swallowing her whole, or that the ceiling would collapse and crush her. Neither of these things happened, though, and she was still left with only her thoughts.

Slowly, and agonizingly, she came to a decision. She would wait to make her final choice. Maybe Ironwood did still love her, but she had been restricted by that for far too long. She had always held her tongue, and tried not to disappoint him in any circumstance. She still desperately wanted to please him, but now she saw that her own goals, wants, and desires were different than his. It all became so clear, when she thought about it, that she didn't know how she had never seen it before. Her desire to help her friends, like Ruby, and to make new ones, like Naze, were things that she ached for, yet had little to no place in Ironwood's plans for her. She, as an independent being, wanted them.

Very suddenly, everything around her seemed sharper, brighter, like a lens had been taken away from her eye. She considered, for the first time, that she wasn't simply "Ironwood's daughter" or, as she had once heard someone say before, "Ironwood's pet." The comment hadn't made sense at first, but now she could see plainly why they had drawn that conclusion. He had trained her, and she had obeyed.

The tears stopped flowing from her eyes, and Penny stood again, her revelations restoring her strength. He considered her a child, and maybe he was right, but she was going to make her own choices from now on. She loved Ironwood dearly, but she would not follow him blindly.

She was going to lead herself to her fate. She was going to make all the friends she wanted, and would do everything she could to make the world a better place.

She was going to talk to Ironwood in a few hours, when she had time to think things out properly. Until then, she was going to return to her room, and think very hard about what she would do. She pulled the door to the room open again, and she stepped out. The place felt different now, but she moved on, undaunted. She was a new girl now, and she wasn't going to try to be anyone else.

* * *

Yang was pacing in the halls of the hospital, when the looming feeling of Naze's attention turning towards her. She didn't need to ask what was up, because before she could, the Lich's voice was already bouncing around her skull. "Yang, go out to the street. There will be a blade in the alleyway across the street from the hospital. Take this blade, and wait for Blake to wake up. When she does, tell her that she is to return it to Adam Taurus, and that she may have to communicate for me to him."

Yang couldn't quite believe what she was hearing was accurate. She knew talking back to Naze might not have been the best idea, but decided that now was a justified time to do it. "Do you remember the last time she tried to talk to him? She got a crack in her skull for her trouble. I really don't think that sending her back to that guy is a good idea."

Naze's response came fast, as it always did when he was communicating directly. "He has been made more aware of his strength by that little incident, and I believe will be able to exercise a little more restraint. At least, long enough to receive the message I have for him."

Yang didn't want to, but she agreed. She would have to make sure that Blake was alright with doing something like that though. If she had even the slightest doubt that she would be safe, Yang couldn't ask her to do it. It wouldn't be right for a friend to ask another to do something like that. Yang didn't know if she would feel good again if something happened to her.

The way to get back to the street was easy, she just had to take another ride on the elevators, and soon she was back out in the sunlight. It didn't feel as good as when she had been alive, but she didn't mind that too much. She scanned the line of buildings opposite the hospital, looking for the alleyway that Naze had told her about. A shade, barely visible against the shadows behind it, was peeking out to look at her.

That was enough direction for her, and she started walking towards it. There wasn't much traffic in the area, so she was fine simply jaywalking. When she got to the alleyway, the Shade beckoned, and led her deeper into the alley. As she followed, she saw the weapon laying on the ground.

As she picked it up, she was surprised by how heavy it felt. From the outside it looked like a simple sword, curved in a way that would make it a ferocious cutter. Its sheath seemed to make up the bulk of the weight, and Yang could tell that there was something she couldn't see about it. Perhaps there were multiple functions to the thing, like most weapons had. She had no doubt that Ruby would love to get her hands on the thing and pick it apart, but she wasn't about to simply give it away.

As she turned to leave, something occurred to her. It wasn't a question of any real consequence, but she decided to ask anyways. "Hey, ghost guy, do you know what this thing is called?"

The Shade turned to look at her, stared for a moment, and then in a voice like a metal brush against a brick answered, "Wilt and Blush."

Yang nodded. That was an alright name, she supposed. There was probably some story behind the name, but she didn't know it. All she did know was that she doubted the wisdom of giving the demon possessed violent psychopath a tool to do more damage. But Naze had a plan, she guessed. He always did. Whether it would work out, she didn't know, but he had to weaken Cinder. That was the most important thing.

As she walked back into the hospital, she got a few scared looks. That was too be expected of someone lugging a blatantly dangerous weapon around with them, she supposed, but most of them had seen her before.

One trip back up the elevator and a quick walk down another hallway was all it took to get her back to Blake's room. The bed that had contained Weiss was still gone, and she knew that there would be some kind of indication if the surgery were over. On what she considered to be a slightly more positive note, the large number of Paladins who had been standing outside were gone, which made entering the room a much less intense experience. When the door shut behind her, she looked at Blake, who was still lying down flat.

She looked peaceful when she slept, in a way that she never did while awake. Yang hated to try and wake her up, but there was nothing else to do. She had to hear the request, and hopefully accept. Yang pulled the weapon close to her side, and walked carefully over to the sleeping faunus.

"Blake, are you awake?"

No response came, so Yang sighed, quietly laid the blade on the ground, and put a hand on Blake's shoulder, shaking.

"Blake, wake up."

She flinched a little, but other than that had no reaction. Yang rolled her eyes, and shook her friend harder. Normally she was a light sleeper, but normally she wasn't recovering from a concussion.

"Blake, get up. We've got serious work to do!"

Her friend groaned, and rolled over on her side, back to Yang. Yang's shoulders slumped, and she glared for a moment before trying a different approach. "Alright-" she spoke with a high, sarcastic tone "-I guess I'll have to deliver Adam's sword by myself."

As soon as the name left her lips, Blake's torso shot up and out from the covers like a catapult, her eyes wide and her breathing suddenly quick. "Adam? Where?" Her voice was panicked, and her eyes darted around the room in erratic patterns.

Yang quickly dropped Wilt and Blush, putting her arms as comfortingly as she could around her friend. "Hey, clam down. He's not here. He's gone, we drove him out of the city. You're in the hospital."

Blake took a few moments to calm, breathing deeply, body tense, before relaxing. "We… we did?" Her voice was skeptical and curious, and Yang didn't blame her. Of course she was going to be confused, she had gotten knocked out.

Yang smiled, saying, "Yeah, we did. Or, well, I guess you did that, mostly. See, he hit you pretty hard, and I think he thought he killed you. To be honest, we all sort of thought that at first. After he hit you, he started to freak out, and just ran away. I think that when he hurt you, he kind of realized what he was doing, and decided he'd try to control himself. He ran off to go wait for Cinder to reach Vytal, and he's going to fight her there."

Blake blinked as she took this information in. "Oh. Well, how are the others? I remember Weiss got pretty hurt, right?"

Yang sighed again, and sat down on the bed nest to Blake, starting to explain.

When she was done, Blake's expression was a mixture of horror and resolve. She didn't like hearing any of it, but she knew she had to. Yang finished, saying, "So, that's why Naze wants you to take this back to him. If you can't, that's fine. He just thinks his message would be better received if you were the one saying it."

She bent over the side of the bed, took Wilt and Blush again, and held them out to Blake. The faunus looked down at them, like they had stolen the very air from her lungs. Yang started to feel like she was putting too much pressure on her friend and started to back off. "It's alright, you don't ha-"

Blake responded before Yang could finish her sentence. "No, Yang, it's alright. I'll do it." She reached out, and took Adam's weapons, then started to push off the bed.

Yang watched as Blake slipped her feet to the floor, wobbled unsteadily, then righted herself. After she did this, she looked over her shoulder, a determined scowl on her face. "How do I get to him?"


	57. Chapter 57

Author's Note:

Things are getting pretty cool, right?

As usual, gimmi the reviews. There have been fewer lately, and we all know how insecure I am.

Hope you like it!

* * *

Cinder's eyes traced the path of the airship on its way towards them. She could feel those aboard turning to her side, and it felt good. The hunger that gnawed at her mind didn't subside, though. The only thing that had sated her so far had been Menagerie, and she was getting hungry again.

It made sense, though. She was no longer only sustaining her own lust. She could feel the presence of her master growing inside of her mind, taking more and more of her thoughts as its own. The boundaries between herself and Cramus breaking down, they were starting to become one. And the process filled her with euphoria. If she would lose herself, there was no better way to do it.

She still had things to do, though, before she could truly unite with her master. So many more things to feel. She had experimented with Neo, trying to see if her inhuman brain or soul could provide her with anything new, but she could not. It was true, the girl felt the pleasures of Cinder's gift far more acutely than any human ever could, but she had also demonstrated a will to resist it. Cinder knew that spending any more time on it would be a waste of time, and had abandoned her efforts. Roman hadn't had much else.

She shook her head, and started to pull her strength inward. She needed to be ready to battle the Lich, and all of those who served him. Her thoughts soured when she recalled the eldritch abomination. He wasn't just resilient, he was incapable of feeling the joys that she wanted to spread. He had mangled his soul in the most despicable way, and thus his existence could not be tolerated. Everything had to feel her gift.

Her master whispered to her that he would stand no chance against them, no amount of planning could save him from the wrath that would rain down upon him. Pleasure was the most powerful thing that a person could feel, and it would destroy him, even if he could not feel it himself. Her fighters would never stop, so long as the greatest thing they could feel was fighting him. And it would be, she was going to make sure of it.

Her demons were growing in number, her followers were converted gradually, bit by bit, into great seducers and seductresses, empowered by her master. Their bodies changed, much in the same way that Cinder's did. Her cloven hooves and elongated fingers seemed so much more useful than her old body, it was hard to believe that she had ever been able to scrape by without them. She couldn't imagine going back to the way she had once been. There was no way she would ever be able to do that.

It was only a matter of hours before she reached the shores of Vytal, and made it her own, twisting it around her fingers just like she had Menagerie. They would love her for it.

* * *

Monitoring machines made a variety of sounds all around Amber as she tried to focus on what was going on before her. For what felt like a very long time, she had been standing by, observing the careful surgery that would enable her to repair Weiss Schnee's spine. Bones were re-aligned, and as the doctors went, she had repaired some of the broken fragments back into full vertebrae.

They had almost completed the procedure, and when they had, it would be Amber's job to ensure the wound was healed, then to close the incision that had been made after it had been stitched back up. Her body already felt exhausted from what she had performed before, but she had to push just a little further. It wasn't going to be too long before she could rest again.

Weiss had laid unconscious the entire time, unaware, blissfully perhaps, of what was going on. The relaxed expression on her face was something that Amber was happy she could see, because the rest of the scene was certainly not as peaceful.

Her own hands, which had been thoroughly washed before being covered in tight rubber gloves, were slick with a warm spot of sticky blood on the palms. Even though her involvement in the actual proceedings had been negligible so far. She had not made any incisions, nor actually gone about touching any bone. It was for the best, she knew, but the coppery scent in the air made her stomach uneasy.

She had been careful to keep them away from her robes which, surprisingly to her, she had been allowed to keep on. They were spotless, as always, and she was going to try and keep that the case.

She almost wished that she had a few of her Paladins present, as they would be able to assist her if things turned out to be more difficult than she had anticipated, but there was also something very comforting about the room being occupied only by those who needed to be there. If it were crowded, Amber knew that it would not only be her performance that suffered, but that of the doctors as well.

The sound of bones being shifted around, and of the doctors hurriedly chattering to one another, was a sign for her to refocus her thoughts on what was going on. If something was going to require her abilities, she wanted to be ready.

One of the doctors looked out at her, waving her over to the table again, signaling that she should get closer. She did, and looked down. It was difficult to make out the spine amid the blood and viscera, but she thought that she could see that it was significantly better than it had been. A voice spoke to her from somewhere to the left, saying, "Now, if you can repair what's left, I'd say that this operation was a success."

Amber nodded, and put her hands out, trying to get some room around her that she could use. It was difficult to produce miracles if she felt cramped.

A space cleared, and she out her hands towards the wound, starting to chant the hymns that she had learned. Mutterings among the doctors and nurses who had moved back to the edges of the room were slightly distracting, but she did her best to block them out. The glow of the light she felt inside of herself started to shine through her hands, and she set about weaving it through the flesh and bone. Tissue reacted to the holy power, starting to repair itself.

What imperfections were left in her spine began to right, and Amber felt her own strength start to dwindle. There was a little more to do, but she had to. Her fingers touched the bone gently, guiding it back to its proper place, and then Amber took a staggered step back.

Her vision swam for a moment, and her body felt cold. Nevertheless, there was a smile on her face, and she spoke through labored breaths to the nearest doctor. "She should… be fine now. If I could have a few moments… before the incision is closed, that would be good."

They nodded, and motioned for the other doctors to move back towards Weiss. They started to examine Amber's work, speaking in low tones about how she had done it, or the results of her efforts. If she hadn't been there, Weiss would have had to have a metal brace implanted in her back that would gradually straighten her spine over a few months. Amber had saved her a huge amount of pain and time. It felt good to hear the professionals say this, but she wasn't done yet.

She leaned back, and started to give herself a moment to recuperate. She needed to breathe for a while, then she would finish. Weiss would wake up like nothing had happened, perfectly able to take to battle again.

A weight grew in Amber's chest. Yes, battle. That was something that was coming far sooner than she wanted. The worst thing about it was that Amber knew there was nothing that she could do to stall it. The Paladins were ready to fight, but they were not strong enough. Not in Amber's opinion, anyways. The scope of the coming battle was scary, but she knew that she needed to take part. She could not sit idly by.

Her light gave her confidence, and she pushed doubt from her mind. It wasn't the time for doubt, it was the time for preparation. She couldn't stop, and she couldn't hesitate. She would lead them, and they would do their best to save the world.

* * *

Blake took a few deep breaths, then tightened her fingers around Wilt and Blush, Adam's weapons, before saying, "I'm ready. Let's do this."

Yang gave her friend one last look, imploring her to speak up if there was anything that was giving her pause, but relented when Blake's eyes narrowed, and her face hardened. "Yang, please. If Adam is going to die anyways, I want to see him. I owe him that much, at least. Maybe he's been able to calm down, and we can actually talk."

Yang sighed, letting her shoulders drop slightly, and responded, "Yeah, I guess. He might have, but what if he didn't? That's why I'm going to be close by, alright? I'll try to stay out of sight, but if Adam tries anything, I'll get you out of there."

Blake nodded. "Good. That's probably for the best." The two had walked their way back to Beacon, and were going over the plan one last time in Naze's dorm room before they would step on the rune on the floor, and be teleported to close by Adam. Yang had gone over the plan several times on the way over, essentially repeating herself every time, and asking Blake lots of questions about it. She was making sure that Blake knew it, and didn't have anything that would make her hesitate.

It was dangerous, both girls understood, but Yang didn't want Blake to get hurt. She wouldn't be able to look Blake in the eyes again if she was responsible for a major injury like the kind that Adam was likely to inflict.

Blake appreciated this, but it was starting to get a little grating. She understood the risks, and she didn't need Yang persistently drilling her on them. Her annoyance must have been fairly obvious, because Yang shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, this must be pretty irritating. I just don't want-"

Blake cut her friend off, finishing her statement, "-me to get hurt, yes, I get that. But please, I need to do this. I can't just believe that Adam is gone, and that he would do what he did without being forced into it. This means too much to me."

Yang nodded. "I get it. I really want to help you, but I also know that something like this can get people a little carried away. Like when you were going after the White Fang, or I was looking for my mother. I want to make sure that you don't let this get too far out of hand."

Blake nodded, and let her irritation fade away. "Thank you. I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

Yang smiled, reaching her arms out in a hug. Blake returned it, and she hugged her friend tightly. "Yeah, you are. What would you do without me, huh?"

The two continued their embrace for a few more seconds before Yang let go and said, "Well, I guess it would be best if we get this done, then. If we're going to fight with Cinder's people, we should get ready as much as we can."

A look of shock came across Blake's face, but lingered for only a second. "Do you think we'll have to? I mean, the army, all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses who were available, and basically everyone else is already setting up. Are they not going to be enough?"

Yang flinched slightly, regretting letting that little bit slip. Instead of giving Blake a direct answer, she patted her back and said, "It never hurts to be prepared."

Blake thought she knew what that meant, but didn't press the issue. It would be more fit to focus on her task at hand. The two stepped onto the intricate rune, and in a flash of light, they were gone.

* * *

The view from the cliff side was what Adam would normally call beautiful, but he wasn't in the state of mind to find anything funny at the moment. Every second was a battle to suppress the boiling rage that ate at his heart. Why had he agreed to serve this demon? He regretted it now. If only he had known before what would come of that foul agreement, he would have never taken it.

But his surroundings were calm, and he was able to think more clearly than he had ever since accepting the creature's offer. He hadn't had much of a choice at the time, with his only other option being to continue rotting away in his cell. Now that he looked back on it, it seemed that he had been going insane. He had been trapped in that cell for so long…

A sudden uproar from his "master" made his body jolt, and his hands go instinctively to his ears. It did nothing to dull the volume of the voice already in his head, though. "What are you doing? Weakling! You fled from certain victory, and now you simply wait! I should destroy you now!"

Adam responded by shouting to the wilderness around him, not caring to keep it to himself. "No! You listen to me! Cinder will be here soon, and when she comes, you'll have all the blood you could want! All I'm asking you for is a little patience. Or do you want her master to have this world instead of you?"

There was silence for a moment, and then the voice replied, "Fine, maggot. We'll wait, and then you'll kill."

Adam nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thank you, you won't regret-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the voice cut him off, shouting much more angrily than it had been seconds before, "Stop your groveling, whelp! I couldn't care less about you, but this coming battle would be much less enjoyable if you were gone."

It was the closest thing to compassion he had heard from the being, and he had the feeling that it was a very straining exercise not to kill him for the beast, but it managed, and Adam continued to exist. The rage roiling just below the surface of his skin died down a little, and he breathed deeply again, sitting on his heels. It was just a few more hours, then he would be able to release this tension again, this time without concern of hurting anyone innocent. He would likely find himself fighting some of the White Fang, of course, but they were brothers and sisters no more. Not after their souls had been signed away.

Though, if that was the criteria, was he still one of them? He didn't want to consider himself expelled from the ranks he had dedicated his life to, but he might not be a fit leader anymore.

The mask on his face suddenly felt oddly heavy, and he considered taking it off. Maybe it was an honor he didn't deserve anymore. However, maybe it was one that he deserved above all others. He had replaced his face with a monsters, now in more ways than one. A smile curled across his lips. Blake would've appreciated the irony, if she were here.

His fists curled as he thought about what he had done to her. He shouldn't have done that. Why had he done that? Why hadn't he stopped?

His fingernails started to bite into his flesh, and he felt his blood start to flow to the ground, steaming and spitting as it went. It was boiling, and seared the grass it touched. He hated himself for what he had done, but he could still make it up. Or try, at least.

A rustle of noise from behind him made his head turn, and he was instantly suspicious. Whatever had made that noise was too big to be a small animal, and too heavy to be something like a deer. Someone was out there.

He stood, and his body started to ready for battle. A fire started to crackle at his feet, blackening the grass around him as the water was boiled out of it. "Who's there? Show yourself, or I'll take this cliff down with you!"

The brush and leaves shook slightly as someone started to walk out from hiding, and to Adam's amazement, Blake gave a small wave, and took a few tentative steps towards him. "Hi. I-it's just me, no need for taking the cliff down."

His first instinct was to lurch forward, and embrace Blake in the tightest hug that she had ever had, but he thought better of this. He didn't need to add another likely fatal injury to his reasons he hated himself. Instead, he simply stood, dumbfounded, trying to push the readiness of his body back down so that Blake would be safe.

She took a few more steps towards him, and he could see that she was holding something. It was obscured, being behind her back, but he still thought that it was familiar. She spoke again, obviously feeling somewhat threatened, saying, "I just came by to give you this-" she held the thing out, and Adam was relieved to see Wilt and Blush. He had been wondering if it was going to be his fists that destroyed Cinder's worshipers, or if he were going to find a big stick to use. Those concerns drifted away though as he reached out and took the magnificent weapons from her hands gently. She continued, "-and to say goodbye."

His shoulders dropped almost imperceptibly, and a sigh escaped his chest. "My chances are that bad, huh?"

Blake didn't want to admit it, but according to the plan that Yang had explained, his dying was more or less guaranteed. It was for a good cause, though, and she wanted to let him know that. "Well, I mean…" her voice trailed off, and she tried to think of a gentle or subtle way to put it. Nothing came to her, though, and she continued to speak, more slowly this time. "You'll be doing a lot more good in the world than anything else you could do, saving a lot of people. Maybe this is for the best."

Adam smiled again, and gave his shoulders a dismissive shrug. "Maybe it is." He looked back out towards the ocean, and he considered the things that he had done only hours before. Now that his head was clear, he could see just how truly dangerous he was.

There was an awkward silence between the two, during which Adam looked back to Blake. There was a large lump on her forehead, a discolored shade of purple and brown that stood out starkly against the rest of her pale skin. He didn't want to think about the fact that he was responsible for that, but the thoughts wormed their way into his mind anyways.

He tried to look away, but Blake took another step towards him, a concerned look on her face. Even now, she cared about him. In spite of all the things that he had done, nearly killing her friends, even attacking her herself, she cared for him, in some respect. It made his insides feel like they were jelly for a few moments before he managed to collect himself again.

She spoke again, breaking the silence that had almost settled over the pair. "Adam, it isn't your fault. I know you probably blame yourself, but it wasn't you that did all those things! I know you better than that, and I know you'd never do anything like that. It's the demon, not you."

Her words were comforting, but Adam didn't find himself believing them. It was his fault. He was the one who had done it all, so who else's fault could it be? He had accepted the offer, so no matter what, he was ultimately responsible. Shame surrounded him, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Nothing other than sacrificing himself, perhaps. He tried to keep those thoughts away from his master. He was sure that the blood-thirstier would not appreciate his attempts at heroism or redemption.

With nothing else to do, he turned again towards the ocean, placed Wilt and Blush on the ground in front of him, and swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "Maybe you should go now. Cinder's going to be coming soon, and I want as much distance between me and you when that happens. I don't want you to see that fight."

There was another moment of silent hesitation before Adam heard Blake take another few steps back, then sigh again. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, Adam. I want more than anything to hug you right now."

He could feel tears starting to build up in his eyes, but as soon as they were released, they boiled away, crackling away and leaving only faint whispers behind. "I do too. But I don't think that's a good idea. I'm happy that you came." He stood, and turned back to his old friend, finding tears rolling down her face and hitting the dark dirt at her feet. "I guess this is goodbye."

Blake's lips quivered, and she gave a wordless nod as her body started to shake, and she managed to choke out one final, "Goodbye." After that, she turned and left, her steps short an uncoordinated. It pained Adam to see her like that, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The storm inside his chest that he had fought constantly seemed to quell just a little more, and he watched her disappear back into the brush, out of sight. Some part of his mind, a holdout from a long time ago, before he had even been imprisoned, came to light. It had formed at one particular moment, burning an image into Adam's brain more deeply than anything else in his life.

Blake cutting the link between their train cars, separating them.

Ever since then, he had hoped that they might be able to reunite, and that little fraction of his mind, his being, his self, had been praying that they might become a team again.

And now he was simply watching her disappear again, for the last time.

That little sliver of thought did everything it could to get him to follow, throwing memory after memory that it had stockpiled of times when they had been together, and he had been in bliss. But as it reminded him of what was most important to him, he let the delusion go. Blake had never loved him like he did her, and she never would. It was time to come to terms with that, and give one last expression of the boundless love he had for her. If fighting a losing battle to the death was what it took, then so be it. He was more than willing.

His gaze drifted back out to the ocean, and he started to sit back down. It would be nice to spend some time with himself, just thinking about all the things that could have been. It was a luxury he had never really afforded himself, being a more action-oriented kind of person, but now he regretted that. There was so much to think about, and so little time left. Only precious hours left, and so many lives to find and live to himself.

There were a few more moments of silence before another rustling of the leaves behind him made him turn again, wondering for a moment if Blake had come back. She hadn't, instead it was a human, one of the undead that he had fought. One of Blake's teammates, in fact.

He stood again, and felt anger start to rise in his chest once more. What was she doing here? Had she listened in on their conversation? She wasn't a welcome guest, that much was certain.

The words were spat from his mouth before he had time to consider them. "What do you want, girl?" It came out harsh, and uncaring, but he didn't mind. That was precisely how he felt about her.

In response, the girl only smiled, and held her hands up innocently. "If you want me gone, just say it, and I'll leave." He opened his mouth, ready to speak it, but she didn't stop. "But first I'm supposed to give you Naze's regards with that sword."

That stopped Adam, and he looked down at his weapon. "The Lich? Why would he give me…" his voice trailed off, and he gave a small growl. It didn't matter. "Continue."

Yang nodded, and to Adam's annoyance, took another step forwards. "I'm only here to speak for Naze, so don't shoot the messenger. He wants you to fight nice and hard against Cinder, which he knows you will, and in return, he told me to give you this 'compensation'."

Adam raised an eyebrow, and Yang reached into a pocket, fishing something out. Adam tensed again. If it was some trick or trap, he was going to put the girl's head on a pike. As she withdrew her hand again, though, he found that there was no weapon or device, but instead what looked vaguely like a pear, perfectly rounded and no more than an inch in diameter. Its surface was a dull red color, and its inside looked like it was almost black, waiting for some light to fill it.

Adam didn't reach out for the thing, instead giving Yang a distrusting look. "What is this? Am I some puppet in his schemes now? Have I lost the freedom to sacrifice myself?" He was about to bat the thing out of her hand, and send it hurtling towards the distant ocean.

Before he could do this, she pulled it back, and said in an indignant voice, "What? No!" She looked like she was about to continue speaking, but took a short second to compose herself again. "If you ask me, it's proof that Naze is still a little human, just a little bit. But he wouldn't agree. Anyways, is it safe to talk about? I mean, is the demon-"

Adam cut her off, saying, "His presence is faded. You may say what you like."

It was true, his master was quite unfocused on him. If he was able to stay calm, and keep his anger from disturbing the demon, it would stay that way. He took a deep breath, thinking of Blake, and motioned for the undead to continue.

She seemed to understand that gravity of the situation, and prefaced her explanation with the simple sentence, "I'll keep this short, I guess." With that, she held out the pearl again, and said "Alright, you're possessed, so when you die, your soul will become part of Dolor. Now normally, there wouldn't be anything you could do about that. But, thanks to a little necromancy, if you manage to keep this thing in one piece until you die, it'll catch your soul before Dolor can get it, and we can come get it after we take down Cinder."

Adam stared at the little ball, mind racing with possibilities. He had never thought about what would happen after he died. He had simply assumed that would be the end. Now that he thought about it, though, there had to be something. Something from which Yang, and all the other undead Hunters came from. And his soul was doomed to be a part of Dolor forever if he didn't take it, nothing but blinding rage for who knew how long.

It would have taken a lot to horrify him before, and up until a few seconds ago, he would've thought it impossible, given the demonic influence on his mind. The blond haired teen had, nevertheless, found a way. Would he still be able to love Blake if that happened? Would he even be able to think about her?

He stepped forward carefully, not wanting to do anything rash. Slowly, he extended his fingers towards the thing, his eyes locked on it. "P-please, what must I do?"

Yang tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression, then said, "That's why I think it's a kindness; you don't have to do anything. So congratulations, you made Naze act like a person who still has a soul. Damn near impossible, I'd say."

She extended her arm the last foot between them, and placed the pearl gently in his hand. "Blake didn't know about this, but don't worry. I'll tell her when this is all over."

Adam pulled the ball close to his chest, cradling it like it was a newborn baby. It was so light, and felt almost like glass in his hands. It was so fragile for something so important. He closed his fingers around it again, and promised to himself that he would not let anything happen to it.

He looked up once again, and asked one last question, even though she had appeared to answer it already. "Why?"

Yang sighed, and said in a half sarcastic, half empathetic voice, "You just aren't buying the whole "Naze isn't a monster" thing, are you? I can't say that I blame you, really. He normally only does what gets him stuff, but this…"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Blake was the one who suggested it, but I don't know why he agreed. Maybe he's got a plan for you, maybe he doesn't. Does it really matter, though? He thinks that his humanity is a weakness, but I wouldn't agree. Maybe its stuff like this that let him last this long."

She bowed her head, and stepped back. "Anyways, I guess I'd better go. Lots of stuff to get ready for." She turned to leave, but before she disappeared like Blake had, she stopped, and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the whole dying thing. I mean, Naze isn't going to bring you back, but it isn't that bad. I'm sure you're going to see Blake again, at some point or another."

With that, she pushed through the branches and leaves, and Adam again found himself alone.

He looked down to the small orb, and felt something he hadn't expected to ever feel for the undead. Gratitude. He had been saved from a threat he hadn't even known existed. He shook his head, and carefully slipped the orb into his pocket.

Once all was said and done, he would like to thank the Lich.

A melancholy silence descended on him, and his little alcove, leaving him to his thoughts. What would life have been like, if he had told Blake how he really felt?

* * *

Penny sat on the edge of her bed, eyes idly turned towards the door. She wasn't really looking at it, though, she was thinking very hard. Weighing her options for life. She wanted to become less dependent, but did that mean fighting? No, there were other ways to do it, but was she interested in those?

No. She had, after all, been designed to fight. She had been told for all of her short life that she would save the world, and now was her chance to fulfill that prophesy. She could join Ruby, and Naze, and all of her other friends, and stop the horrors of what was happening.

There were doubts in her mind, but her decision was reached. She would leave Ironwood, at least for now, and find another path. She only needed to contact Naze and tell him.

But something kept her sitting on that bed, waiting, looking idly at the door. She knew that something was going to happen, and she wanted to lay it to rest.

Eventually, after what felt like a long time, the door opened slowly, and Mr. Ironwood stepped into her room. His face looked dark and gaunt now, full of regret, something that Penny was not used to seeing. She stood, wanting to greet him, and to tell him the good news. But she didn't. Before she could, Ironwood locked eyes with her, and memories of their recent exchange came back to her. His harsh words, even though she had considered herself past them, still stung.

Without saying a word, Mr. Ironwood started to walk over to her, his steps long and heavy. When finally he stood in front of her, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and sat down on the bed. Penny saw the glint of tears in his eyes.

She sat next to him, and he shook his head, starting to speak in an unsteady voice. "I'm sorry for what I said. I've had time to think it over, and…" his throat closed, even though he wanted to keep talking, and Penny knew that he was looking for the words.

"I care about you like you're my own child, Penny. Maybe I'm just getting sentimental in my growing age, or maybe you feel the same. So when I see you changing, I get worried. And I'm not a man who deals well with worry, Penny. Action has always been my preference, and so that worry turns to anger. I shouldn't worry, though, because I know exactly what you're going through. You're growing up! My little girl, who I've looked after for so long, is becoming a woman. Maybe even becoming human." He paused, shaking his head and allowing a feeble smile to come across his face. "Or maybe you have been all along, and I just haven't seen that."

Penny's mouth hung open, and her eyes widened in shock. This wasn't at all what she had expected. She had thought that he would be angry, or insist she stay, but she could not have predicted this.

Emotion that she was unaccustomed to started to fill her chest, and she put her arms out around Ironwood's waist, trying to express them. She didn't want him to feel bad. He had done more good than anyone else in her life, but this change that he talked about was inevitable. She could feel it happening, and wanted it to continue.

Ironwood put a hand on her head, ruffling her bow and petting her gently while whispering, "I'm sorry, Penny. I should have seen. I've been a fool. But please, believe me when I say that I wasn't nothing but the best for you, and I promise, if you stay here, with me, I'll make it up to you. I'll do my best to be a real father to you, and teach you what you need to know."

His words were sweet, like they lifted a weight off of Penny, but she couldn't accept his deal. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I can't stay. My friends are going to be out there, fighting, and I have to be with them. I would love to come back, and for you to teach me about everything, but I have to do this first. It's what I was made for, and it's what feels right."

The man bowed his head down slightly, putting his forehead on Penny's shoulder for a moment, then lifted it back up, and holding Penny at arm's length. "I was afraid you'd say that." Another small, sad smile came across his face. "There's nothing I can do to convince you, then? Nothing I could say that might change your mind?"

Penny shook her head, and he let out a sigh. "Then it's for the best."

He pulled his little girl close to him again, and squeezed her tight, not wanting to let go. Penny returned the hug, but soon pushed off of him gently again, saying, "Please, I have to go now. I should find Ruby and Naze, they'll be able to help me."

He let her slip from his arms, and she took a step back, towards the door. "I'm very sorry Mr. Ironwood, but I have to go now. Goodbye."

She gave him a sorrowful look, then started towards the door. "I won't need anything here, but you should keep it for when I come back, okay?" She pulled the door open, and stepped through, turning back to Ironwood and saying for one last time, "Goodbye. I'll miss you."

Ironwood brought a hand up, and waved weakly, unable to speak. He would miss her, too. More, perhaps, than she would ever know.

She turned, and started to walk away. Ironwood felt his eyes tear up as he watched her go, and wished that he could go with her. As much as he wished, though, it wasn't the case. He would have to stay behind, and command his own forces. What he wouldn't give to accompany her, though.

* * *

As she walked out of her bedroom, Penny felt a sense of liberation. It was good, but there was also a sudden sense of emptiness. What did she do now? Find Ruby or Naze, of course, but where should she start? Ruby could be anywhere, and Naze was even more elusive.

She decided she would have to take the journey one step at a time. First she would have to retrieve her weapons, then leave the compound. Her blades were kept in the armory, and she would have no trouble getting them out, assuming that no troops would try and stop her. After that, the world was open, fair game for anything.

The walk to the armory was quick, and she was surprised to find that none of the guards tried to stop her. They all simply stood aside, and allowed her to get her things. Ironwood much have already told them that she was to be let through.

She packed the blades into the small bag, feeling each one resonate with her, making sure that it would do exactly as she willed, before folding them up and donning the backpack. They were almost weightless to her, and didn't encumber her in the least. It felt like a long time since she had used them, but there was a certain comfort in having them close again. She thought she could understand Ruby's fascination with weapons a little better now.

As she walked towards the gate, the guards simply parted again, letting her walk. All of them had a strange air about them, like they thought differently of her now. Before they had always seemed protective, almost coddling, but now she felt like they respected her.

She couldn't be sure, though, and resolved to give the matter some thought later. She approached the gate of the facility, mentally switching gears. Ruby was most likely at Beacon, but there was also a good chance she was out on the streets, checking out what had happened. Naze, on the other hand, could be watching her right now, and she wouldn't know it. It was strange to think that he could be gazing at her at any point in time, but she didn't mind too much.

Her feet stopped almost automatically as she reached the gate that led out into the city. She wasn't entirely confident that she knew why this was, but she had an idea. She quietly whispered to herself, saying, "Every journey starts with a step." In her mind, she imagined Ruby speaking the words, and it brought a smile to her face. That was all the encouragement she needed.

The next click of her heels against the paved ground was in Vale proper, and she felt her fingertips start to tingle with excitement. She was free. No ties, no strings, nothing. It was a little bittersweet maybe, considering who she was leaving behind, but she couldn't feel sad now. Not with so much to learn just waiting for her.

She had barely walked more than two city blocks before a Shade, one of Naze's minions, started to rise from the ground. Its eyes burned an arcane blue, and seemed to drill into her own green eyes with an intensity that suggested it was already fully aware of the situation.

It's voice was the same sawblade-on-concrete it always seemed to be, and it said, "Hello, Penny."

She raised a hand to greet it, but before she could say anything, it continued. "Ruby is at the hospital, recovering from a broken arm, as well as several other minor injuries. Weiss is currently recovering from a rather radical spinal surgery, but she has the help of the Priestess. Blake and Yang are running an errand for me, and will return shortly. I would suggest you stay with them until further notice. Yang will be able to fill you in on my plans."

It was a rather concise message, but Penny took that to mean that it was all the more important. She nodded, and gave an enthusiastic salute. "You got it!"

The Shade started to dissolve again, form becoming less defined and sinking back towards the ground until eventually there was no trace it had ever been there at all. Worry started to creep up on Penny again as she thought of the injuries that he had said her friend had sustained. How had they done that? Were they involved in the lockdown?

Her eyes narrowed, and her pace sped up. She was running through the streets now, careful not to collide with any of the sparse number of people who were out walking. She was going to make sure her friends were alright, and then she was going to ask Yang what she could do to help.


	58. Chapter 58

Author's Note:

Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I did another one shot! Bakasura! It has funny parasites!

Anyways, leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Professor Ozpin stood by one of the large windows of his office, gazing out over the city. A melancholic mood had set in over his school the past few days, and there was an air of something big on the horizon. It wasn't just him. He had spoken with all the other staff, and even a few students, and they all felt the same way. He could tell that the final battle was close.

He had called for Naze to meet him once more, before anything big happened. He wanted to ensure every aspect of the plan was set, and to see if there was any way that he might be able to save lives. He brought the mug in his hand to his mouth, taking a sip. His reflection on the glass had bags under its eyes.

The elevator doors behind him dinged open, and the young body he somewhat inaccurately considered to be Naze stepped out, a blank expression on its face. Ozpin turned and looked at him for a moment before taking a few steps to his desk, sitting down, and motioning to the seat in front of the desk. "Please, sit down."

The Lich's puppet responded, walking over silently and sliding into the seat. After it had, it said, "What's this about, Ozpin? There are preparations to be made, so I'm rather busy at the moment."

Ozpin let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, setting his coffee on his desk. "You see, that's just it. You've been rather worryingly silent on what role you want us living to perform in this scheme of yours. I know that Ironwood and his forces are to be involved, as well as every available Huntsman and Huntress, even the children. But so far you have not given us any specifics. I would like to know a few more details."

Naze nodded, and leaned forward slightly. "Yes, unfortunately a rather large number of things have come up recently. The specifics of the battle cannot be predicted exactly, but I believe I can present you with a general outline."

"Adam Taurus will be the first to fight once Cinder reaches Vytal. He will fight alone, as his demonic corruption makes him potentially just as dangerous as her. I anticipate him dying in the battle, but he should be able to take out a large portion of her forces, and perhaps even damage Cinder herself."

Naze paused, and Ozpin took the opportunity to ask, "Are you certain that they will fight? I mean, if they allied, our situation would be made much worse, no?"

A slightly amused look passed over Naze's face, and he nodded. "I am entirely sure that they will battle. Mr. Taurus has been given more than enough motivation to want Cinder dead, as well as to die in the process. You need not worry about him being a persistent threat."

What the Lich meant by that, Ozpin wasn't sure, but he figured that it was a question for an entirely different day. He let Naze continue, hoping that his attitude of sacrificing Adam didn't extend to any of the other people who would be placing themselves in his design.

"After that, I anticipate that Cinder's means of transport will be mostly, if not entirely, destroyed. That should slow her progress, and the topography of the land between where she will land and my domain should serve to delay her further. A string of rather sharp mountains divides Vytal, and it will take days for her to cross them. This is where Ironwood's forces will be useful. While navigating the mountains, Cinder's forces will be vulnerable to any number of artillery strikes or ambushes. I would recommend refraining from involving any more airships, however. She should not be allowed any more of those."

Naze paused again, and again, Ozpin asked a question. "What would you say casualties are expected to be for all of that? And how will you keep the men from being…" his voice trailed off as he searched for a fitting adjective. "…seduced?"

Naze didn't look amused this time. He only spoke flatly, his monotone making Ozpin slightly nervous to hear his response. "If conservation of lives is your primary concern, then only automaton soldiers, Atlesian Knights, should be used for direct confrontation. Unfortunately, while your concern is touching, those lives must not be a primary concern. The only thing that should be focused on is doing the maximum amount of damage possible. That means sacrificing some lives."

Naze paused for a second, then continued, a new tone to his voice. "You are familiar with the game of chess, yes?"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Yes, but how…"

Another smile came across Naze's face, this one more genuine than any Ozpin had seen the undead give. "The game is older than you think. Regardless, you cannot expect to win a game if you cherish each piece, correct? Some must be sacrificed in order to take the game. If not, you will be outmaneuvered, and you will be destroyed. You want Cinder dead, correct?"

Hearing it in such terms, Ozpin felt some amount of his guilt fade. Not enough to quell his concern, though. Men and women who deserved better would be sentenced to death, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

His silent reflections were interrupted when Naze continued, saying, "To answer your original question, I do believe there is a way to allow them the dignity of keeping their souls. In a rather unexpected turn of events, the Order of the Holy Light have agreed to follow my direction to better combat Cinder. With their help, the fortitude of those fighting could be strengthened, able to withstand the effects of the demons."

Ozpin nodded, but still did not feel much comfort. They would still die. He supposed that there were worse fates, though.

"After they exit the mountains, the huntsman will come into play. Your people are far less in number, but each individually stronger than the general military. They will take part in hit-and-run tactics, whittling down what remains of her forces. This should continue until Cinder reaches the Black Morass, my domain, and then she will be mine."

Hit-and-run sounded simple, but Ozpin wanted to know just what that meant. "Hit and run? Will you not be asking them to sacrifice themselves as well?"

Naze shook his head, replying, "No. I believe that experience will prove valuable for them, and that the more raids they go on, the more damage they will be able to do. This should mean that as time goes on, the Huntsmen become more adept at killing Cinder's demons. It will be dangerous, of course, but the men and women who take this challenge on should come out stronger for it."

There was a moment of silence between the two, ended when Ozpin said, "Including the children, correct?"

Naze nodded, saying, "Yes, should they volunteer. I know you must think it is too dangerous for your students to be allowed, but think about what it is they are fighting for, and what they have pledged themselves to do. They will be protecting the world, and if they give their life doing that, should they not be hailed as heroes?"

Ozpin's eyes flicked to the floor to the right of his desk, and he thought about that. Certainly, the children had dedicated their lives to safeguarding the world, but that didn't mean that they could be used like tools. That was not right.

Before he could decide what to say next, Naze spoke again. "I do, however, have something that may make you a little more comfortable with this. We have several days before the Huntsmen will be called upon, and in that time, I could have my people create runes that would allow its user to be instantly transported to a predetermined location. If you wish, you could distribute these as you see fit. That way, if a student finds themselves overwhelmed, they could activate the rune, and be taken to a safe location."

The man brought his hands together, knitting his fingers together and putting his elbows on his desk. It wasn't a decision he enjoyed making, but Naze said that it would be better if the students were allowed, and he was the only one who had any clue what to do. He didn't have much choice but to listen. He pulled in a deep breath, then let out a heavy sigh. "If you can make them as safe as you can, then…" he paused, trying to force the words out. "…I suppose I'll allow them to go."

Naze nodded before saying, "I can have the Holy Order do the same for them as they will for Ironwood's men. That should maximize their chances of survival. All the Huntsmen's weapons have been infused with divine energy, correct?"

Ozpin gave his head a small shake, trying to focus on what was happening in front of him, then replied, "Yes, they all have, and the Huntsmen are awaiting orders. I haven't allowed the students to do so, though."

"Perhaps it would be wise to let them." Naze stood from his chair, clearly assuming their discussion to be over. Ozpin thought of what Ironwood had told him barely an hour ago, though, and held up a hand.

"Wait just a moment, if you would. I've heard recently that Penny went off to join you, and I only intend to ask what you plan on doing with her."

Naze raised an eyebrow again, and responded by saying, "I believe that she would be an effective fighter, and, given her unique nature, it seems that she might even be immune to Cinder's corruption entirely. However, it is hardly the time for experimentation such as that. She will fight with the other Huntsmen, unless you have any objection, and then she will join my forces in the swamp. I believe her being a golem will make her a more than competent fighter, and welcome in my forces. We could learn from observing her fight, as well."

This was not a particularly encouraging response. It was the only one he was going to get, though. He knew that much.

In the way of a man with no other options, he motioned towards the elevators weakly, and said, "Very well. I would like to be told once Cinder reaches the shores, if it isn't too much trouble."

Naze nodded, "Of course. It would be no trouble at all."

With that, he turned to walk towards the elevator again. Ozpin watched him go for about half the distance, then stood from his own chair, and stepped back over to the window, looking out into the distance. It didn't feel right, but he didn't have any other choice.

The elevator doors dinged open, and Naze spoke again from them. "I imagine that you don't feel incredibly good about this, but I don't assume anyone would. It's a rather hefty decision, and perhaps not the kind you are used to making. I can assure you that not allowing their participation would be a mistake."

The Lich's attempt to reassure him fell rather flat, and he only nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

His eyes returned to the window and he heard the elevator close again. It was a shame, but Naze was probably right. He had seen pictures of what remained of Menagerie, and he didn't want that to become Vale.

His eyes closed and in his mind's eye, he saw the buildings of the city he had vowed to guard burning, and the people he had sworn to protect being twisted by Cinder's foul magic. That was a fate he could not allow. Every fiber of his being wanted to fight against that.

He opened his eyes again, and felt some small degree of relief that the city wasn't as he had imagined it. There was still time, and there was still hope. They just had to fight as hard as they could. It was all they could do.

* * *

Ruby winced as she reached for the plate of food with her bad arm, pushing it against the cast painfully. It had only been a few hours since she had received the cast, but she had been told that at the rate she was healing, she would be able to get it off by tomorrow.

Yang noticed her little yelp of pain, and gave her sister a concerned look. "Ruby, are you alright? You need any help?"

She tried not to let her irritation show as she shook her head and reached for the fork with her good arm. Blake and Summer both looked at her with puzzled expressions, and she averted her eyes.

The group was getting their dinner while they waited for Weiss to finish being checked over before heading back to their dorm. Sleep would be a blessing after such an insane day. Too much had happened over such a small amount of time, and they all needed a break. Ruby looked forward to being able to just slide back into her bed, and let her body rest. It was about time.

She wasn't the only one, she could tell. Blake had come back from her journey with Yang crying, and had refused to say anything about what happened. Ruby didn't want to pry, but she had asked Yang, and she had also said she didn't want to talk about it. Ruby knew it was out of respect for Blake, be she was still curious. She'd let the subject drop, though.

She and Blake were the only ones eating, and both were ravenously hungry. The hospital food wasn't very good, but that hardly made a difference as they ate as much as they could.

Ruby was almost bursting by the time she looked up, and felt a large mouthful of water spill out into her chest. Before any of the other could say anything, she stood, knocking the chair that she sat on to the floor, and said in a startled voice, "Penny?"

Their eyes of the others followed hers, and smiles emerged on the faces that had met Penny already. Ruby had said her name loud enough to attract her attention, and she was walking eagerly in their direction.

"Hello friend Ruby! It's good to see you again!"

Ruby had thought that she had calmed down quite a bit, and that she was mostly in control of her emotions by this point. Seeing Penny brought out a wave of emotions that she hadn't known was waiting within her, and her body lurched into motion before she could stop it.

She practically sprinted across the large cafeteria area to penny, and wrapped her arms around her friend, smiling wide and almost crying. "Penny! What are you doing here? I'm so glad to see you!"

She felt Penny's disproportionately strong arms wrap around her, then put far more pressure on her ribs than she had been prepared for. She let out a squealing sound and tapped her cast against Penny's back, trying to indicate that she was being crushed.

Penny let go, her hands going to her mouth as she realized that she was hurting her friend. "I'm sorry Ruby! I didn't mean to…" she looked her friend up and down, eyes lingering in her cast. "Ruby, what happened? How did you break your arm?"

Ruby gave a small smile, and put a hand on Penny's shoulder. "It's alright, I'll be better soon. I was out there fighting during the lockdown which, admittedly, probably wasn't the best idea, but it's fine. Everything worked out in the end, I'm still alive, Weiss is still alive, Blake is still alive, and Yang is…" she laughed awkwardly, and she finished, "…well, she's still here."

Penny's eyes roamed to Ruby's group of friends, and her head tilted to the side. "Ruby, who's that woman with the others?"

Ruby turned again, and realized that Penny was talking about her mother. An excited feeling came over her, and she grabbed Penny's hand. "Come with me, I want you to meet her. I've told her a lot about you, and I think that she really wants to meet you. Come on!"

Leading Penny was easier than she had thought it would be, and she hurriedly walked her friend over to her parent. The tiredness that had filled her just moments before was still present, but it was overpowered by the want to show her mother her friend.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of her mother, looking up and the gentle face. "Mom, this is Penny! We met a while ago, after I started coming to Beacon. She's really helped me out since then. I really like her." Her words came out quickly, and started to mesh together slightly as she spoke them. She was very tired, but she didn't want to fall asleep. Not now that her friend was back.

Summer gave Penny a warm smile and held out her hand, saying, "Hello, I'm Ruby's mother. It's very nice to meet you."

Penny's eyes went wide, and she looked between the two for a few seconds before hesitantly taking Summer's hand and shaking it, saying, "I didn't think I would meet you! I can see that you're…"

Before she could say it, she stopped, looking like she had almost said something terrible and offensive. Summer only gave a light chuckle and said, "Yes, dear, I'm dead. It's nothing to be too sensitive about, no one can do anything about it. But anyways, I think Ruby did a wonderful job describing you, you're just how I'd imagined you'd be."

Penny smiled. "Thank you. Ruby never talked about you, and I never thought to ask. You have a very kind daughter."

Summer put an arm around Ruby and pulled her into a tight hug, saying, "I know I do. I have two wonderful children." She looked over her shoulder, and found that Yang was talking with Blake. It looked like they were having a serious discussion.

She decided it would be best to leave them to it, and looked back at Penny. "So, what brings you here? Are you not feeling well?"

Penny shook her head, turning to look at Ruby again. "No, I'm here because I left Mr. Ironwood." A shocked look came across Ruby's face, but Penny continued to talk. "I wanted to help the world, and he didn't want me to get hurt. I like him, but I think he was too protective of me. I'm sad that I had to leave, but I think that it is for the better. This way, I can help the world."

Summer smiled again and nodded, saying, "A worthy goal. So, Penny, are you a Huntress? Or are you trained in some other way to fight?" She felt her daughter tense up slightly in her arms when she said this, and was puzzled. Could the girl fight? Did she have some secret?

Penny smiled again, now seeming very confident. "I'm not a Huntsmen, but I'm combat ready! I can fight very well, and I can do whatever I need to. I was told that Yang would be able to tell me what that would be, though." She leaned to the side and looked past Summer. "Should I ask her now? I want to help as soon as I can!"

Summer glanced over her shoulder again, and saw that that the two were still talking. "Maybe later, I don't think now is a good time." She looked at Ruby again, and found that she was giving Penny a certain kind of excited look. She also had large bags under her eyes, indicating that she was more tired than she let on. She knew that Ruby probably wanted to talk to her friend, and that she probably wanted to do so alone.

She reached out and ruffled Ruby's hair, saying, "Alright, I'll let you two catch up for a while. As soon as we hear anything about Weiss, I'll call you back, alright?"

Ruby nodded, and Summer started to walk back towards the table. As soon as she was out of earshot, she turned to Penny and said, "You left Ironwood? And he just let you go? What happened?"

Penny started to tell her the story, and she listened, dumbstruck. They started walking, thought she didn't have any real direction, it was only to help keep herself awake. Penny continued to speak until they found themselves at the top floor of the hospital, walking out of the elevator. Ruby hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking, so how they had gotten there was a complete mystery to her.

Penny finished her story, "…then I just walked here. That's all that happened. Now I need for Yang to tell me what Naze wants me to do."

Ruby didn't know what to say. She had never thought of Ironwood as a very caring person, but the way Penny had said it, he thought of her as a daughter. It was no wonder he had been so protective in the past.

She reached out, and gave Penny another hug. "It's good to see you again. I guess we might end up fighting together, then. I'd like that, even though I'm not sure I could keep up with you. You can get pretty wild in a fight."

Penny nodded. "I just hope I can do my part. Do you know just what it is that we'll be fighting?"

Ruby sighed. Of course she hadn't seen much of the news. "Yeah, its not going to be good. There are a lot of people who…" her voice trailed off as she searched for a gentle way to say it. "…why don't really know what they're doing. We're probably going to have to kill them. But there's no other way."

Penny looked down to the floor, and her voice sounded dejected. "Oh. I know that demons will be there, but I don't want to kill people. What if they don't deserve it?"

Ruby sighed, and let her feet start to wander again, shaking her head. "It isn't really a question of whether they deserve it or not, things are just too bad for that. Anyone with Cinder is probably going to have to die. I don't want to kill anyone either, but we have to. It's the only way to make Remnant safe."

The next thing that came out of Penny's mouth surprised Ruby.

"Why?"

It was such a strange, childish question. One that she would think that answer to was obvious. She just stopped, and looked back at Penny, thinking. Why couldn't the demons be stopped any other way? What was it they wanted? Was there no way to appease them? "I don't know. They want everyone else to be like them, transformed and corrupted, and we don't. There's nothing else we can do."

A door opened in front of her, and a blast of cool air brushed past her face. She found herself on the roof of the hospital now, with the sky darkening as the sun dipped below the horizon. The Moon was already out, whole, and not showing any of the damage it'd sustained over the years. Ruby stepped through the doorway, then immediately to the side, pushing her back against the wall and sliding down to sit. Her legs ached already.

She put her cast up on her knees, resting her arm, and looked back up at Penny. "I'm sorry. I really don't know that much about what's going on anyways. I should probably leave the explaining to Yang anyways. I'll be happy to hear something about it, though. She's hardly told us anything, and we're like family to her. Well, Weiss and Blake are, I actually am family."

She got the sense that she was starting to babble, and closed her mouth, looking back up at the sky. The lights of Vale made them hard to see, but they were definitely there. Ruby stared at them for a while, feeling her body start to inform her of how tired she was, and how much she needed to rest. It was deserved, she supposed, she had fought with a demon, but if that was setting the bar for how every battle with a demon would go…

She tried to push it out of her mind. It was best not to think of things like that. Instead, she tried to think about happier things. She had her mother back, and Penny had gotten herself away from Ironwood. Both were very good things, and to top it off, nothing had gone wrong during Weiss's surgery. That was more-or-less a guarantee that she was going to be alright, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Those were all very good things, but it didn't seem to do much to offset her sadness. She sighed again, and turned her head over to Penny again. "Penny, can you help me up?"

Penny replied enthusiastically, saying, "Certainly!" and holding a hand out. Ruby reached for it, then gave a small growl of frustration as she switched arms, putting the cast back down to her side. She would be much happier once she could get that stupid wrap off. Penny's fingers closed around hers, and she was pulled back to her feet.

Her eyelids felt heavy now, and she wasn't sure if she could walk perfectly straight. Her cloak felt comfortingly warm around her, and she felt like she could drift off to sleep immediately, even while walking. She shook her head and resisted the urge, reminding herself of the last time she had done something like that. It had been years, but the memories of Yang laughing at her were still fresh enough in her mind.

She leaned on Penny's shoulder as they walked, and tried not to make it weird by leaning too much. This both helped her walk, and helped keep her awake, the feeling of being so close to falling down keeping her alert enough.

When they got to the elevator, she was sure that she was going to collapse. She hated how tiredness always seemed to creep up on her like this, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had to stay awake until Weiss came back.

She knew that Weiss would probably understand, but it would be better of her to stay awake. She would feel bad if she were to miss Weiss's return.

Penny looked at her friend with growing concern. It seemed like she was going to faint soon, but she hadn't said anything about it. She seemed like she was still awake, at least in part, but it didn't look like she would be for long. She decided that asking about it would be a good choice, and did so.

"Ruby, are you feeling alright? You look tired."

Ruby gave her a smile, and leaned a little more heavily on her shoulder. "Penny, you have no idea. Today was not a great day. You should have seen what Adam did. It was crazy."

She paused for a second, then pushed herself off of Penny's shoulder, wobbling for a moment before standing up straight. "Actually, no, its probably good that you didn't see it. It got pretty ugly. He punched a guy in half. Do you know how strong you have to be to punch someone in half? I don't, but I bet you have to be pretty strong."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. Ruby's state was somewhat startling, but more startling was her words. "Ruby, did you see Adam?"

That was the man who had escaped. He had attacked her before running away. If he really was that strong, he probably would have been able to kill her without much issue. She was glad that their fight had been short-lived. Otherwise something very bad might have happened.

Ruby nodded, then said, "That's how I broke my arm. He hit me. That's how Weiss broke her back, too. He kicked her off the top of a building. It was really scary to see, but Blake got him to calm down. Now he's gone. I think he's going to fight Cinder, but I can't remember. I'm too tired to remember."

Her friend's head gently hit her shoulder again. Ruby's words reminded Penny that she didn't have a place to stay for the night. It wasn't a huge issue, the conditions of the street wouldn't do her any damage, but she would certainly feel better if she had a nice place to be, where she could be close to her friends.

It felt rude to ask, but Ruby was her friend. She could ask her anything. "Ruby, can I stay with you tonight? I don't think that going back home would be very appropriate."

There were a few seconds of silence while she waited for an answer, and as the moments started to feel like minutes, she looked over again to her side, and found Ruby's eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply. She had fallen asleep on Penny's shoulder.

Penny froze, not sure what to do. She tried not to move as the elevator continued to descend, hoping that Ruby would wake up. She didn't, and before Penny could figure out what to do, the doors slid open, showing the atrium her unfortunate predicament. No one seemed to notice however, and she was left with Ruby leaning limply on her side.

Penny only watched as Ruby continued to stand there, legs somehow still supporting part of her weight as she slept. Reluctantly, Penny tried to step forward. If she could go and get someone else, like Yang, or Summer, they would be able to handle this situation much better. Unfortunately, Ruby started to tilt as Penny left, and she had no other choice. She bent over, and took Ruby in her arms carefully, still trying to not wake her.

She made a few soft grumbling noises, but her eyes stayed asleep. Penny tried her hardest to carry her gently, not letting any of the vibrations of her feet hitting the ground reach Ruby. She could practically feel the eyes of those all around her following, taking some strange interest in what she was doing.

It wasn't long before she had found the table that her friends had been seated at, Summer now sitting with the other two with what looked like a slow conversation passing between the three.

As Penny got closer, they all looked up, and looked amused when they saw Ruby. Summer and Yang stood up, moving to meet Penny, while Blake stayed sitting down. Yang was the first to speak, saying, "Aw, she looks so cute! What happened?"

Summer stepped closer to Penny, holding out her arms, and Penny handed Ruby over to her, thankful that the slightly embarrassing situation had been rectified. The mother cradled her daughter softly, looking down into her peaceful face for a few moments before glancing back up and saying, "Oh, please, have a seat. Weiss should be coming out soon, I was just about to call. She'll be happy to find everyone out here."

Yang spoke again, asking, "Should we wake her up? She did look really tired earlier. Maybe it would be better to let her sleep."

Summer shook her head. "She wanted to be awake when Weiss came back, so we should wake her up. There's no point in doing it early, though, I suppose. Let her get a few more minutes of sleep. Where did she fall asleep, anyways?"

Penny indicated the elevators at the far side of the room with her hand, and said, "On the way down from the roof. She leaned on my shoulder, and almost fell down when I started to move."

A smile started to curl across Yang's face, and she said, "Wait, she fell asleep standing up? Again?" She started to laugh. "She hasn't done that since she was like, six years old!"

Summer gave Yang a stern look. "Don't poke so much fun. You did a few things I'm sure your friends would love to hear about too, you know."

Yang smirked, apparently confident that her mother was bluffing. The two of them took a few steps back to the table, and Summer sat down, Ruby still gently held in her arms. Yang also sat back down where she had been sitting, smiling at her sleeping sister.

Penny now stood by the side of the table, simply looking at the others, unsure what to do. Yang patted the seat beside her, saying, "Sit down, come on! We don't bite."

Penny smiled again. Ruby was her friend, but it also seemed that they were too. She needed to speak with Yang anyways, so maybe it was a good thing that she was being given this opportunity. She took the seat, and took a moment to see if anyone else would say anything.

Yang was the first to speak, and she didn't beat around the bush. She leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table, saying, "Alright, so you want to talk about the whole plan that Naze has, right?" Penny was somewhat surprised by this, but nodded. Yang continued, "Well, it's pretty simple so far. Basically, you're going to keep fighting with the Huntsmen until you either can't, or they get to the end of the whole ambush path thing he has in mind. He still hasn't made up his mind about what exactly he wants you to do."

Penny nodded. "So would I fight with Ruby, or be on my own?"

Yang sighed and leaned back in her chair. "That's kind of up in the air right now. The details really aren't laid out yet. You'll be able to fight, for sure, don't worry about that. I'll tell you as soon as the decision is made."

Penny nodded again, and said, "Good. Also, Ruby said that I could go back with you tonight, to stay the night. I don't have any other place to go. Is that alright with you?"

Yang glanced over at Blake, who gave a small nod. "Yeah, that's fine. I mean, Weiss is probably the only one who you're going to have to convince, but I don't think she should have much of a problem with it. It'll be like a slumber party!"

Penny realized that this was true, and started to get excited. That was what friends did, wasn't it? She wanted to do those things, it would be fun, she was sure.

She was about to express this excitement when Blake's head turned to the side, and she stood up, saying, "Weiss is out."

The rest of the heads around the table, with exception of Ruby's, followed her gaze. A door from the surgical rooms was open, and Weiss was walking out, one arm over the shoulder of a very exhausted looking Amber. Both of them appeared to be having slight trouble walking, Weiss's movements being occasionally jerky and unsteady, and Amber's being slow and exhausted.

All four of them stood, and Summer shook Ruby gently, whispering that she needed to wake up. Yang waved enthusiastically, calling out to her friend, saying, "Hey! How are you doing?"

Blake rolled her eyes and elbowed Yang, saying, "Come on, we have to go over to her."

Yang gave a joking smile, but started to walk. Ruby started to stir in her mother's arms, eyes flickering open for brief seconds before she tried to go back to sleep. Summer continued to whisper softly to her, trying to get her to wake up of her own volition, but it seemed that she was very resolutely asleep.

The group walked towards their two friends, Yang out in front. When she got close, she spoke again. "Hey Weiss, how are you? Everything alright?"

Weiss was looking down at her feet as she walked, but looked up at Yang and the rest of her friends to respond. "The doctors say that I'm going to be fine, but that I need to get everything back in order first. The fall shook me up, and my legs just don't feel right. That's normal for recovering from something like this, though, and it should go away soon."

She looked to her side at Amber, then said, "She managed to heal me, apparently. Second time. I think most of us owe her quite a bit."

Amber looked up, waving her hand dismissively. "No, no, you don't owe me anything. You needed help, and I could give it to you. Now, please, can you take Weiss? I'm afraid I may pass out soon."

Yang stepped forward, then immediately stepped back as she remembered the last time she had inadvertently gotten close to the Priestess. Instead she motioned to Blake, indicating that she should help Weiss. She did, and Amber nodded. "Thank you very much. I'm sorry, I would love to stay and talk, but I am simply too exhausted."

All of the girls nodded, and Amber started to walk off. As she went, others joined her, the Paladins who had accompanied her to the hospitals.

Ruby finally awoke, and started to speak, rubbing her eyes and asking if Weiss had come out yet.

The group started to return to their dorm, now with one more who would share their room for the night. They would be able to get some very much needed rest, and recover from their experience. They all needed it.

* * *

Roman clutched Neo close, his knees pulled close to his chest and his back to the metal exterior of the ship. He had found a walkway that had so far been mostly untouched by Cinder's people, and was quick to make it his residence for the journey. The hours that the trip would take would be uncomfortable, but they would be much more so if deranged maniacs and mutants kept trying to fornicate with him.

He shivered, cold wind rising up off the ocean far below sapping the heat from his body, even through his coat. Neo was his best source of heat, but he held her close for another reason. Ever since Cinder had done whatever it was she did, Neo had been shaken. It was the best way he could try and comfort her. He simply had to let her know that he was there for her, and that he wouldn't leave.

Fast winds whipped past the two, kicking Neo's hair into Roman's face and making it difficult to keep his eyes open, but perhaps that was for the better. Though it was hard to see, shadowy dark figures were occasionally illuminated by the lights of the airship. They were Cinder's flying demons that looked so much like humans, but were most definitely not. The airship was surrounded by them, and Roman was sure that they knew he was there, watching them. He could only hope that they had better things to do than try and torture him.

He hoped that Neo was asleep. She deserved some rest after what had happened, and good dreams too. That was something Roman wanted as well, but he wasn't about to fall asleep and leave the both of them unguarded. That would be an unquestionably bad idea.

Alone and cold, protecting the only person he could call a friend, he had time to reflect. Why had he agreed to do this? Cinder was dangerous, and he knew it. Was it his fault that Neo had gotten dragged away like she had? He had done his best to help her, but in the end been able to do nothing to stop it.

Maybe it didn't matter why he was doing it. Cinder deserved to get a knife in the back, even if it meant he was going to have to play the good guy for once. There was one thing that he was sure about, and that was that he wasn't getting paid enough for it.

His eyes roamed the darkness that was all around them before settling on the moon itself. It was full, and was the only thing that could be seen at all that wasn't part of Cinder's little invasion force. He had never been the type to find symbology or meaning in everyday things like the moon, but there was a sense of comfort knowing that the moon was there.

He shook his head, and dismissed the thoughts. Worrying about the moon would get him nowhere. It was the girl he held close that he needed to worry about, and himself. Both were the only things he really cared about coming out of this whole little situation with intact.

His fingers ran idly through Neo's hair as he looked out in the direction the airship was going. He and Neo would avoid combat if they could, but if that was impossible, they would have no choice but to fight. He was sure that the two of them could take whatever was thrown their way, but that didn't mean it would be easy. Especially not with Cinder at their backs.

Vytal couldn't be more than a few hours away now, and it was going to be quite the event when they did arrive. He wondered what would be waiting for them. If he had to guess, it would be everything that they still had. Airships, mechs, armies, even the Huntsmen. They wouldn't do much good, though. He had already seen how men and women melted under the force of Cinder's power. No one would fare much better, unless Naze had somehow given them all amulets like the one Roman had around his own neck.

His mind lingered on it for a few moments, thinking of all it had done, when suddenly his eyes pulled it away. There was something on the horizon, and it gave him a bad feeling. Land stood out, barely visible, but there was something else too. A light that seemed to give the impression of anger, and hate. Whatever the light was, Roman had never seen a beacon like it. Was it a trap? There was no way to know. All he could feel was that it was something very important, and that it was a good idea to stay away.

He hugged Neo closer, and kept his eyes locked. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to harm her.


	59. Chapter 59

Author's Note:

I don't have an awful lot to say about this. Pretty self explanatory chapter. As always, tell me what you thought.

* * *

Unearthly fire crackled around the darkened figure who commanded it, incinerating everything closer to him than ten feet. He stared up at the sky, spirit almost consumed by his hatred.

The airship that carried Cinder and her disgusting kind was drawing almost within range, and as soon as it was, he would annihilate it. His master knew he would fight to his last breath, and with every ounce of his blood. The demon's power coursed through him now, making him feel stronger than ever before.

He didn't think about a plan. He didn't even think about what had been said to him hours before. All he thought about was his anger. Cinder was going to pay for what she had done, and he would be the reckoning blow to end everything that she was. Nothing was going to stop him from this. Nothing possibly could. Her fate was sealed. She was going to die, and he would laugh when his heel crushed her skull.

His body burned with his need to kill the wretch, but he couldn't take out his vengeance yet. All this waiting was torturous, but he had to do it. His master demanded that his competition be destroyed. Cramus was weak, and its servants would break. Nothing could break his master, and his master would ensure that nothing could break him.

His mind started to wander at the possibilities. So many ways to kill, and he was sure that he was going to have plenty of people to experiment with.

His master had raged in his head while he waited, but now he could not hear the shouts or the threats. Now all he could hear from his thoughts were the urges to do those things his master had commanded them to do. Maybe that meant that he had lost more of himself than he had ever wanted, but he was beyond caring.

He had his plan all set up. Or, at least, a plan had been set up for him. He could murder as many as he wanted, and then, when he died, his soul would be safe. His master didn't know about it, and the small piece of his mind that still remembered it was clutching the information with a vice grip, keeping it away from the master.

His attention started to drift back, though, when the airship started to enter into what he knew to be his range. A cruel smile slinked across his face when he thought of the sounds of drowning cultists, and the sea being dyed red.

The fire around him hissed and spat as he focused his anger, and it started to take on physical power. The fire grew larger and larger, until everything around him was burning. Adam took his blade, and started to siphon his power into it. Cinder would die, and the rest of her pathetic little coven would follow.

He slashed his blade through the air, and hellfire leapt from its edge, screaming horribly as it flew through the night. Its red glow bathed the air around it, and carried the scent of blood.

The airship, whether its pilot saw the projectile or not, was too big and bulky to have even the slightest prayer of moving out of the way. His aim was true, and the fire collided with the hull of the great ship, rending its way through the metal and steel, leaving not even ash in its wake.

It wasn't enough to split the ship in two, but it was immediately clear that he had crippled it. It started to descend, taking up a rather precarious angle, and he could see that it was going to make it to land before crashing. The sound of severed mechanical parts falling to the ocean was pleasing, and it amused him to see that the ship's dust fuel had been ignited, but the resulting blaze revealed something else too.

Several of Cinder's harpies were speeding towards him, screeching curses and threats about what they would do to him. They didn't look like they were particularly powerful, but it didn't matter what they were. He would deal with them all the same.

As they got closer, the fire that fed him illuminated their twisted forms. Some looked like they had been human at some point, but others bore the appearance of full-blooded demons. Those who were corrupted still had a few of their human or faunus traits, but not nearly enough to fool any onlooker.

They swooped like hawks at him, but they underestimated his powers. They were too eager to fight him, and he showed them their error. As soon as they were within striking distance, he lashed out, burning blade slashing through their thick demon hides like butter, and spilling their foul blood onto the charred earth.

Four corpses slammed into the ground, bones crunching and bodies folding from the force of their impact. If Cinder thought a few pests like that was going to stop him, she couldn't be more wrong.

Their blood boiled out of their bodies as he cast his gaze back towards the airship, now almost directly over him. He had looked forward to tossing corpses into the sea, but he could do without all that.

No other harpies followed them, and he knew that Cinder was probably deciding to keep her minions together. That way he would have a harder time disposing of them all. She was right, in a sense, but only in that it would take him longer to reach her.

He started to run, following the airship like a vulture, waiting for it to finally die so he could rip out its occupants. He didn't have to wait long. The wind created from the large thrusters buffeted him, blowing leaves from trees and even uprooting smaller plants.

It wouldn't save her. Nothing would.

Plants ignited as he ran past, hellfire consuming everything it could as it leaped to anything even vaguely alive. His mind started to blank. Thoughts and plans, hopes and wants, everything was simply gone, and his vision went completely red.

* * *

Cinder sighed as her airship started to brush the tops of trees as it careened towards the ground. It felt good, but it was something she had felt before. There was no particular flavor to it now. It wasn't something she would pass up, but there was nothing new. Nothing special.

Still, Adam would give her something special to play with. She looked forward to seeing what it would take to break him. She knew he had one of her master's rivals inside of him, but nowhere near as long as she had bourn hers. He wouldn't be able to draw nearly as much power as she could, and his anger would leave him totally blind. Manipulating him would be easy, but she didn't want to have to deal with him. She would be sure to have as much fun as she could when she killed him.

The airship started to plough into the ground, and everything jolted forward. Several of her weaker followers were thrown from their places, slamming into the walls or windows, a few of them getting injured. They didn't feel pain, though. All they felt was ecstasy.

The ship grumbled and ground to a halt as its momentum died, and Cinder stood from her chair. It was certainly inconvenient that their ride had been destroyed, but it was nothing more. She stretched her body, feeling the wonderful sensation of her muscles loosening. If she had to fight him herself, she wanted to be able to show him how useless all of his struggles had been.

A primal, bestial scream echoed through the air, vibrating through the crashed craft, as though Adam was letting them know where he was. That was fine. She would rush to meet him.

She leapt forward towards the plain grey steel wall, lashing her claws out as she went. The metal crumpled like tissue paper, and she sliced her way to the exterior of the ship.

The night air was cool, tingling against her skin, but she paid little attention to it, instead bending her legs, and leaping to the roof of the craft. Her hooves made dents where she landed, and she looked around with a smile.

From the direction that they had come, something very bright and very red was approaching. Flames flared up, dancing briefly in the night sky before sputtering out as their fuel was destroyed. If he thought that was going to intimidate them, she would be sure to let him know how cute it was.

Her followers would probably be able to deal with him, and she definitely wanted to allow them the pleasure, but she also needed to make sure she still had forces to destroy Naze when she reached him. That was the only thing that really mattered. If by some chance Adam did prove more capable than she thought, she would have to step in herself, and finish things off.

In her mind, she felt her followers start to react, pouring out of the ship and starting to move towards Adam. She let them go. Those that felt either more of a need to protect her, or simply wanted to be closer to their master stayed with her, and would be able to protect her from any tricks Adam might have.

The stretch of land that had been flattened by the airship was torn up, with roots and layers of dark, fertile dirt having been overturned. The skid mark started a large distance away, but she could see the glow growing brighter. Adam was almost through the trees.

She called out to him, a taunting edge to her voice. "Come on, boy! Don't be so scared! We won't be too mad about the ship."

Her voice carried wonderfully through the trees, and her superior ears could pick up on every reverberation off of every surface. It sent a quiver down her spine, and she waited for a response.

Crimson fire exploded from between the trees, and a figure sprinted out with it, sliding to a halt. Adam, or what had become of Adam, was staring at her with red eyes, and fingers working ceaselessly around the handle of his weapon.

Cinder laughed, and spoke again, "Oh my, dear! You look like you're about to burst! Maybe we could help you work out some of that stress!"

With that, several of her demonesses launched out towards him. She knew that he had already killed several others, but they had been rash, and too eager to fight. Now was a much better time to fight.

They flew at first, but then landed again when they got close, not wanting to give him the opportunity to outright kill them. Their reaction times were fast, and with a little luck, they could dodge everything that Adam could throw at them. He was weak anyways.

She smiled wider to herself. Maybe they could even bring a few intimate feelings from the beast for them all to enjoy. Perhaps he wasn't really as primitive as he seemed, just standing there, staring and being angry. Or maybe he was. Either way, it would be fun to try and coax it out of him.

The demons started to speak, and Cinder could hear every one of the things their sultry, corrupting voices said. "Why are you here? Who made you come?" What's her name, Adam? I can tell you love someone, at least a little bit. What's her name?" "Is it someone special?" "Did they love you back?"

All were delicious questions, but they didn't quite have the desired effect. Instead of saying anything, or giving any hints as to any of the questions, he simply let out another primal scream, and lashed out at the nearest demon. They were prepared this time, but he moved faster than they had anticipated. The demon he slashed at managed to escape being immediately killed, but it did suffer a large slice across its belly.

Its hand went to the wound, and Cinder was surprised to find that she had to hold her innards to keep them from spilling out. This didn't mean that the taunts stopped, though. If anything, this only made the demons more interested in prying out his secrets.

"I don't think they did love you. I think they thought you were a monster, just like you are now. Isn't that right, Adam? She couldn't love something like you, could she?"

He lashed out again, shouting a wordless battle cry as his hellfire rose up again, splashing over the ground around him. He moved faster than he had before, meaning that the seductresses couldn't dodge fast enough. The first strike hit the demon who had been speaking, cleaving through the demon's discolored skin. A clean cut, starting at the shoulder, straight through the chest, and ending at the ribs, parted the demon into two pieces.

The other three saw their opportunity, and moved in for an attack. If they could knock him off balance, then they would have an even greater opportunity to taunt him. The two who were still in good health rushed forward before the other's corpse had even hit the ground, hoping to get in under Adam's guard before he could recover. To a normal person, they would've been mere blurs, but Adam was able to see every seconds of their approach. He wasn't in the position to do anything about it, but that didn't stop him from reacting.

He tried to pull his blade back, so that he could kill the rest of his opponents, but he wasn't fast enough. He felt a pair of claws rake into his side, and a shoulder slam into him, trying to knock him down.

Cinder smiled as she saw her minion's claws rip into him, but something else started to happen as well. He stumbled, but the fire around him grew in power. Adam let out another shout, and his hellfire exploded from him, engulfing the demons around him.

She couldn't see through the veil of flame that separated them, but the injured demon had been further away, and she saw its outline in the fire. She struggled to keep her ground for a moment, then her flesh was blasted from her bones. For a moment, her skeletal silhouette stood there, still struggling to stay in place, then it was blown away as well, crumbling into nothingness as the fire licked past it. She raised an eyebrow as she saw the dirt at the edges of the explosion curl and crack as it was instantly baked into glass.

The fire subsided, and Cinder expected to see him exhausted from summoning that much power. Instead, he was still standing, panting heavily, but it didn't look like it was because he was exhausted. Instead, he seemed even more enraged. The fire that still swirled around him brightened, and he started to run towards Cinder again.

More of her followers ran out to meet him, and Cinder let them go. His feet cracked the glass he had created with every step, shards being flung into the air behind him. The trunks of the trees around him were being eaten through by any flame that had touched it, and they threatened to fall over if they burned too long.

Her followers were mostly human, with a few demons interspersed in the crowd. There were a few hundred of them, and all were calling out different things to Adam, trying to get some response. Cinder's voice carried over them all, and she said, "Are you feeling better after your little tantrum? I hope you didn't hurt yourself. It would be such a shame if you ended up dead too soon."

Adam still didn't respond, much to her annoyance. It would be horribly boring if he really was as stupid as he seemed. An animal like that was much less fun to play with than a person. She almost found herself hoping that he wasn't as debilitated as that.

She knew it would be good for fighting him, though. It would be so droll if she had to simply kill him, but that was looking like the way things were going to happen. He deserved it for destroying their transport of course, but she wanted to do so much more to him.

Hit steps quickened, and he collided with the group of her followers with a new fury. She had thought that from the top of the ship she would have a very good view of the fight. What she found as she looked down, however, was that blood from his strikes flew in every direction, completely blocking her vision. Her vision was not her only sense that she could use to tell what was happening though.

The initial line of bodies was like nothing to him, and a single strike from his blade was enough to scatter any resistance that they could have posed. A wave of flame accompanied his sword, engulfing those that it hit, and spreading to those close by. Her followers didn't stop, though. They didn't feel pain anymore. All that they felt was an intense pleasure as their bodies were quickly consumed by the flame.

She peered down, watching as the crowd reacted. The demons were the first to start the surge forward, making those still human and half human start to charge. Then they themselves joined in, waiting for an opening to land their blows.

Adam was powerful, but it was possible for him to be overwhelmed. He swung his blade again, but every body he cleaved apart was replaced, and those set on fire weren't burning fast enough to die. Hands flailed and grabbed at him, all the while their taunting, maniacal voices continued to whisper at him.

He didn't have enough room to swing his blade again, and snarled like animal at the still taunting faces. He tried to pull his arms back so he could swing his blade again, but the many grasping arms kept it unusable. He swung his off-arm at them, knocking several of them away, but he could see one of the taller demons approaching.

The fire around him swirled faster, and Cinder could see her followers being ripped apart. Adam tore his arm free, bringing a few still-clenched fists with it. The fingers broke apart quickly though, and he was for the most part freed. The demons saw their opportunity though, with most of the way between them cleared and Adam still vulnerable.

They charged forwards at once, using their wings to propel them across the ground, and wrapping their arms around him. They did their best to enthrall him, letting as much calming and seducing air surround him. Any mortal man would've been a drooling slave instantly, but they knew that he was something much more dangerous than a normal man.

Cinder watched intently, waiting for the fight to leave Adam's eyes. That would be when she finished him. He would already be defeated. He struggled for a moment to stay on his feet, then fell to his knees. The demons kept whispering to him, trying to break him, and Cinder even started to come down from her perch. She could wrap him around her finger no problem, it was just a matter of his malleability.

He was growing weaker by the second, that much was obvious. He struggled against her demon's grip, shouting and screaming, but it didn't do him any good. The strength continued to drain from his body, leeched out by her demons, and she dropped off the side of the ship, going to examine her prize. Even the harsh fire around him was starting to die down.

The seductresses whispers quieted as she got closer, and she started talking to him again. "You see, Adam? All of your struggling has been for nothing. If you had just turned yourself over from the beginning, everything could have been so much easier, and you could've felt this wonderful from the beginning. Don't you feel foolish for having fought?"

Her hooves touched the ground, and a path parted for her in the crowd for her to approach the man. She walked gracefully and seductively, the eyes of her followers tracing her every move, and Adam's struggles against the demons who still held him still losing steam. She smiled, and continued approaching.

Adam's eyes flicked to her, and he snarled, but didn't break free. Cinder could see that he was losing the will to fight. It was only natural. Why struggle once you had everything you could possibly want?

She continued to walk towards him, smiling. When she was within feet of the man, she bent over, and whispered in his ear, "I think they were right, Adam. What was her name? Does she really love you back? I don't think she does, does she? What a shame, but then again, you can't really blame her, can you? I wouldn't, I don't think anyone could really love you. But you must be so lonely. You could find some companionship with us, if you really want it. All you have to do is to say you want it."

It didn't look like Adam could entirely understand what she was saying, but his struggle continued to slow down, and he seemed to be starting to break under some emotion that was pushing its way out. She thought she could even see tears leaking briefly out of his eyes, before they disappeared is a sizzling puff.

His lips moved, and he whispered something that was barely audible even to the demons who clutched to his body. Cinder leaned in closer, determined to hear the name, and said, "What was that?"

Cinder felt what was coming before it happened, and time seemed to slow down. Adam gave another mighty roar, and hellfire again exploded from within him. At first it spilled out of his eyes, mouth, and anywhere a demon's claws had punctured him, then seemed to simply be emitted from his body. The demons clinging to him were destroyed instantly, and what seemed like a solid wall of the flame was swiftly approaching Cinder.

She was more than fast though, and leaped backwards, soaring over the heads of her people before landing back on the top of the airship. The hellfire followed, engulfing every single one who had come out from the ship. Hundreds of voices cried out at once as they were completely and utterly destroyed, but Adam's voice still rang above them all. Cinder could make out a name from the visceral sound, and even felt Adam's voice strain her eardrums, putting them in danger of bursting.

"Blake!"

The fire met with the metal ship, and then started to subside its assault. Cinder looked down to find nothing but molten slag where strong steel had been. It smoked and popped as it fell back to the ground, and Cinder tried to tell where Adam was again. There was no way she could detect him, she could not hear him, see him, or even feel him. The possibility that he had destroyed himself crossed her mind, but that couldn't be what had happened. There was no way he had done that. He couldn't take revenge on her if he was dead.

The flame died down a little more, and she could see his outline in the swirling fire, eyes practically glowing in the middle of the fire, staring directly at her.

There was a brief second where they simply stared at each other, neither one sure what to do, before Adam exploded again. He rocketed towards her, as though he was propelled by the hellfire that still spewed out of him, blade at the ready. She barely had time to jerk her body to the side, avoiding the burning blade as it passed within a mere inch of her face.

A few strands of her hair were sliced through, and she watched as Adam careened past her, before his feet hit the metal, which immediately started to melt. If Adam noticed this, he didn't show any sign of it, instead opting to charge directly at Cinder again.

Cinder was prepared, and as Adam brought the smooth, razor sharp weapon swinging towards her midriff, she jumped back, only far enough so that the blade would miss.

Then it was her opportunity. As she lunged forward for the hit, she felt her skin start to heat up, and even start to flake away. What she lost would grow back quickly, but that would require getting out of the fire.

She wasted no time in planting a solid blow to Adam's chest with her fist, feeling even her own bones buckle from the force. A wave of air, visible to her enhanced eyes, circled out around the point of impact, as though emphasizing the force of the hit.

Adam was knocked back, but his feet never left the airship. Instead, where he skidded backwards, his feet left trails of malicious dark fire that melted through the surface quickly. Cinder knew that it would only cause her to lose more people than she already had, and even though it would probably be a more enjoyable fight if they did it on the top of the airship, she had to move it.

She gave Adam a playful wink, then leapt off the ship again, hooves landing heavily on the glass that had been created by his little tantrum fit. It was pretty, with a few odd spires jutting out at about her height every now and again, but the surface was overall fairly flat. The stretch of land that had been cleared by their crashing ship would serve well enough for a place to kill him.

Adam predictably followed, dropping off of the side and straightening back up once he had hit the ground. Each time he exhaled, a spout of fire shot from his nose and mouth, and he now seemed like a much more imposing target. Cinder wasn't threatened though, and only tilted her head, smiling.

"You know, I think I remember Blake. She went to Beacon, didn't she? Perhaps I'll pay her a visit and give her your regards once I'm done here. Would you like that?"

He threw an arm recklessly forward, and a thick gout of flame burst from his hand. It was easy enough for Cinder to simply jump to the side, evading it, and she did so with grace.

"Oh darling, I you don't want me to mention you, all you have to do is ask."

Adam didn't hesitate in dashing towards her again, obviously intent on ending her. She watched him come, smiling, then just as he entered striking distance and reached forwards with his blade, she jumped over him, intending on landing behind him.

What she didn't expect however, was that as she arced over him, his body came to a dead stop, and he pivoted to follow her. What had been a horizontal strike turned into a downwards vertical one, chasing after her, threatening to slice her in two. For the first time she could remember, she actually felt threatened. Her hooves hit the ground, and she tried to jump again out of the way, but she could not beat the blade that was already plummeting towards her.

She managed to move slightly before being hit, but that didn't stop the bite of the superheated metal on her back, cutting and burning her flesh apart.

She continued away from Adam, feeing blood seep down her back. More than that, though, was the presence of something she didn't think she would ever feel again. Pain racked the area that had been touched by the flame, and she felt the egg of her master inside her soul start to writhe.

Whatever that fire was, it clearly did not agree with her master. Her body had withstood the heat fine, but once it was inside of her, it was clear that it could strike at something other than just her body. It burned at the edges of the thing she valued most, her master's gift to her. Her chance to become one with her master.

That was something that she could not allow. Obviously she had been too lax, but she hadn't known that he had the power to injure her like that. She resigned herself to the fact that Adam would merely have to die, and could not be toyed with any more.

Her eyes narrowed, and every muscle in her body tightened as she started waiting for an opportunity. She was faster, stronger, and in every way better than the little upstart. Killing him would be simple.

He dashed towards her again, and brought his sword to bear. If this strike hit her, she would be impaled.

She waited, keeping perfectly still until the very last second, when she could almost feel the sword stab through her belly. She shifted to the side, making sure that she moved to the dulled side of the blade. Next, she brought an elbow down on the back of Adam's head, knocking him to his knees. Then she kicked out at him with a hard hoof, hitting him square in the temple. Her attacks were too fast and too heavy for him to react to, and he was growing more and more battered with every hit he took. His struggles to strike Cinder were powerful, but he couldn't even raise an arm.

Her hoof cracked his skull, and he slumped to the side, stunned. She didn't let up on her assault, continuing to beat him. Once he had rolled over to his back, she started to stomp her ribs in, hoping to suffocate him to death.

He was able to manage a single more sword swing, weak from the ground. Cinder was able to dodge back, and come back with a new vigor. She made sure to stomp his arms until she was sure that the bone was nothing but dust, then moved onto the other one.

Once she was satisfied with the amount of crippling she had inflicted, she went back to beating the life out of the man who she now saw as a very dangerous threat. He was coughing now, blood leaking out of his mouth and nose, signaling that his life was coming to a close.

Cinder watched, smiling, as what had tried to destroy her slowly started to fade away into a cold, lonely death. He deserved nothing less.

When it was clear that he was going to die no matter how desperately he clung to life, Cinder stepped back, taking pleasure from watching him cough up so much blood, trying to stay alive so hard. His wounds tried to heal, steaming as his fire started to dim, letting more of the cool night air embrace him. She could still feel the heat radiating off of him, and she knew that he might explode again, but he couldn't do it fast enough to actually catch her. He had to know that, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try, of course.

Cinder watched him for a few minutes in silence, simply enjoying the sounds of his breathing becoming ragged and gurgling. She started to taunt him too, deciding that gloating was a pleasure that she couldn't simply pass up.

"You know, Adam, you actually had me worried there for a second. I thought that you would be able to hurt me. You came close, I can't lie. But you just aren't powerful enough to stand up to me. I know it must break your little heart to hear, but you never had a shot at winning. Sorry, but that's just how it was. Your master must be so disappointed in you, and to be honest, I am too. You always seemed like such a strong, determined person, and now here you are, choking on your own blood, not even able to talk back to me."

She clicked her long tongue and shook her head. "So sad. Come on Adam, you can at least speak, can't you?"

She leaned towards him, giving him the chance to talk. He couldn't hurt her now, he was much too injured to do anything. He couldn't even move. She had already beaten him.

Adam's mouth moved, but all that came out of his throat was a thick gurgling sound. He continued to try and speak, but there was too much in his throat to allow him to. Cinder decided she would help, and put a hoof forward, placing it on his cheek and tilting his head to the side. He coughed and spluttered again, and a large wad of blood, spit, and mucus hit the glass that he lay on, giving off an acrid and acidic scent.

He pulled a few ragged, deep breaths in again, trying to keep from passing out. After a few moments of that, he turned his face upwards again, eyes glaring at Cinder, and moved his lips slowly.

If Cinder was placing his body language correctly, he was laughing. This didn't make her upset, in fact, it mostly amused her. She gave a small laugh too, and said, "What's so funny to you? Have you seen how useless your struggle was?"

His words were frail and barely audible, and even with her superior ears, she had to lean close to him to hear.

"You…" his breathing was still labored, and the space between every word was long. "…stupid bitch. I was never…" his eyes seem to be unfocusing, like he was remembering something from a long time ago. "…supposed to win. There's a plan, and you can't…" the glow in his eyes was fading, his life slipping away from him now. "…escape it."

Cinder's eyes narrowed. So his being here wasn't just a whim of his master. Or, if it was, then his master had orchestrated more resistance than just his weak champion.

But the demon lord of rage was not the clever planner that her own master was. She had amassed more than enough power to destroy Naze, and after that, their world would fall easily. But that Lich…

She knew that Liches were known for their planning. Perhaps it was his plan.

She felt herself become disgusted at the mere thought of the undead. It was such a repugnant, empty way to exist. There was no way they could feel anything like what Cinder tried to bring to everyone to, absolute bliss, and so she hated them. There was no help for them, and worst of all, they had done it to themselves.

There was nothing that would make her feel better than wiping them out for good, other than becoming one with her master, of course. Nothing could compare to that.

Adam started to move his lips again, but there was no sound. Cinder tried to hear, but she couldn't. It just seemed like the man was mouthing now. She took the opportunity to taunt him again, saying, "If it's another insult, I suggest you save your breath. I think you could die any second now."

Adam gave his head the faintest of shakes, and continued to try speaking. Cinder regarded him for a moment, weighing his current state against what he had done. There wasn't anything he really could do. Perhaps hearing him out was the best thing she could do. It wasn't impossible that he had, in his final moments, decided to feel what Cinder had offered for so long. If that was it, she wanted to hear it.

She brought her ear down, next to his mouth, and said, "Go ahead, talk."

The sounds that came out of Adam's mouth were extraordinarily quiet at first, but slowly grew, like a rising wave. She didn't move away, and kept listening.

Adam's body started to move again, and he lifted his head up off the ground. It was only about an inch, but still impressive considering the damage he had sustained. His arms also started to come up, and they seemed to be trying to caress Cinder's face. She smiled as it became clear that he had surrendered himself.

His fingers met the sides of her head, then closed tightly. Perhaps she had been wrong. Maybe he was making some final desperate attempt to destroy her.

What happened next was too fast for even Cinder to respond to. Adam's jaw slid open, and a strong blast of hellfire spilled out, engulfing Cinder's head entirely. It flooded into her nose and mouth, and she immediately felt the torturous sensation of her master's egg being burned.

She lashed out, her fist meeting Adam's head, and stopping the hellfire.

Adam's body slumped over, finally dead, and she stood again, trying to squelch her burning soul.

She could still feel the frayed edges of the egg burning when she finally decided that it was time to move on from this little distraction. With gusto, she brought her hoof down a few more times on his throat, making sure that he wouldn't get back up again.

Maybe he had accomplished his part of the plan he had spoken of, maybe he hadn't. The laughter he had managed to choke out, though, seemed to suggest he had.

She called out to the rest of her minions, commanding them to move. They had ground to cover, and it would take days to make it on foot. Her ranks emerged from what was left of the ship, and started to follow as she broke out into a sprint, leaving Adam's corpse for the worms.

* * *

When Roman managed to blink after having witnessed such a battle, the first fourth of Cinder's people had already disembarked from their ruined ship. He had never seen anything like it, and he doubted that he ever would again.

Neo had been clutching him the whole time, scared out of her wits. Roman guessed that he was lucky not to see whatever it was she was so completely terrified of, because it took a lot to shake Neo.

As the pair dropped down from the airship's exterior where they had been hiding and made to follow the rest of the lunatics who called Cinder their master, he noticed the broken and beaten body of Adam. Roman didn't feel sympathy for him, but there was definitely something. He had known that guy, sort of in the same way he had known Cinder. The two hadn't been on the best of terms, sure, but it felt big to see him simply dead on the ground.

He was about to keep walking when he felt Neo stop, and pull his arm in the direction of the corpse. He didn't know about the wisdom of messing around with a corpse like that one, but given all that had happened to her recently, Roman decided that her wish wasn't too much to oblige.

He walked back with her, and she knelt over next to the body, gently picking through a few of his pockets before withdrawing a small, red-ish orb. It was about the size of a pearl, and glowed with a strange otherworldly energy.

Roman raised an eyebrow, but Neo simply smiled back at him. Whatever it was, it made her feel better, so he figured that letting her keep it would be alright. She probably had a better idea of what it was anyways.


	60. Chapter 60

Author's Note:

Some cooldown after last time. Hope you like this. Climax soon.

* * *

Naze gazed through the eyes of the Shades that watched almost every corner of the earth, peering at the way Cinder and her force moved on from the battle with Adam. He had done substantial damage to her numbers, but more interestingly, he had done something to damage Cinder herself. He knew that she bore the seed of her demon master, and Adam had somehow managed to damage that.

It was an intriguing event, not only because he was sure that the damage would be to his advantage, but also because it meant there was a much more effective means of battling Cinder than he had originally thought.

Unfortunately enough, he didn't have the means to create demonic hellfire on his own. Even its source was still a mystery, whether it was simply a byproduct of demonic corruption, or a specific effect created by the demon lord. Regardless, it would be an advantage once he did battle with her.

If there was no means of finding out how to get it, though, it was simply time wasted. Cinder's display of power had proved that she would be a dangerous opponent, even to the Lich. There would be no room for error once they were on the battlefield, and Naze had already spent time tweaking his most powerful spells and tricks. The Black Morass was, as it had been many times in the past, overflowing with zombies once again. They weren't the mundane predatory corpses that he normally produced en masse, nor were they the type that rotted away all life they touched. They were something much more malicious, and that would be much more damaging.

Then there were his more elite soldiers to think about. His Death Knights would be able to finish off the remainder of her forces, if there were any, but beyond that, he doubted that they would be very effective against her. Not for doing any major damage. It would take something beyond what they were capable of to finish Cinder off.

And that would be his task. Pooling energies for the battle would be his main priority while the living continued to do as he had suggested. Ironwood's forces were deploying already in the mountainous regions, and Huntsmen readied for the trials they would face.

His chamber was silent, as it always was, and he waited. His dry, bony husk of a body was completely still, but his mind whirred ceaselessly, working over every possibility and variable that could take place.

Then his silence was interrupted. Not by a noise, but by something that disturbed the dead stillness of the room. He turned his attention towards this anomaly, and found a demonic rift. It was small, barely able to be detected, and lasted only a fraction of a second.

Dolor did not know where his necropolis was, and Cramus had never demonstrated any interest in infiltrating his lair in such a manner. There was only one demon lord who had demonstrated a desire to contact the Lich directly in the past.

He moved, making his way towards the halls. If the demon desired to speak, he would allow it an audience. Perhaps it even had another offer for him.

* * *

Ren's legs hung over the side of the bed, and he glared at his feet. It had been a long time since he had walked, and he was tired of being useless. Pyrrha and Jaune and Nora had been fighting, saving lives without him, It wasn't right.

The nurses, doctors, and even his own teammates had told him to simply sit still, and take the time to recover, building up his strength. He couldn't do it anymore. He had to act.

He took in a deep breath, and started pushing himself off the edge of the bed. Enough was enough, he wasn't some baby that had to be kept in a crib. He was tired of being treated like one. All three of his team members were in the room with him, but Jaune and Pyrrha had already fallen asleep. Nora was awake, but her eyes were glued on the TV, watching some cartoon show he had never seen.

His arms felt weak as he pushed himself, but he didn't let himself stop. That wasn't going to get anything done. He continued, and felt the thick hospital socks touch the floor. There was still no weight on them, but even this felt good. He could walk, and he could do it without help.

He lifted his weight up with his arms, and tried to balance his weight on his legs. He was surprised at first with how difficult it had become. Maybe it wasn't as going to be as easy as he thought.

His legs felt like jelly, and they did shake unsteadily, but he smiled as his body weight was held up without too much issue. He let his arms leave the bed, and took a few experimental steps. He had to be careful, as the shape of his feet seemed almost unfamiliar to him, but he got more used to it as he walked more. His muscles started to feel strained after the first few steps, but he continued, gritting his teeth.

By now, he was breathing more heavily, and Nora was starting to take notice. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she was starting to lose her focus on the show she was watching. She was probably going to ask him to get back in the bed, but he had the feeling that she wouldn't try to force him. She was still feeling guilty over the fact that she was the reason he was here. He didn't blame her, though. He had told her that, but she still felt the guilt.

He decided that he would try to surprise her. It might make her feel better, and then he could ask her to help him train. If they tried hard, he could make use of the few days they had before they would be called upon. He wanted to help drive back the demons, but he couldn't do it in the state he was in. A few days would be good enough, if he put in everything he had. One could cram in a lot of improvement, if they were dedicated enough.

He took a few more steps, approaching Nora from behind. Her hair was longer than he'd seen it in a long time, hanging just passed her shoulders, and she had become much taller than he'd ever imagined her, but she still seemed as soft and huggable as she ever had, at least to him.

He reached his arm out, and put it on her shoulder, leaning some of his weight on her. She turned her head, eyes still on the TV for a few seconds, before they flicked to the side. She started to ask, "Wha-" before her eyes met with Ren's chest, then flicked up to his face.

She jumped up from her chair, then her hands went to her mouth as she held in a shout. There was a happy glint in her eye that Ren recognized, though, and he smiled at her, holding his arms out, inviting a hug.

In hindsight, he supposed that he should have done at least a little training before putting his body through something as stressful as a hug from Nora.

She sprang forward faster than he could've hoped to react, even making a fluid leap over her chair before wrapping her arms around Ren in a rib-cracking embrace and lifting him off the ground. He did his best to keep from saying anything that might hurt her feelings, or raise any of the guilt in her mind, so instead he let the air slowly leak out of his lungs, keeping the muscles in his torso as firm as he could. After a few seconds of her nuzzling her face into his shoulder and saying a few gibberish words that he couldn't understand, she put him down, and he was able to breathe again.

He swayed unsteadily, and reached a hand out towards Nora for support. He managed to grab her arm, and balanced himself before looking back at Pyrrha and Jaune. Both were still asleep, and neither looked like they had been too disturbed by the noise.

Ren looked back to Nora, and pulled her closer to him, trying to keep their noise to a minimum. "Nora, do you think you could help me with something?"

She pulled her head back and nodded excitedly, a huge smile on her face. Ren grinned, and started to walk towards the door, motioning for her to come with him. She did, keeping her steps quiet, and listened to Ren as he walked. "Alright, I've been in there for a long time, and I want to get out. You know that the big fight against the demons is coming really soon, and I want to be a part of it. I can't fight like this, though. I want you to help get me back into fighting shape."

Nora gave him an abashed look, hesitating. He raised an eyebrow and fell silent, wanting her to voice her thoughts. She obviously didn't want to voice them, but after a few seconds, she started to speak. "Do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, you'd have to train really hard, and I don't know if you can…"

The rest of her words were too quiet to hear, and she quickly stopped speaking. Ren knew that she didn't quite mean it the way it sounded, but it still hurt his feelings slightly. He nodded, saying, "I know it's going to be hard, but I have to do this. I can't just let you guys fight without me. That wouldn't be right."

Nora gave him a pained look. She didn't want him to risk injuring himself any more than he had been. It was good that she cared about him, he knew, but he simply couldn't stand at the sideline anymore.

If they could get back to Beacon, they could use the training arena there. If they couldn't, then they could fine somewhere else to do it. It hardly mattered where the training happened.

The pair reached the elevator doors, and he started to communicate his plan. "When we get back to Beacon, I want you to help me train. Real training. You have to fight with me for that. I know that you don't want to, but there's no other way I'm going to get strong enough in time."

The elevator doors opened, and the two walked in. Ren was feeling tired from the amount of walking he had done already, but he wasn't going to let himself stop now. He couldn't give in to weakness now, so close to an important battle.

The doors slid shut as he hit the button to head down to the ground floor. As he did so, he pulled his Scroll out, preparing to send a message to Jaune and Pyrrha. It would be wrong to just leave them in the dark like that, doing nothing but worrying where they had gone. He started typing out the message, hoping that it wouldn't wake either of them up. Things would be easier if at first it was just him and Nora.

As he hit the button to send the message and pocketed the device, he saw Nora staring at him out of the corner of his eye. She always seemed to be staring at him now whenever there wasn't something at least a little interesting she could focus on. It was starting to get a little unnerving, but he wasn't going to tell her to stop. It made him feel good, in a strange kind of way. He turned his head towards her, and she looked away, averting her eyes to the buttons on the elevator panel.

He moved to the side slightly, and put his arms around her, taking a moment to simply be happy with her. It seemed like so long since he had been able to simply be happy with something, and Nora was someone that could easily fix that.

The rest of the elevator ride went quickly, and when the doors slid open again, both of them were hesitant to leave. Ren was the first to break the embrace and walk, though, and Nora was quick to follow.

* * *

When Naze reached the dark rooms that he had first met the demonic lord of fear, he found that a summoning circle was already prepared.

A wealth of demonic energy was already welling up inside it, and it was clear that the demon was practically trying to summon itself. Naze ensured that the summoning circle was functioning fully before feeding a small amount of power to the rift. It exploded out, giving Naze the strange impression of enthusiasm before the energy settled, and a projection of Timor now stood in its place.

Its many faces writhed and twisted across its constantly shifting form, and it wasted no time in starting to speak. "You've done quite well. I'm pleased to tell you that our mutual enemy, Dolor, had effectively "quit" this world. Though perhaps more amusing to me than to you, it blamed Cramus for the killing of its champion-in-progress. It even seems that the man's soul was stolen by Cramus's minion, which makes their rivalry all the better. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

The multitude of voices cover every range of intonation, but the majority seemed to be sly and smug, as though he knew Naze's trick. Naze thought it best not to say anything on the subject, instead opting to change the subject. "Perhaps. Tell me, is there a way I could replicate Adam's hellfire? It seemed to be very effective against Cinder."

Timor's mouths all seemed to smile, saying, "Envious of the powers of demons? I would share, but you know things like that can only come at a price, and you have no soul to give me. No soul of your own, at least, and that's a very important part of the deal. I said I would reward you with knowledge, but I'm afraid that hellfire is no small thing. I cannot share it so easily as that. What I can offer you is assistance in the case that you are unable to keep her from become one with Cramus. If that happens, then consider a number of my demons at your disposal. If she manages to transform, you won't have to worry about summoning them. A large enough rift would open that I could send them to you without much issue. Mine won't be the only demons to come through, though. That is something that you can be sure of."

Naze considered this. "Somehow I doubt that more demons entering the world would be an overall positive effect. Regardless, why have you come to speak to me? I hardly think that it was simply to congratulate me. There must be some kind of other motive."

All of the demon's mouths gave a small chuckle, collectively sounding like a huge crowd. "So paranoid, very smart of you. Unfortunately your suspicion is misplaced. I have no interest in this world, beyond my rivals not getting it. The workings of our game might appear strange to a mortal, but I assure you, it makes perfect sense to us."

Naze supposed it would. Timor's comment about him being a mortal was incorrect, but he didn't bother to correct it. Timor continued speaking, thousands of voices bouncing off of the small room's walls. "I came to give you advice, as you are acting as my hands in this matter. You should not claim responsibility for the Champion of Dolor attacking Cinder. Both of my opponents hold grudges, and either one might come back to this world to take their revenge."

Naze gave a small nod. That was something that would be far more trouble than it was worth. The demon Lord wasn't done speaking though, and continued to give his chosen ally advice. "Now, as for Cinder, she is not invincible. She has fears, and those are enough to crush her. She dreads the prospect of her link with her master being severed. She is terrified that you might have some way to do that, so I suggest you find a method of doing it. You are more than experienced in tearing souls apart, you should be able to figure something out."

Naze could see the projection of the demon starting to falter and fade. It seemed that the time it had to speak was running short. That, or it had nothing else to say. The grotesque multitude of shifting faces all smiled, and the vaguely humanoid shape made what looked like a bow.

With that, the rift that had bourn the creature into existence started to shiver as the space around it started to bend. With a sudden snap, the creature was sucked back through, like it had been reclaimed by the lord that created it.

Naze was left alone in the room, and soon turned to walk out. How would he take advantage of Cinder's fear? It was definitely something he could exploit, but how would he do it most efficiently and effectively?

He turned to return to his chamber, giving the matter thought.

* * *

When Yang opened the door to their dorm, she was careful to avoid hitting Ruby's head on the doorway. She was so cute when she slept, it would be terrible if she woke up. Getting back to sleep wouldn't be a challenge at all for her, though. Ruby barely ever got this tired.

It wasn't just team RWBY that was coming in. They had a new member who would be spending the night. Penny was following behind Blake, who was at the back of the normal group. Yang had liked the few interactions she had with her, but that wasn't really enough to form a good opinion. All she knew for sure was that Ruby trusted Penny as much as she trusted any of her teammates, and that was good enough for her.

Blake seemed fine with Penny staying the night, and Weiss had her usual suspicions, but seemed to be fine with it as long as Penny didn't make a mess. Weiss was also loaded with painkillers as well, that had been given to her before the surgery. That was probably a good reason as to why she was so groggy. Falling asleep wouldn't be any challenge for her either.

Blake seemed like she was alright, but Yang could see that bags under her eyes too. All of them needed rest, and it would be a blessing to get it. Penny, however, didn't seem tired at all. Granted, she hadn't done anything nearly as stressful as what the team had, but it was still late, and Yang expected to see some sign of fatigue by now.

She didn't seem tired at all though, and Yang was fine with that. Maybe she would have some company during the night instead of just waiting in silence for the others to wake up. It might be nice to have someone to walk to, and she looked forward to having the chance to learn more about Penny. She wanted to know how they had met, and what they actually did together.

That was going to have to wait, though. She flipped the light switch, and walked over to Ruby's bed, setting her down and putting her under the covers. The others went to the bathroom to get ready to sleep, and Penny walked to Yang's side.

Yang looked over at her, a smile on her face. "Hey Penny! What's up?"

Penny gave Yang a friendly smile, then said, "I was just wondering if there was a place for me. If there isn't, that's fine. I can sleep on the floor."

Yang raised an eyebrow before responding. "What? No, no, of course you'll have a bed. You can have my bed, I don't need sleep anyways. To be honest I feel like I'm just wasting it every night. It'll be nice to know that someone is actually putting it to good use."

Penny looked from Yang to the bed, then back again. "You would really give me your bed for the night? That's so nice of you!"

Yang smirked and said, "Sure, you can have it any night. Like I said, I can't really use it, so it's fine."

Penny tilted her head in a puzzled manner, and asked, "You can't sleep? You mean at all? Don't you get tired?"

Yang gave a small chuckle, and started to talk before she stopped herself. "Not really. I guess there are more than a few advantages to being dea-"

The last time that someone had talked to Penny about death, nothing good happened. Yang didn't want to risk that happening again, so she changed directions as best she could. "To being, uh, you know…"

Her voice trailed off as her mind drew a blank as to what she could say. She didn't like having to do something like this, but there was nothing else she could really do. Her hands crept up to her hair, and she pulled a big portion of it over her shoulder, running her fingers through it.

Penny gave Yang a puzzled look, and finished her sentence for her. "Dead? Is that what you were going to say?"

Yang's eyes shot open, and she looked around the room for help. Ruby was still sleeping like a rock, and Weiss and Blake were in the bathroom. She was basically alone with Penny. There was no real way to get out of this.

"Yeah, maybe."

Her voice was uncertain, and she felt like Penny was getting a little too close, both physically and conversationally. She was starting to lean towards Yang, and it seemed like she didn't even notice that she was doing it.

Yang moved around Penny's side, and put her hands up. "Look, but forget I said anything, alright? I shouldn't have said anything. Just enjoy the bed, alright? That'll make me happy."

Penny continued to give Yang a puzzled look, but shrugged her shoulders. If Yang simply wanted her to take the bed, she would. She seemed upset, and Penny didn't want to offend her friend. She started trying to think about what she could have done to make her mad, and how she could apologize.

Yang was walking away now, like she was trying to get away. Penny opened her mouth, tried to think of something to say. She spoke before she had fully thought about it, sounding a little desperate. "Wait! I'm sorry if I said something wrong! I didn't mean to make you mad. Please, I want you to be my friend!"

Yang turned back to Penny, a strange look on her face. Penny couldn't identify the emotion in her eyes, but it made her think that Yang was feeling guilty too. She gave her a sad smile, then the sadness started to disappear. "I think I can see why Ruby is friends with you, Penny. You're a really good person. I'm not mad."

Penny didn't know exactly why Yang said that, but she was glad she did. She was glad that Yang was her friend. Her eyes moved to the side, at Ruby, who was still sleeping. She was glad that Ruby was her friend too. Ruby had stood by her side, even after she had found out about her secret. Would Yang do that too? Penny thought she would, but she wasn't entirely sure. It was easy to imagine, but Penny wasn't going to volunteer that information. She couldn't do that even if she wanted to. It would be too hard to explain.

She didn't notice when Yang walked back towards her, but she jumped in surprise when a hand came down on her shoulder. She looked to the side, finding Yang also looking at Penny, a soft look on her face. "She really does like you, you know? You must be pretty special."

Penny let her eyes drift back to Ruby. Did she really think that highly of her? It gave her a good feeling to think that it was the case. She thought a lot of Ruby too. She was the nicest, most gently person that Penny knew.

Penny and Yang both sat on the side of her bed, talking to each other. After several minutes of chatting, the bathroom door opened again, and Blake and Weiss came stumbling out. Both were wearing their night clothes now, and seemed to be on the verge of collapse. They practically crawled into their beds, and drifted to sleep without saying a word.

Yang laughed to herself, and got up to go turn out the light. Her boots hit the floor quietly, and no one else in the room stirred when she flicked the lights out. She turned back to her bed, and was somewhat surprised to see a faint glow coming from the green of Penny's eyes. Was she part faunus or something? Blake's eyes reflected light like a cat's did, but it didn't seem like it was a reflection. It seemed like her eyes were actually giving off light.

Yang decided it might be better to ignore this, and simply keep talking. She found that Penny was a lot of fun to talk to, and spent more than a few hours just chatting randomly.

Before she really knew it, it was three in the morning. She only became aware of the time when she glanced over at the digital clock on the bed stand. Her eyes went wide, and she turned to Penny again, saying, "Oh, it's really late! Aren't you getting tired? How late do you normally stay up?"

Penny seemed like she thought about the question for a few seconds, then yawned. "I am getting tired. Maybe I should go to sleep."

Yang nodded. She was sure that having another exhausted companion wouldn't be a good thing, so it would be best if Penny got at least some sleep. She didn't know what time that Ruby wanted to wake up, but she guessed that the team would be sleeping late.

Yang stood from the bed and Penny stretched out, looking up at Yang. "Goodnight." Her voice was even, almost without tone, and her eyelids fell closed. Yang thought that she saw the glow in her eyes shine through her lids for a brief second before fading away.

Her breathing slowed, and it seemed like she had fallen instantly asleep. Yang raised an eyebrow. She must have been much more tired than she had let on.

Yang sighed and looked around the room. There was nothing that she could really do until the others woke up. Her back touched against the wall, and she brought her hand up in front of her face. Sliding towards the ground, she conjured a flame in her fingers. She started bending the fire in the directions that she wanted it to go, trying to make sure that she kept up with her magic. If they were going to be fighting soon, she needed to be as in control of as much as she could.

* * *

Ironwood sat in the darkened room, only the light of his tactical screens met his eyes. He could feel his mind slowing down, but he wasn't about to go and sleep now. Not with so many of his men's lives on the line.

The tactical readouts showed their positions, their fortifications, and all the equipment that they had. Almost everything he could imagine. Everything except for where Cinder was. His nerves almost made his fingers shake, but he was able to control it enough to continue working.

It had taken a lot of thought to assemble his teams, especially because there simply wasn't enough room for all his men. The operation to get them all in position had been one of utmost secrecy, no one on any one team knew anything of the other teams, not even how many there were. He was the only one who knew everything about what was going on. This was to prevent anyone corrupted by Cinder from giving her any useful information.

Every person he sent out understood the risks involved, but he wasn't too sure about that. What kind of person would agree to being sent off like this, to fight an enemy they stood hardly any chance of actually defeating?

He wished more than anything that he could be standing by their side, but he didn't have that option. He had to stay back and command from afar. It was a bitter pill to swallow. He knew each and every one of their names, and he was going to make sure after this was all over that they were remembered as the heroes that they were. Anything else would be a travesty. They couldn't be forgotten.

He took a deep breath, becoming aware of the fact that he was shaking again. A dull ache in his arm made it difficult to focus, and he tried his best to ignore it. The old pain had haunted him for years, and he supposed that now would be no different.

He sent out a query to those positions who had been setting up for some time, asking how their progress was coming. All reported back well, saying that their spots allowed them a great range of fire over the mountains. That was good. He was glad to see that he had picked the right spots. They also reported that their setting up was going very well, even slightly ahead of schedule. That was good, and he felt gratitude towards every single one of those people who had agreed to do this, and felt like he had chosen the right people for the job.

He stared at the screens blankly for a few seconds, then felt a lead weight drop in his chest as the face of Penny popped up in his mind. He remembered everything about their last conversation, her words, her expressions, and how guilty he had felt. It didn't fade. He still felt awful about everything, including that Penny was going to be in so much danger. It was terrible, but she had made up her mind that she had to do this, and Ironwood couldn't control her any more.

She was strong, though. Stronger than almost anyone else in the whole world. If there was anyone who was capable of doing some damage to Cinder, and getting away without being too affected, it was probably Penny. He just hoped that she would take care to avoid the corruptions that other's fell prey to so easily. She didn't know things like lust that Cinder took advantage up, and he hoped that she couldn't feel something like that. It would be a great boon for her if she couldn't.

But Ironwood didn't know if that was the case. He had familiarized himself with every facet of her programs and capabilities that he could, but he didn't know if she could feel that. She had grown so far beyond anything anyone could have predicted, and obviously wasn't done. She still had more maturing to do. It was hard for him to think that she would change even more, but he had heard similar things from parents he had talked to.

He sighed. That didn't make the feeling any easier to bear. If anything, it only made things worse. She was leaving him behind, losing her dependence. It was a good thing, he knew, but difficult to bear.

He shook his head, focusing on the screens. His nerves were starting to get to him, that had to be it. He could feel the bags under his eyes, and his mouth stretched slowly in a wide yawn. His arms stretched out to his sides, and his body suddenly felt very heavy.

Perhaps getting some sleep would be wise. He wouldn't be able to do his duty if he was completely exhausted. He could get at least a few hours before returning to his duty.

He was hesitant to do so, however. What if something were to happen while he was away? Cinder attacking, or something else? He yawned again, feeling even the ache in his arm die down a little. He had been told before by friends that he needed more sleep than he normally got, and supposed that this would be even truer now.

He went about making preparations, signing off of all communication channels and shutting his systems down. The bed would be a welcome comfort after everything the day had presented him with.

* * *

Candles cast a flickering light around the small room that had effectively become Amber's in the warehouse. She read from her holy book, memorizing the last few passages that remained. They were the words of the first Paladin, urging anyone who might read the book to take the Light into their own hands, no matter whether they really needed it or not. The Light could only help a person, and to bring oneself closer to it was the best thing that someone could do. It gave the strength to make changes, and that was all someone really needed. If they had a good cause behind them, then they would be able to gather the help they needed to bring right.

Amber was stunned by the beauty of the words. It was strange, the words didn't translate exactly to her normal language, but their meaning seemed to almost transcend the normal words. She had learned the ways of a long dead language, and the meanings of it were so much larger than she ever could have imagined. They didn't just mean that someone should try to improve themselves, but that someone should make an effort to improve everyone they knew, making humanity as a whole better.

It almost seemed like they spoke directly to her. She felt a connection to the man who had said them, and suspected that anyone who had read the book would too.

She leaned back, resting against the soft cushion of her chair. She had been hunched over for a long time, and an uncomfortable bend had formed in her spine. She pushed up against the soft chair, stretching her arms out in front of her like a cat, and making a low growling sound as muscles all over her bod contracted.

She stopped, opening her eyes again and seeing stars briefly dance in front of her eyes before those slowly faded away, and she was left with a soft, contented feeling spreading through her body.

She looked over to the side, at the small clock that sat on the floor. Her eyes widened when she realized that she had been up, reading, almost the entire night. She hadn't meant to, but she had simply gotten absorbed in the book.

It was alright though, she didn't need that much sleep. What she could squeeze out of the few remaining hours would be fine.

She hoped that the next day would bring news on what Naze had planned for them. Everyone was ready to fight, becoming as skilled as they could in the use of both their hammers and in using their Light to protect themselves. They had all come so far over the short amount of time that they had been together. It was clear that Solace was proud of every single one of them, and that he had complete confidence in all of them.

Amber shared his confidence, but knew that they wouldn't be able to fight Cinder alone. They would need her help, her protection from the withering corruption that Cinder used. But given that, she was sure that every single one of them could do massive damage to the demons. It wasn't only their resolve that would help them, but it was their purity, and their hearts. They fought for a higher purpose than themselves.

She closed the book gently, and laid it on the floor like it was made of glass. No damage would come to it from her treatment, she made sure of it.

Amber got up and walked towards the bed, looking forward to resting her eyes. She had nearly exhausted herself healing the Huntsmen at the hospital, and had thought that she would collapse instantly. This hadn't turned out to be the case, however. Maybe she should have, though.

She decided that getting what rest she could would be the best thing that she could do, and settled down to sleep. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she laid still for a moment before she drifted off, a dream starting to form in her head.

It wasn't a long enough dream. Before she really knew it, her eyes were cracking open again, and she could hear voices not too far away. She sat up and yawned. The details of her dream quickly slipped away from her as she thought about the bizarre things she had seen. There had been a horse, a few cacti-

She shook her head. Maybe it was good that she didn't remember what had happened.

She picked herself up off of the bed, and made herself ready for the day. She didn't feel quite as good as she had thought she would, but it still wasn't terrible. When she walked out into the hall, she smiled, finding many of her friends already present.

The smell of breakfast was amazing, and she started to walk towards it eagerly. Soon things would be much less happy than this, she was sure, but she pushed those thoughts aside.


	61. Chapter 61

The huge, steep mountains loomed over Cinder's army, but she didn't stop or stall for a second. Nothing was going to keep her from wiping that Lich off the face of the planet. The terrain would be easier if she went around the mountains, but that would take several more days, and that was time that she didn't want to waste.

There was something off about them, though. She could tell that something was not quite right. She could hear echoes from miles away, and they sounded suspiciously like voices. She knew that there had to be more traps along the way, but the Lich was a fool if he thought that mere humans were a threat at all anymore. She would beat them off like the insects they were, then crush them under her heel. It would be one of the most enjoyable things she had done.

It was with the utmost confidence that she continued walking up the steep path, hooves starting to clack against the exposed rock. The air was starting to grow cold, and as they got closer to entering the mountain pass, she heard the echoes stop.

Her eyes narrowed, and she stopped walking. The others started to come towards her to ask what was wrong, but she held up a hand to stop them. It took several moments for the huge group to come to a complete stop, but once they did, Cinder turned her head back towards the mountains and listened as closely as she could.

They were still there, but now they were like whispers, barely making their way through the wind and rock of the mountains. It was hard to hear, but it was most definitely there.

She smiled. If they thought that they could stop her, it would be an even greater experience to twist them to her ways.

She started to walk again, now with a new vigor, and the others followed behind. She could hear every single footstep, and cast her eyes up to the cliffs. Somewhere up there, someone had it in their head that they could hurt her. Somewhere up there, there were fools who didn't know how horrible their lives had been all this time. She was going to show them the most wonderful things they could imagine, and they would praise her like a god.

The thought got her smile to widen even further across her face, and she took the first step into the mountain pass.

For a few seconds, it seemed like nothing was going to happen. Then, like a distant clap of thunder, a deep noise started to roll towards them. Her eyes immediately homed in on its source, and she saw what looked like an artillery shell screaming towards them.

Her smile widened, and she laughed. If they thought something so primitive was going to stall her, they must've been more desperate than she had thought. The shell wasn't even going to hit close enough to do any damage. They could certainly stand to work on their aim.

She could see every spiral of the shell in the air, and, more importantly, she could see where it had come from. She didn't have to speak to command her followers to go there and destroy the cannon. Her thoughts were like screaming in their heads, and they couldn't ignore her.

Those of her people who could fly took to the skies, huge wings flapping powerfully, pushing the air away from them as they lifted off the ground. Cinder watched as they took to what narrow space was allowed by the mountains sheer cliffs. Cinder was sure that it wasn't going to be a problem, though. They were all more than agile enough to make do with what space they had.

About twenty of the more capable flyers kept tightly together in the sky, almost within arm's reach of one another, their shouting and laughing echoing out through the mountain for all to hear.

She was sure that they would be able to destroy the gun nest, but she was somewhat surprised by what happened next.

Weapon fire other than artillery started to rip through the mountain pass. It was a rapid, sharp thudding sound, and Cinder could recognize it as the combined fire of rifles. She could see the dust-propelled rounds zip through the sky. Most of them missed, but those that didn't started to do visible damage.

Cinder growled as she saw holes blown through the wings of her followers, and they started to lose height. It seemed that there was more of a trap than she had initially thought. The cramped flying conditions would make anyone flying too vulnerable. Cinder's pace quickened as the nature of the trap became more clear. If they couldn't fly, they would be like sitting ducks for the artillery, even if their accuracy was awful.

The echoes of the rifles in the rocks made it difficult to tell how many people were up there, but it seemed like their position made going after them far more trouble than it was worth. She hated to leave anyone in the dark about what they were missing, but it they were going to be this difficult, then she didn't have a choice. It would take far too much time.

The artillery shell flew over their heads, and slammed into the side of one of the cliffs. It exploded almost immediately, and twisted shrapnel was thrown down towards the group. They all had faster reflexes than a normal human, but it didn't help when there was simply nowhere to go.

The sound of bodies being torn apart was drowned out by the enormous concussive sound of the explosion, but Cinder could see every casualty the thing had caused. Yes, it was a much more devious trap than she had anticipated.

As if to add insult to injury, the rocks of the high cliffs started to crumble down, only causing more damage as they did so, while at the same time serving to seal them in the path that she had chosen.

There was no option other than to push forwards.

She broke into a run, and all of her followers did the same. No cowardly trick was going to stop her. She would join her master, and she would have the world under her hoof. There was nothing else that she could allow to happen.

More shots from artillery cannons rang out from different positions all around, and her eyes flicked to every single one, trying to create a mental map of where each cannon was. If they could find even a single safe spot, it would allow them time to figure some method of approach, if they needed it. The mountains were tall and wide, and Cinder didn't like the prospect of being shot at the whole time they traveled through them.

The demons who had flown up finally hit the ground again, and Cinder saw their wings immediately start to heal the damage they had sustained. They wanted to fly up again, and try to capture those people who had shot them, but it would be a waste of time and effort. She had counted at least five gun batteries so far, and there could easily be more that had simply not fired yet.

More shells careened towards her, and she noticed that they were much more accurate now. Had they intentionally blocked the path? They were getting more and more irritating by the second. Still, the vibrations she felt through the rock that traveled through her body every time a shell exploded was a very pleasant feeling.

The dust-powered explosives were hitting closer still, but she didn't feel threatened by them. The damage one could do to her was almost nothing, even if she was directly hit. Most of the shells hit behind her anyways, and she knew that her demons would be able to dodge them easily, just like she could. She started to slip into a different frame of mind, where her body started to move on its own, and her mind wandered in her own thoughts.

Once she got out of the mountains, what would the next trap be? If it was the undead, she would find it quite a relief to destroy them. It wouldn't be the Lich, there was no way that Naze would simply present himself like that. It would make things too easy. She would destroy him, then her opposition would be gone. The Lich was too intelligent to let himself be killed so easily.

He was going to make it as hard as possible, because he enjoyed being a thorn in her side.

But no, that wasn't even it. The undead couldn't enjoy anything, that was part of their curse, and why she hated them so much. An existence like that was so unimaginably horrible that it turned her stomach to even think about someone doing that to themselves.

A shell landed only a few feet from Cinder, and she snapped back to attention. Fire pushed its way out of the cracks and folds in its metal casing, sending shards out in every direction, and a shockwave of its explosion pushing even the air away from the shell.

A shard about the size of Cinder's arm spun towards her head, but to her, it was like the thing moved in slow motion. Moving out of the way was simple, and she felt every muscle in her body react.

Muscles in her back pulled her shoulder back, dropping down slightly, and her abdomen tightened, bringing her torso forward just a few small inches. The metal whipped past her head, brushing past her hair as it went, before spiraling past and embedding itself in the walls of the stone pass with a loud cracking noise.

Others close by also were able to dodge past most of the shrapnel, except for one demon who had decided to leap one piece. It would have worked, had their not been another piece above the first as well. It collided with the demon's hip, and it dropped behind as it lost its ability to run. Cinder knew it would try to pull the hunk of metal out of its hip, and if it could, catch up with the rest of them.

Cinder's eyes went back in front of her to the winding path that they followed. Perhaps taking the mountain path had been a bad idea, but they were committed now. There was no time to regret, only to act.

Her hooves still hit the ground, but her pace had slowed. The rate at which artillery was being shot had slowed as well, and she didn't know why. It was tempting to unfurl her wings and soar up and look, but that was likely what was expected. The way this trap was set so far, there were likely to be even more dangerous things up there, waiting for her. Maybe the Lich had even provided the humans with something that could actually harm her. It was hard to imagine them cooperating to that degree, but it was by no means impossible.

* * *

Roman clutched his hat to his head, eyes wide as Neo practically dragged him forward. He still hadn't processed the situation fully yet, but from what he could understand, someone was shooting mortars at them. Cinder's insane followers ran behind her, but she was ahead quite a way now, almost out of sight.

People had been exploding all around him, and it was only by Neo's perceptive abilities that he was still alive. She was able to tell where the next bomb was going to fall, and guided him away from that place. He was starting to feel like his lungs were ripping out of his chest, but it didn't seem like they would be stopping any time soon.

At least he knew that if he fainted, Neo would probably drag his body to a hole in the wall somewhere, and wait until he woke back up. That was only a half comforting thought, though. Chances were that he wouldn't be able to get out if Neo dragged him into someplace like that. She was a lot more flexible than him, and he was sure that she would find a way to fold him so that he couldn't manage his way out.

She tugged on his arm again, guiding him to the left of the path, pushing and shoving those that she could out of the way. She didn't have quite the presence that Roman did, though, so he had to use his off hand to do even more pushing than she did.

The crowd was certainly thick in the back, as most of the more agile (and mutated) individuals were up towards the front, nearer to Cinder. The things that were still mostly human were left to trail behind in a large mob.

Another shell came careening towards them, and Roman watched as it slammed into the crowd behind and to the right of them. People were blown up into the air from the explosion, and fragments of metal flew in almost every direction.

He didn't keep looking to observe the destruction. He'd already seen enough of that for one day.

Neo glanced over her shoulder at Roman, and when she saw the look on his face, she gave him a sincere smile. She was trying to comfort him, he knew it, but now probably wasn't the time for that. He could think of several better times that she could give him a smile like that. Really, on the list of such times, now was incredibly low.

Neo's ears seemed to perk up again, and she turned back to the way they were running. Roman could tell that she was looking for the next shot, and figured that leaving her to it was the best thing he could do.

Her head changed directions slightly a few times, before she suddenly stopped running, and dug her heels into the ground. Roman's eyes widened as he tried to do the same, but he had too much momentum to simply stop on a dime like that. His feet slid and his body tipped forward, but like she had known exactly what would happen, Neo reached up towards him, turning on her heels as she did, catching him and in the same motion, pulling him to the ground in front of her, where she hugged him tightly.

There wasn't time for Roman to protest before something very near exploded, and he thought he had a fairly good idea of how close Neo had just cut it. A wave of force hit the two, and he felt Neo's body shake as she absorbed the majority of the blast. Even with that extra protection, his ears popped, and he felt his insides rearrange painfully.

Neo's arms stayed around him tightly for what seemed like a few seconds too long, and when he finally started to push against her to free himself, he felt her stubbornly try keep him there. He managed to free his head at least, and looked up to see what it was she was doing.

She had a blank look on her face, and a little trickle of blood was starting to leak out of her nose. Roman's eyes widened as he realized that she might've taken more damage than he originally thought. He shook her shoulder gently, talking to her, even though he knew the sound would be drowned out by the yelling, explosions, and thundering footsteps all around.

"Neo? What are you doing? Come on, we've got to go! Like, right now!"

Her eyes moved towards him, and he noticed that they weren't their normal brown, pink, or white. They were incredibly bloodshot, and didn't seem able to focus.

Roman looked away for a fraction of a second, trying to see where the mortar had gone off.

He didn't have to look nearly as far as he had thought. A crater, still freshly smoking and surrounded by those injured by its blast still trying to run, was at most ten feet away. Jagged pieces of shrapnel poked out of many of them, but other than that it was hard to tell what was injury and what was mutation. A few were spewing blood from various holes, most had the same bloodshot eyes, but beyond that, he couldn't tell.

He quickly grabbed her shoulders again, and turned her so that he could see her back.

The white coat was dirty, with grime and blood spattered across its surface from the run, but Roman didn't see any injuries. A wave of relief washed over him like nothing he had ever felt before, and he even thought he felt a tear come to his eye.

Neo had done her best to guide him, and he couldn't just leave her. She was too hurt to run now, but what kind of injury, he couldn't tell. A concussion, maybe? It would make sense, given the closeness of the blast.

Roman took the handle of his cane, and placed it in his mouth. A nauseating metallic taste filled his mouth, but he ignored it. With both hands, he lifted Neo up off the ground, and put her over his back, made sure that her arms were around his neck, and held them there with one hand, reaching up with the other to take the cane from his mouth.

He felt Neo tighten her grip, both with her arms and with her legs around his waist. It made him happy that she was able to do that, at least.

He started to sprint again, the weariness he had felt before almost totally gone now. A new energy burned in his muscles, and he started fighting his way through the crowd, swinging at anyone who got in the way with his cane.

The disadvantages of going without Neo were immediately obvious. He couldn't tell where the bombs were going to land, and there didn't seem to be any pattern to it. There was barely any time to even look up, as keeping his eyes on the path to make sure that he didn't fall was very important. If he did fall, he knew that the two of them would be trampled by the others.

On the few occasions that he was able to look up, he almost wished he hadn't. The sleek mortars were barely visible, at least with so little time to focus, and just seemed to be silhouettes as they plummeted down towards the ground. Predicting where they were going to land proved to be almost impossible, as judging their height would require more time than Roman had.

The result was that Roman was just as blind as everyone else. To make matters worse, his fatigue was starting to return, slowing his movements.

Then, finally, he saw it. There was a large arch of rock over the path ahead, and it formed a kind of natural canopy that would make hitting anything under it almost impossible. It stretched out to cover a large area, and the space under it almost seemed to be like a cave. It was just what they needed. His grip on Neo tightened, and he poured the last of his energy into his sprint.

His whole torso leaned forward, and all of his weight went into it. His steps became more pounding, and his breath more ragged. He had to get to that shelter. Nothing could stop him.

His jaw tightened as he kept running. A few others started to pass him, bumping into his shoulders, and he quickly lashed out with the cane. Any that got too close received the metal of his cane to their heads, which caused them to stumble and fall behind, likely getting trampled afterwards.

A threatened feeling started to bite at his mind, and he pondered for a second what could possibly be more dangerous than the situation he was in already. He felt Neo's fingers dig into his coat, and thought she might've been trying to communicate something.

On a hunch, he looked up, and his blood froze in his veins.

A mortar was descending towards him, and he could only tell because it was headed directly towards him.

In spite of what his mind knew he should do, his legs stopped. He slid to a halt, barely able to stay upright, but his eyes stayed entirely glued to the explosive. It couldn't end like this. He had always imagined that he would die by being killed by some Huntsmen, or overdosing on one thing or another. Not by becoming a crater in the ground.

Neo seemed extra heavy now, and he remembered that it wasn't just him that would die. Neo would die as well. He couldn't let that happen. She didn't deserve that. Maybe he did, but she didn't.

He couldn't throw her far enough that she would be out of the radius of the explosion, and he couldn't run fast enough to escape.

There was only one thing he could do, and he didn't need to think about how ridiculous it was. There was no chance in hell this was going to work, but he had to try.

He brought his cane up, and closed one eye as the small targeting reticule popped up from the end of the cane. He had to make sure that his shot was the best it could possibly be, because he wasn't going to get a second chance.

He extended his arm as far as he could, and sucked in as much air as he could through his lungs. Sweat was dripping down his face, but his eyes were clear. He could feel his very pupils tightening as they made miniscule adjustments, allowing less of the sunlight in. He would need every advantage he could get.

He aligned the mortar in the crosshairs, then moved the cane slightly down, leading the shot. Safety was so close, he just needed this one thing to work.

His thumb twitched, and the button to fire clicked down. The cane jumped back in his hand, and he tried to straighten it, but he was too distracted watching his shot. The flare soared through the sky, making a high pitched whistling as it went, then, after what seemed like an eternity…

The sudden flash of light hurt Roman's eyes, and he felt like he was on the verge of collapsing. The weight on his back reminded him that there was no time for that, though, and he sprinted again towards the cave.

He had done it. Shrapnel rained down from the sky, but he didn't care anymore. After making a shot like that, how good could his chances of getting hit be?

He felt something in his diaphragm twitching, spasming violently, forcing air out of his lungs, and he assumed that he had pushed himself to the absolute limit. He couldn't run anymore, but it was only a few more steps to the cave.

He placed one foot down, and lifted the next. One foot down, lift the next. One foot down, the other foot down.

He hit the ground hard, and didn't immediately start to move. The crowd had been thinned out by now, so no one immediately started to step on him.

He was in the cave. Only by a few feet, granted, but he had done it. His body still spasmed against his control, but that wasn't going to stop him. Not yet. He thought he could feel his head starting to ring, and his vision swim, but if he was going to pass out, he could make Neo a little more comfortable first.

He half walked, half crawled to one side of the cave, and set his partner down gently against it, in a sitting up position. Her nosebleed had continued, and it looked like he hadn't noticed before, but fluid was leaking from her ears as well. She would heal, though, he knew that. She always healed. There was nothing that she couldn't bounce back from.

He sat down beside her, and put his face in his gloved palms. Just how impossible was the thing he had just done? No sane person would have attempted it, he was sure, but…

His fingers slid over his face, and he realized he was smiling. Not only that, but the spasming in his chest was laughter.

Neo's eyes opened slowly, and when she saw Roman giggling tiredly, she couldn't help but smile herself. She could feel his relief, and that told her all she needed to know.

The weight of Roman's head suddenly touched her shoulder, and she realized that he had passed out. Maybe that was for the best, he needed to rest after what had just happened. And she did too.

She didn't need to sleep, though. She could feel her injuries healing already, blood vessels knitting back together and her concussion healing. Her whole body was bruised, and everything hurt. It would take at least an hour to heal.

She had time to kill, then. She looked around, and started to tell what was happening. The many people who had been ahead of them were all in the cave already, starting back into the things they had been doing before. It was a blessing, at least, that they seemed to be ignoring her and Roman. It wouldn't be good for their recovering if they had to fight off the crazies.

The thing that Neo was most thankful for, other than Roman's heroic efforts, was that her apparent concussion was making sensing things as she normally did almost impossible. Normally this would make her nervous, but with Roman unconscious and unable to help her, not feeling the pressure of Cinder's presence was probably the best thing for her.

She gripped her parasol tightly, just in case someone did happen to take notice of them.

Artillery still pounded outside of the cave, but it seemed more distant now, even though the shells were still falling only a few hundred feet away. The shelter was enough, at least for now. Neo doubted it would last for long. Pebbles and dust were starting to fall gently from the ceiling, and she got the feeling that things much bigger than that were going to follow soon. Roman had stopped a mortar, but a flare wouldn't be able to break solid rock as easily.

While it would be a good time to watch Cinder's followers get smashed into smear marks, it wouldn't be good if Roman was still unconscious. She knew she couldn't carry him fast enough to keep him safe during another run.

Neo folded her arms, and sat on a rock close to Roman. She would keep watch until he woke up, or she needed to wake him up.

Somewhere on the other side of the cave, Cinder started to laugh. Neo didn't know what she was laughing about, but she also thought that it was best if things stayed that way.

She leaned against Roman's shoulder, and let her body continue to fix itself. The rest of the run was not going to be fun, but the alternative was that they get crushed in a cave. She wondered what was going to happen when all of this was over. Cinder was powerful, and Neo could hardly imagine anything actually defeating her, but that's what she and Roman were close to her for. They just had to wait until Naze gave the word to stab her in the back.


	62. Chapter 62

Ren grunted in pain as his back hit the wall, and he fell to his knees. Nora made to drop her weapon and rush to his side, but he held up his hand, and wheezed a few breathless words.

"Nora, don't, please. It doesn't help me if you aren't going all out. Let's try again."

He picked himself up off the ground and took a moment to breathe before walking forwards towards the center of the room again. The time that students would be called on to fight was drawing closer, and he still didn't feel strong enough. Nora was worried about him, and he didn't blame her. If she was acting the same way, he would've tried to talk her out of it too.

But he could feel the training working, and with such an ominous deadline approaching, there was no time to lose. His body was starting to bring itself out of his lethargy, and his aura was building up to be stronger than ever before.

There was such a thing as overworking, as he had been reminded by his teammates. Jaune and Pyrrha both had shared Nora's concern, but he had done his best to explain to them that he wasn't going to push himself too hard. The other three had been training the past couple of days, but not nearly as much as he had. He was done waiting, it was time for action.

Students all over the school were getting in any training that they could, making themselves as ready as they could possibly be. He hoped they did well, as the danger of the situation was clear to Ren. Cinder had an army of hundreds, maybe even thousands of people who were at least as strong as Nora, and probably about twice as insane. A chill ran up his spine as he remembered what Nora had been like, and he blocked those thoughts out, refocusing on his training.

Nora had a hesitant look on her face as she held Magnhild loosely, not comfortable with what he'd asked her to do. Maybe he shouldn't have, but she was the best person he could train with. No one else had her unnatural strength or speed, traits he was sure to see in the battle.

Pyrrha and Jaune looked down at the pair from the seats of the classroom they had been allowed to use, and he could almost feel their straining to keep from asking him to stop. He appreciated their silence, but they needed to calm down.

Nora squared off across from him, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then slid down into a more combative stance. Ren slid StormFlower out of his sleeves, taking the pistols in his hands and taking a short second to make sure they had ammunition. They did, and their blades were sharp. They were ready to fight, but he knew he could give a few more hours of maintenance to them, making sure they were as deadly as possible.

He bent his knees slightly as he got ready. Nora could move almost faster than he could react, so he had to stay ready. His lips opened, hesitating just a brief second before speaking.

"Go!"

His voice rang through the large room, echoing slightly off the curved walls of the room, and he could see Nora flinch before she pushed herself off the ground, breaking into a run towards him. It wasn't her full capacity, he knew that, but it was the best he was going to get.

She approached fast, and as she did, his body tensed and he got ready to dodge. She always struck first, and he'd learned that there was no point in trying to parry such heavy strikes. He was used to being the lightly armed in battles, and thus the faster and more maneuverable. That advantage was out the window, though, against Nora. It was a handicap he needed to get used to.

She swung Magnhild in an upwards arc, and he dodged back, feeling the breeze of its head passing only inches away brush his skin. The swing was wide, and Nora was open, but he had to be fast to take advantage. He knew better than to get closer to her, she was too fast to allow that. Instead, he brought his pistols up, and closed his fingers tightly as the metal as it started to jitter in his hands.

Dust rounds erupted rapidly out of both barrels, and Nora was forced to raise an arm to her face. She didn't stop moving towards him, but she couldn't see too well. If she were anyone else, he wouldn't hesitate to rush in and score a melee blow or two, but the instant he stopped firing, that would become a far greater hazard than it was worth. If he could fire up until he got the hit, maybe he would be able to get away, but-

Hit thoughts were interrupted when Nora lurched forward, rounds still peppering her chest and arm, before slashing out with the arm she guarded with. Magnhild dragged on the ground behind her, but Ren wasn't able to keep his focus on the weapon. His gaze shifted to her hand, and he tried to pull his weapons away as quickly as he could.

In spite of his best efforts, she was able to catch one with her swipe, sending it spinning away as its fire stopped. He was able to pull the other one back fast enough, but this required that he stop firing it as well.

He took a panicked step back, then saw what Nora was doing next. With one arm, she was swinging Magnhild towards him in a wide horizontal swing, gripping near the base of the handle. It was already too late to get out of range, but if he was nimble enough, he could dodge it.

The war hammer was on course to hit his pelvis, so trying to jump it would be his best bet. He knew that waiting until the last possible second was normally the most successful way to dodge, but a second was far too much time to give Nora. He pushed off the ground as hard as he could, and pulled his knees tightly up to his chest, watching the hammer whoosh past, its speed making his stomach drop.

As he started to fall back down, he brought his gun to bear again, hoping to start firing before she could do anything else. He pulled the trigger, and bullets started to fly, but he didn't expect Nora's arm to shoot out and grab a fistful of his shirt. She dragged him back towards the ground, and the air was forced out of his lungs as he hit the hard floor of the circular room.

Stars danced in front of his eyes, and he struggled to recall what exactly it was he had been doing. Somewhere above him, Nora grunted as she hefted Magnhild up for another strike. Ren's eyes shot wide open, and he started scrambling to get away. Somehow he had kept hold of his remaining pistol, but he knew it wouldn't be any use if he couldn't get any shots off. His eyes flicked up, and he saw Nora standing over him, looking down, her hammer over her head.

Suddenly all thoughts of being able to hit her vanished, and his singular concern became to survive a few more seconds. He pushed himself to his knees, then made something similar to a jump towards Nora's legs. If she were still her normal size, this wouldn't have worked. There was just enough room for him to be able to roll through, and he did so with grace.

The head of the hammer hit just behind him, and at first he felt relieved, then something occurred to him. He hadn't been fast enough to get out of that situation. He should've been hit. That meant…

He stood back up and turned to face Nora, his body relaxed. She pulled Magnhild off of the cracked floor, brought it into another horizontal swing, and spun to face Ren. It fully seemed like she was going to hit, and Ren involuntarily tensed up as he watched the strike, but didn't move.

Nora's eyes locked on him, and instantly her expression changed to one of worry. Magnhild slowed, then stopped a few inches away.

She let the hammer's head drop to the ground and took a small step towards him, confused. "Ren, what are you-"

He cut her off, his voice more stern than he was used to hearing it.

"You're still hesitating. Why can't you just help me do this? Do you want me to lag behind in the real battle?"

Nora bit her lip for a few moments, averting her gaze and looking guilty at the floor. Ren didn't want her to hold back but how was she supposed to not? She spoke in a high pitch voice, lashing out like she was cornered.

"What am I supposed to do, Ren? Look at yourself! You're too hurt to keep doing this! It won't matter how much you train if you die before you get there!"

She dropped Magnhild on the floor and put her hands to her face. Ren stared at her for a few moments before peering down at his own body. His clothes were a little more worn and dirty than they had been before, and he did ache fairly badly, but it was all tolerable, at least.

He looked back up at Nora, and could see the others in the seats above and behind her standing, staring at him with expressions similar to Nora's.

He looked from Pyrrha and Jaune to Nora, trying to figure out why they were acting like this. He was getting a little worn down, maybe, but he couldn't abandon his efforts now. He had regained most of his strength, but he was still behind. He had been training for days straight, he couldn't just give up now.

He made to turn away, and cried out as a muscle in his leg simply didn't respond, sending him to his knees. His hands shot out to catch him before he toppled completely. Before he could do anything else, Nora was by his side again, helping him to his feet and wrapping him in a suffocating hug. Over her shoulder he could see Pyrrha and Jaune making their way down towards them. They still looked worried.

He sighed, a task made more difficult by force on his ribs. Maybe they were right. It simply seemed like a bad idea, taking time away from preparations. The fate of the world was at risk, but he knew there was such a thing as overworking.

* * *

Naze watched through the eyes of his shades as Cinder neared the exit of the mountains. The pass was mined, and every artillery gun was trained on it, but he knew that many demons would survive. The bulk of Cinder's human forces had been destroyed, and at very little loss of Ironwood's men.

He had made sure to see every detail of the demons' behavior. They adapted quickly, which would be bad news for the Huntsmen who were sent to fight them, but that was what the runes were for. Many had already been prepared, and were ready for use. Their use by the warriors would ideally not only increase their survivability, but give them a disorienting edge as well.

Whilst the bulk of his scribes were occupied with producing more, the rest of his ilk had been preparing many more devious and deadly traps for the wretches when they arrived. The Black Morass that surrounded his ziggurat had once been considered cursed with magic so strong that even the trees were undead, and it would be so again.

A special eye had been turned to Cinder, analyzing her for some weakness. With her goal being so simple, there wasn't much trickery he could pull there. Making intruders become lost in the swamp was easy on weaker opponents, but Cinder's senses were much too sharp for something like that. Her demons could be killed by strong necromantic magic he was sure, but she would provide much more of a fight. His Death Knights might be able to weaken her further, but they would fall eventually. Even his countless sorcerers would not be able to destroy her, whether they combined their power or not.

The risen heroes wouldn't make much of a dent in Cinder, unfortunately. They were hardly used to their dead bodies, even if they were they wouldn't have the raw strength or the skill to stand against her. They would only be minor inconveniences. That was why they would stay on the defensive.

He was sure that he would have to be the one to strike the killing blow. Direct combat was dangerous for him, not because he himself could be destroyed, but because if he were to be defeated, his phylactery would be made vulnerable.

And with the strength that Cinder had displayed so far, his defenses and enchantments on that would not be enough to hold her at bay. If she stepped foot in his ziggurat, it would be too late. He was the only one who could really stand between his phylactery and her.

In a contest of brute strength, he couldn't measure up to the power of a demonic lord. They had access to realms of limitless power, and he did not. Of course, Cinder was not a demon lord just yet. There was still time, though she was growing closer and closer to ascending. He wondered if there wasn't a way he could capture some of that power, and make use of it in his studies. It was unlikely Timor was going to give him any.

His own energies had been building, and he had been devising spells he could use against Cinder that would be able to do significant damage. There were many options, focused necromantic magic, raw arcane power, perhaps a more simplistic elemental spell would do more damage.

It was hard to tell what would affect Cinder, but he could think of one power that would definitely not be to her liking. The Paladins were weak in number, but their particular magic would be much less to Cinder's liking than the rest. Paladins would also be far more resilient to her seduction, making them assets on a battlefield full of otherwise much more susceptible fighters.

Whether any of them could participate in a battle between a Lich and a demon, though, was a radically different question. Naze was sure that wherever they ended up doing battle, it would be quite inhospitable for some time after.

He turned his focus away from thoughts of the battle, and more towards the mortals who would soon be pulled into it. Ozpin had not yet briefed the students over what they would be facing, but most Huntsmen around the world had already been called to respond, and were waiting for the command to fight. Their enthusiasm was admirable, but he knew they didn't fully comprehend what it was they would be going against. Cinder's corrupting influence would be like nothing they'd ever felt before, but he wasn't about to tell them to reconsider their position.

The harm that would be done if they actually were corrupted would be minimal, as they would have barely any time to mutate before they reached the swamps. There they would be killed off without too much trouble.

The ones most vulnerable to the corruption would be the students. They would be hit-and-run though, in and out before anyone knew better. It would spare them the brunt of Cinder's ability, but Naze didn't know if the effects would be cumulative. If so, he would have to deliver a message to Ozpin quickly.

He could feel the unrest of his subordinates growing. They were anxious, and he would be lying if he told himself there was not contemptible sliver of humanity inside his own shredded soul that didn't share that same feeling. He kept a tight hold on it, though, ensuring that it did not interfere with his thoughts.

The spark was stubborn, and would not die down no matter how hard he tried to suffocate it. If it grew at all, it could present a significant threat for the battle, as he did not know whether Cinder would be able to manipulate it or not. He knew she would try, though, and he could use that to his advantage. It would be an irresistible opportunity for her to see if she could bend him around her finger just as she did the others.

It would be an interesting test to see if she could hold any power over him, no doubt.

He would look forward to finding the answer, and to ridding himself of the threat Cinder presented. There was still time before that, though, and the mortals had plenty of work ahead of them. He had supplies to deliver to them as well, then they would be as well prepared as they could be.

.

Ruby raised an eyebrow as the large drawer slid back into the body of the large metal thing, and it started to glow brightly with white light. Several zombies stood close to the "generator" making sure that none of the students touched them or otherwise tried to fiddle with the machine. Ruby didn't like the way they looked, they were rotting and almost seemed to be on the verge of falling apart.

Weiss and Blake seemed to be just as put off as she was, but Yang obviously didn't mind. She even tried briefly to start up a conversation with one of them before shrugging its silence off and continuing to help the others get their weapons in the thing. None of them were particularly happy about having to surrender their weapons for any amount of time, especially in times like these.

Yang assured them that it would help, though. She said that they were infusing some kind of power into the weapons that would make them more damaging to the demons. Nobody wanted to argue with that. They would take any benefit they could get.

Still, it wasn't a fun experience to simply hand their weapons away. They were all close to their weapons, and the zombies that worked the machine didn't seem like they would handle them very carefully.

The crowd of students slowly meandered away from the generator towards the auditorium. Ozpin had called a meeting, and all students thought that they could guess what it was about. Team RWBY, JNPR, and Penny all stuck together, not letting the crowd pull them apart. Ruby thought Ren looked a little under the weather, tired, and beaten up, but he definitely looked better than he had in the hospital.

She turned to look at Penny, and found that she was gazing around at the rest of the students like she could hardly believe what she was seeing. It was almost like a child, and it made Ruby giggle when she saw it. Penny didn't notice, and continued to look at the other students.

Dull murmurs moved around the crowd slowly, but no one broke out into a full conversation. The whole group could feel a heavy presence around them. Now was no time for joking around like they normally did, or chatting among themselves. It wouldn't be appropriate.

As they filed into the large room, Ruby could tell that there was something strange about it. Maybe not about the room itself, but of the feeling inside of it. It felt heavier than normal, even more than it had during orientation. She didn't like it.

Everyone made their way into the room, and all eyes went towards the stage, where Ozpin was standing alone, leaning slightly on his cane as he looked over the mass of students. A microphone stood in front of him, but he wasn't making use of it yet. Students were still moving into the room, so Ruby guessed that he was waiting for the room to fill completely.

Ruby's eyes passed over the rest of the room, trying to tell what it was that made things feel so odd. She nudged Yang's side and whispered, "Do you see any of the teachers? I don't think they're here."

Yang looked around the room as well, and after a few seconds she nodded. "Yeah, I don't see anyone else here. Not even Ms. Goodwitch is up there with him. Weird. Maybe they already left?"

Ruby shrugged, then felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, and found Penny giving her a curious look.

"Ruby, is mister Ozpin feeling alright? He doesn't look very good."

Ruby looked at Ozpin again, paying careful attention to his face. Large dark bags under his eyes were easy to see, if she looked hard, and his shoulders slumped just enough to make him look tired, almost old. He mustn't have been sleeping well. He wasn't the only one. As Ruby looked around, she saw that everyone looked a little under the weather. They were either bruised, fatigued, or some combination of the two. Ruby knew that she hadn't been sleeping very well, but how could she? There was an awful lot looming over her head, giving her plenty to worry about.

Everybody else had been feeling the same, Blake and Weiss hadn't been able to fall asleep. She'd heard them moving around almost all night. The only one who had really been able to fall asleep immediately was Penny, and she had simply stretched out on Yang's bed and been out. She almost envied Penny's ability to do that, but she figured that there were likely other respects that made her lucky.

Something occurred to her, and she turned to Penny again, saying, "Did you put your weapons in the generator thing?"

Penny's eyes widened slightly and she shook her head, giving Ruby a look like a confused kid. "No, Naze told me not to. He did not know how it would affect me. He was concerned that it could be damaging to me somehow, and said that the risk wasn't worth the benefit it would give me. I think I'll be fine without it! You've seen me fight before, I can manage with what I have."

Her confidence was comforting, but Ruby wasn't sure that Penny knew what she was dealing with. None of them were exactly sure what they were up against exactly, but Ruby had a vague idea of what fighting a demon would be like. She could still remember what Adam had been able to do in their short fight. Break her arm, almost kill Weiss, and take essentially everything that they had to give to take him down. After that, he had still been able to escape without being too damaged.

If all of Cinder's minions were that strong, she couldn't imagine what could stop that. It was demoralizing, to say the least. Maybe it was good that most of the students hadn't fought demons.

Her eyes drifted to the side, looking Nora up and down. She was half demon, kind of. Was she? How did that work? She had demonic characteristics, at least. Those made her a lot stronger than most people, so would she be a good analogue for what they would be fighting? It would help to get some realistic practice, but Nora was looking a little tired too. It probably wasn't the best time to ask, either. She would probably know why Ruby asked anyways, so she probably shouldn't ask.

Nora's head turned to Ruby, and she gave a warm smile as the speakers around the room gave off a small buzz of noise, before the sound of Ozpin clearing his throat brought the attention of everyone in the room back to the stage. Silence descended over the room, heavy, and stayed for a few seconds before Ozpin spoke.

"I'm sure you all know why you are here. You've all heard of the monster that has come into our world recently, and you've heard of the damage she's done. Her name is Cinder Fall, and she used to be involved in a wide variety of secretive criminal organizations. Now she has become, or is becoming, a demon, with the intent of controlling every man, woman, and child who walk this earth. Maybe you've seen the footage from Menagerie, maybe you haven't, but either way, I think you know the danger we are in."

He sighed, and put more weight on his cane, as if the words physically weighed on his shoulders. His eyes moved over the amassed students, and Ruby thought she could see a little bit of wetness in his eyes. Was he going to cry?

"I'm afraid that I must ask you more than should ever be asked of anyone, let alone children like you. You have decided to dedicate your lives to protecting the innocents of this world, but there was no way you could have anticipated having to do something like this. Still, every bit of help we can get will make a difference, and measures have been taken to make it as safe as possible."

Ozpin paused, and closed his eyes for a few moments, turning his face towards the stage floor. She'd never seen him like this before. She doubted anyone had, he usually tried to appear distant, or at least well handled. She was willing to bet that he was just as unfamiliar with being so close to breaking down as they were to seeing him like that.

After he composed himself, he continued to speak, looking back up to the gathered faces.

"When you first came here, I told you I saw wasted potential. Now I want to say how proud I am of all of you. You've taken that potential, and shown me that you harness so much of it, you could become great heroes, every one of you. It isn't fair to ask people with so much life left to live, but please, if you do not think you have the strength to do this, do not throw your life away. I believe every one of you could perform just as well as any Huntsmen, but if there is any shred of doubt in your own heart, do not make yourself go through this. You mustn't sacrifice yourselves so readily. Sometimes the lives you must protect are your own."

He stopped again, and sighed again. Ruby made out an almost imperceptible shake of his head, and he looked up again.

"Perhaps I ramble, and lose my meaning. I want you to know that there is no there is no shame in admitting you cannot bring yourself to do this. It takes strength to admit a fault, and I have faith that you will be honest. "

He paused for a moment as whispering broke out among the students again, then stepped back from the microphone.

"I will give you a few minutes to think."

The talking slowly started to rise as students started to communicate. Ruby turned to her teammates, and immediately felt a little out of her league. But she was team leader, and it would probably fall to her to make the call.

Blake and Weiss looked worried, but Yang gave Ruby a confident smile. She wanted to ask what they all thought, but the words caught in her throat. Weiss was the first to speak, taking a deep breath before crossing her arms and giving the rest of them a hesitant look.

"We… are doing this, right?"

Yang gave a quick, "Definitely!" but Ruby and Blake stayed silent. The two in favor looked at the two undecided, and Yang quickly added, "As long as everyone's cool with it. Are you guys up for this?"

Blake let out a breath, shaking her head before nodding her affirmation. "Yeah, just a little nervous, I guess. Ruby?"

The three looked to the team's youngest member. Ruby looked back, from one face to another, before saying. "I don't know. I mean, I want to, but Ozpin said that if you had any doubt, you shouldn't. And, well, I'm not too confident. But it's probably not important. Just like Blake said, I'm just a little nervous. Yeah, we got this."

Yang gave her sister a reassuring thumbs up, then looked past Ruby to Penny.

"Hey, Penny! Are you going to go on this?"

Penny responded by giving Yang a large smile and nodding resolutely, saying, "Of course! I'm combat ready!"

Yang turned around, finding Jaune, and the rest of team JNPR. She asked the same question, "Are you guys going to go?"

Jaune gave her a small laugh, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly before replying, "Yeah, you really have no idea how hard we've been training. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Suddenly his face relaxed, and his voice became more enthusiastic. "I'm looking forward to it, actually. It'll be good to make a difference."

Pyrrha's hand slipped into his, and the two looked at each other, smiling, before Nora burst from beside them with an energetic smile and her fists balled in excitement.

"I'm gonna kill 'em!"

Yang laughed, and Ren walked out from behind Nora, looking at the surrounding students whose attention Nora had caught. He ruffled her hair, and turned to speak as well. "We've all been working hard."

Yang nodded.

"Amen to that."

The rest of the students, Ruby noticed, were not having such an easy time of deciding. Voices were raised to shouts in several places through the large room, and it sounded like there were even more heated arguments happening all over. It wasn't a good booster for her confidence. It truth, she wasn't sure she wanted to go, but the others were confident, and she knew that they wouldn't go without her. The battle would need them, she was sure, but it wouldn't need her. She was just fifteen, she couldn't be of too much help out there.

But still, she would go. They had to stick together, after all, and she couldn't let her team break up. She tried to let the sureness of her friends seep into her, but it didn't really work. She still felt like she was out of place, but she continued to shake it off.

The arguments around the room continued to rage, and she saw Ozpin looking at the students who fought. He looked sad, but there was something else to. He looked like he almost hoped more students would decide not to go. It made sense, she guessed, but she still had trouble imagining him getting very emotional, even during something like this. But that was just part of the image he got, being in charge. He was a human too.

It took more than a few minutes for the fighting to start calming, but when it did, Ozpin stepped forward to the microphone again, clearing his throat to indicate he was about to speak. Faces turned to the stage again, and he began, more collected than before.

"Now that you've had a little time to discuss, I hope you've come to a decision. Those of you who decide to fight will have to leave tomorrow, and the rest will stay behind. You will be provided with items made by the undead that will serve as an emergency retreat in the battle. Some of you may harbor distrust, but I can give you my word that I trust them completely. They are essential allies in this fight, and you would be wise to accept their help."

He stopped again, and took a moment to look over the multitude of faces again. His eyes met Ruby's, and for a second, she could swear that he was trying to signal her for help.

Before she could react, Ozpin continued to speak.

"I am not the one to give you the details of the plan, though. For that, an undead has been sent to Beacon. I would advise you listen carefully to his words."

Ozpin stepped away again, but this time looked to the side of the stage. Ruby followed his eyes, and saw the human body of Naze approaching the stage. It hadn't changed in the least since the last time she'd seen it, and its skin was just as freakishly pale as it always was. His sunken eyes passed briefly over the students, and she felt a chill run up her spine as his eyes met hers for a short second.

He reached the microphone, and started to speak without hesitation in the same monotone voice he always used. It was even more unsettling when projected from the speakers, coming from every corner of the room.

"Those of you who will fight, you will have until tomorrow to prepare for this. Tomorrow, you will be transported via Bullhead to southern Vytal, where a camp has been set up. From that camp, a series of hit-and-run raids on Cinder's forces will take place. A series of similar camps are set up all along the path Cinder will take. The items mentioned by Professor Ozpin will be used to return you to these camps, or to relocate to the next camp. Experienced Huntsmen will do the majority of the direct fighting, you will be used for ambushes and support."

He stood mostly still as she talked, hands behind his back and eyes slowly roving around the audience. Most students shuffled uncomfortably around her, but she glanced to her sister, and found her with a large grin on her face. She glanced to the other side at Penny, and found that she had a similar look on her face. Neither of them seemed to notice the somewhat overbearing presence he gave off.

"A more detailed briefing will be given once you arrive. Many of the specific details have been handled by those on-site. I have one piece of advice I will give you now; if you see Cinder herself, do not attack her. If you see her, flee immediately. You cannot challenge her and escape."

Ruby's skin tingled, and she swallowed hard.

"Students willing to participate will be asked to report to the school's main entrance at noon. Anyone who chooses to stay should avoid that area until the volunteers leave."

He stopped and stepped back from the microphone, showing that he was done talking. Silence fell over the room, and Naze started to walk away. Ozpin stepped forward again, looking slightly surprised, and took his place in the front of the stage.

The rest of the meeting was over quickly, with Ozpin bidding them farewell for the day before dismissing them. Ruby barely paid any attention, though. Her head spun with possibilities, imagination kicked into high gear. What was going to be waiting for them out there? What were their ambushes going to look like? Naze's warning about Cinder had been rather ominous, but Ruby had no trouble believing every word of it. Cinder had been affected by demons a lot longer than Adam had, and he was almost more than they could handle.

She wondered how Yang or Penny would do against her, though. She didn't have any doubt that they would be defeated, but would they be as resistant to Cinder's affects as they were to Naze's? Would Naze be affected by Cinder, and vice versa?

Her head started to hurt, and she found that while she hadn't been paying attention, the group had found their way back to the dorm room. Penny and Yang were having a conversation, while Weiss and Blake sat on their beds.

The weapons would be ready in a few hours, Ruby remembered hearing that. Where she had heard it, she didn't know, but someone had definitely told her.

She looked forward to getting Crescent Rose back. She felt naked without it on normal days, so not having it when everything was going crazy was not fun.

She leaned against the wall behind her bed, trying to take in the scope of the situation she was in. Only one day until they fought demons again. Were they ready?


	63. Chapter 63

The engines of Bullheads could be heard in the distance, making the pane of glass in the window rattle occasionally. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to make Ruby's eyes crack open and start adjusting to the morning light.

She wished she was still asleep. She'd been having a wonderful dream. And now she was here. Back in her bed, with time just ticking away. She rolled over to the side of the bunk bed and gazed down at the nightstand, looking for the red glow of Weiss's digital clock.

10:07

Not long until things got started, really. She was surprised that no one else had woken up. Penny was still flat on Yang's bed, and Yang was sitting on the floor next to it, her eyes glazed as she stared forward blankly. Not a single muscle moved, she was perfectly still. It was unnerving to see Yang like that, back to the wall, almost like she was dead. Ruby had to remind herself that Yang _was_ dead, something she found herself forgetting often.

She clawed at her covers, making an effort to sit up, before sliding slowly towards the edge of the bed. Yang noticed, saying something that Ruby didn't quite catch, then mumbled some incoherent half-sentence in response.

She managed to lower herself to the floor, and shambled towards the bathroom. A hot shower did her good, and while she took it she could hear others waking up, taking the other stalls in silence. She appreciated the quiet, she supposed, but it made things feel so ominous and heavy. She wanted to say something, but nothing appropriate came to mind. What did you say before a mission like this?

When she was finished with her shower she got dressed, outfitted herself with all the combat gear she could carry, and waited. Penny still hadn't woken up, Yang was checking over her own equipment, and the other two were still in the showers. She looked around the room briefly for Crescent Rose before she remembered that it was out in the courtyard, being "infused with divine power."

She still wasn't sure what exactly that entailed, but it meant she would be able to kill more things, and maybe even protect herself from demons a little better, so it was fine by her. She just hoped it worked. If by some chance she was caught out there with an inferior weapon, she was sure something bad would happen.

She took a deep breath, reassuring herself. "It's fine, it's all fine. Naze knows what he's doing. He's older than dirt!"

Somehow that didn't lay her fears to rest. It was a few more minutes before the others finished bathing and getting dressed. When they did, they came out, and neither one looked particularly well rested. She knew she could relate.

Penny started to stir before anyone could say anything, and she sat up, blinking a few times before smiling at Ruby and starting to speak.

"Good morning Ruby! Did you sleep well?"

Ruby loved Penny, but it was much too early for this.

"No, Penny, I didn't really. I don't think anyone did. What about you? You went out like a light."

Penny nodded and smiled happily. Ruby stared for a few seconds before Weiss spoke up, saying "I think we should go get breakfast."

The others nodded, and made their way to the cafeteria. It was sparsely populated, most kid had probably already gotten their food, or weren't eating. None of team RWBY had much of an appetite, their stomachs felt like lead, but they all knew that they would regret choosing not to eat later. The food was drab, tasteless, but that was more because of the mood than the food itself. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake didn't pay much attention to the normally enjoyable meal, instead preoccupied with their own thoughts.

They finished in silence, and started to make their way back to the courtyard. Many more students were out there, milling around, some with their weapons and some without. A small crowd was circled around the generator, and Ruby could just make out several zombies who were just above the rest, dolling the weapons out to the waiting students.

Team RWBY reached the edges of this group and started to wait. A few muted conversations ghosted through the crowd, but none of them could tell what it was about specifically. It seemed like just a few random questions being passed around, without too much thought behind them. It was just something to do

The groups slowly received their weapons then slid away, allowing others to approach. Yang walked forward whenever she could, coming off as slightly aggressive, making a few others move out of her way. They knew that she didn't mean anything by it, but she did start to get some dirty looks. Ruby spoke up about it first, muttering almost too quietly to hear.

"Yang, don't. There's no hurry."

Yang looked back at Ruby, then gave a small sigh.

"I guess you're right. Nobody seems as excited or pumped as I thought they'd be. I was picturing that they'd be happy about trying to save the world."

Weiss gave a small, sarcastic snort.

"Because everything we've heard so far has been so confidence inspiring. Honestly, it's been sounding like we're nothing more than cannon fodder at this point. Just supposed to slow them down, or like we're disposable. Naze has so many troops under his command, why can't he use those?"

Yang felt a pinch of annoyance at this. She was a Schnee, one of the biggest companies out there, and she didn't see the bigger picture?

"There's more to it than that. He isn't some all-knowing protector. And those 'many troops' are maybe a hundred Death Knights. He's got more than that, but they're wizards and zombies, not exactly the kind of things you send to fight head-on."

Both girls started to lean incrementally closer, and seemed increasingly annoyed with each other. Ruby looked between them, trying to decide how to break this up, when Blake added herself into the equation.

"How much more is there to it? If he's got plans about our future, it seems like we should know them. Asking for us to just take his word on something like that is an awful lot of trust to give to someone like that. I don't think he's given us any trouble so far, but that doesn't mean he won't. Maybe it's just part of his plan."

Ruby watched Yang turn to Blake, her expression getting angrier. Even worse, she could see people around them turning and listening, even agreeing with what Weiss and Blake were saying. She knew that turning against Naze was not a smart thing to do, at least not now.

"Guys, stop this! We can talk about it later, but the last thing we need to do right now is make enemies out of each other! Let's just save the world, okay?"

Yang, Weiss, and Blake all looked at Ruby, then around themselves as if they had just remembered they were in the middle of a crowd. They quieted and stopped, looking in different directions and folding their arms. Weiss, however, did say something over her shoulder.

"I didn't… sorry for doubting you."

Yang didn't react for a few seconds, then smiled, and gave Weiss a slap on the back. "It's alright. Naze is pretty uptight about telling people things. I wish I could say more, but I can't."

A soft voice came from over Ruby's shoulder, making her yelp as she realized she'd forgotten Penny's presence entirely.

"Are they alright? Friends shouldn't fight like that."

Ruby responded gently, not wanting to get annoyed with Penny. "Yes, they're fine. Everyone is just a little high-strung today. There's a lot to be nervous about. Don't worry about it."

Penny glanced behind Ruby, then nodded. "If you say so, Ruby!" Her expression shifted into one of concern. "Are you very nervous? You seem tense. Maybe it would help if you calmed down."

Ruby gave a little, somewhat disingenuous laugh before saying "Yeah, maybe. It's just not that easy, Penny."

There was a pause, and Ruby continued. "Anyways, you seem confident. You've seen what these people can do, right? The demons, I mean. I fought one, and he broke my arm and knocked me out. He was the one that almost killed Weiss and Blake, actually. So, yeah, I'm not really looking forward to fighting a bunch of those, and I definitely don't want to run into Cinder. If Naze says to stay away, I will."

Penny nodded in agreement. From what she'd been able to see of news broadcasts, Cinder was a very threatening adversary. More so than anything she'd ever seen before, even the strongest Grimm. She was fast, and had powerful abilities, but her true danger seemed to come from elsewhere. She seemed to have a command over people that Penny just couldn't understand. What was it about her that made otherwise normal people join her?

It was something she would have to ask about later, as it didn't seem like it was the time to be asking about that. She thought about her encounter with Adam. He had been incredibly strong and fast, but she had still been able to stay just out of his clutches. She hadn't done any damage, of course, but now she was going to be giving it her all to do as much damage as she could. She was sure that she would be able to surprise her friends, and even Mr. Ironwood. Ruby had seemed surprised when she'd seen just a fraction of what she could do.

The only one who seemed to have faith in how much destruction she could cause was Naze. He had offered her the opportunity to fight, and even offered to remove her from Mr. Ironwood's care if she wanted. But was she being used as a means to an end? Blake had said something to that effect, which Naze was simply carrying out a plan, but was there anything out of the ordinary about that? Penny had a plan now. It was to go with the others, and help save the world.

People were strange.

The crowd continued to advance, and it wasn't long before Ruby was returned Crescent Rose, Blake was given Gambol Shroud, and Weiss took Myrtenaster. All the weapons appeared unchanged visually, but as the girls took them in their hands, they noted something strange about them. They seemed to hum with their own rhythm now, almost like they had been given aura of their own. It didn't seem as powerful or as prominent as souls were from living creatures, or at quite the same level, but it was a little disconcerting.

Before they could ask what it all really meant, they were waved away so that other people could receive their own weapons. The crowd closed behind them as they stumbled away, then they were back outside.

With nothing else to do, they headed towards the Bullheads. A crowd was gathering in that area slowly and had been building since the morning. They tried to find anyone they knew among the faces, namely team JNPR. As they searched around, Ruby found herself fearing that Jaune had backed out for some reason. It wasn't like him, he would've told her, and besides, he wouldn't back out anyways. He had been looking forward to this. Being able to save people, even if he wasn't doing it by himself. It wasn't possible that he had given up.

Short of tripping down some stairs and breaking his neck, Ruby couldn't think of anything else that would keep him from showing up. She kept glancing around nervously, thinking she might catch a glance of him through the crowd. His blonde hair didn't stand out among the crowd very much, but Pyrrha's long red hair was much more visible, as well as her bronze armor. She started looking for that, but didn't have to search long.

"Hey guys! We're not late, are we? No one started boarding yet?"

Ruby turned to find Jaune, looking slightly red in the face. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were all behind him, and all held their weapons at their sides, looking around and trying to tell what time the Bullheads would be leaving.

Ruby smiled and shook her head. "No, you're not late. Nothing's going on yet. So… are you ready? This will be the most dangerous mission we've done, you know? Got yourself all psyched up?"

Jaune smiled awkwardly and reached up to scratch the back of his head, glancing back at Pyrrha.

"Yeah, I got all my panic attacks out last night. Now I'm all ready to go. What about you? You guys as excited as the rest of the people here? Because I have seen a few people who probably don't want to be here."

Ruby had to acknowledge that there were a lot of people who seemed afraid. She had her doubts, but she wasn't outright fearful. She'd even heard someone crying over the sounds of the crowd at one point.

"I think we're doing a little better than that. I'm a little nervous, I think Weiss and Blake are too, but Yang and Penny couldn't be better. They can't wait to get their hands on some demons."

Jaune laughed again, saying "Yeah, Ren and Nora have been itching to get out here. They've really been working hard to get ready for this. I mean, all of us have, but they are really determined to do their best here. Ren really came a long way in a short amount of time. It's been really impressive. You'd never think he was in the hospital a few days ago."

Ruby leaned to the side, looking past Jaune at Ren, who was standing and watching quietly, like he always did. Jaune was right, he seemed to have rebuilt everything he lost laying in that bed and more, he even looked to be standing a little taller.

He smiled and gave Ruby a small wave, giving a quiet "Hey."

She waved back before looking to his left, finding Nora. She didn't look much different, but Ruby could tell that there was something a little off from the last time they'd seen each other. Magnhild was on her back, but Ruby noticed that it didn't seem to have the same white glow that the other weapons did. It made sense, if Nora actually counted as a half demon. Ruby wasn't sure how that all worked, but if she was half demon, it would make sense that she wouldn't get her weapon changed. Yang hadn't for about the same reason.

As usual, Nora seemed to be in a world of her own, paying barely any attention to the conversation at hand and instead was paying more attention to the conversations happening around them. They were very quiet, but Ruby had no doubt that Nora could hear them just fine.

Pyrrha didn't speak much, instead just looking on, withdrawn in thought. Ruby tried not to stare at her eyepatch. It was rude to, but she couldn't help herself. The design on it was intricate, and it was fitted perfectly. When Pyrrha looked and saw Ruby, the younger girl was quick to avert her eyes, and give an apologetic smile. Pyrrha gave her a small giggle in return, and shrugged her shoulders dismissively.

The two teams mingled for several minutes, waiting for something to happen. More students showed up gradually, but the flow slowed down.

As it the last of the volunteers showed up, a familiar voice echoed out across the campus. It wasn't Ozpin, and it wasn't Naze. All of team RWBY's and JNPR's faces lit up when they recognized Amber, standing on a large stage with her pearly white robes coving most of her body. The gold accents shined in the sun, and her eyes swept over the students with a soft glint.

She spoke into a microphone gently, hesitant at first, not sure how her voice would sound. It took a few moments to make herself comfortable with it, but when she was, she started explaining what she was doing.

"Hello! I'm glad to see so many of you willing to do what is needed. My name is Amber, and I'm sure some of you already know my order. I'm a part of the Order of the Holy Light, and we are going to be going with you, lending assistance where we can. Please, if you have any concerns, my brothers and sisters will be happy to talk to you. It is only natural to be wary in a time like this. If you're injured or start to feel the demons' corruption starting to grip you, I beg of you, come to me. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Murmurings started to move through the crowd again as people spoke to each other about what they had heard about the Order, and Ruby could tell that most of it was positive. Amber continued to speak, getting a little more animated as she did so.

"Before everyone sets off, I would like to do something for you. The demons will try to twist your mind in ways you cannot possibly imagine, and I must do anything I can to prevent that. So, I would like to offer a blessing to you all that will strengthen your bodies and resolve for the coming battle. Please, be quiet, and listen closely."

She took a step away from the microphone and removed the large book from her side, opening it to a particular page and holding it still. As she started to read, she didn't get any closer to the microphone. Instead, she stepped past the microphone, her voice starting to roll out over the crowd.

The words she spoke were smooth, and she said them as fluently as though she was a natural born speaker. She looked up as she preached, and her voice picked up in volume, not from her own speaking louder, but from some otherworldly source. Every word became easily audible, drowning out every other sound despite not being loud. It was like Amber was speaking directly into the ears of every person, and despite not being able to understand her words, everyone could tell that they were encouraging words.

A golden halo started to appear around Amber, flowing around her and weaving through the crowd. Ruby felt her body loosen, her fears starting to drain away. Her spirit looked up, and for the first time in recent memory, she felt confident that she and her friends could stand up to anything.

She looked down, and saw the light soaking into her body, giving even her skin a golden glow. Everyone else seemed to be receiving a similar effect, everyone except for Yang. Ruby turned, looking around for her sister, but she was nowhere to be seen. Ruby remembered how Yang reacted to the Paladins before, and dismissed it. Yang would be back before too long.

Amber continued to chant for several minutes before she gently closed the book, and looked back up as if she were just remembering she had an audience. Everyone stared back at her, awed expressions on their faces.

Amber looked around for some kind of responsiveness, and started to fidget uncomfortably. Ruby could see that she was having a little bit of trouble holding herself together, but she stepped back to the microphone, speaking again.

"Thank you. I think you're some of the best hopes that we have, and you're all heroes for showing up today. I hope I see you all again soon."

With that, she made her way off the stage where her paladin companions were waiting for her. She started to speak with them quietly, and the stage was empty for a few moments before Professor Ozpin stepped back up, looking in Amber's direction before turning back to the crowd. He started to speak, reminding everyone of his speech yesterday.

"I'm sure we all appreciate your visit. I know I do, as well as your presence in the coming battle. Now, the time for delay is over. Students, you will board the Bullheads in an orderly fashion, two teams to a vehicle. Once you arrive…

.

Ozpin's explanation was fairly longwinded, but unlike normal for Ruby, she was able to focus much better on the thorough details of the process than normal. Yang returned at some point while Ozpin spoke, when exactly Ruby wasn't sure. She looked over and winked at her little sister, whispering "I'm fine, just had to duck out for a while. You know, with the whole 'holy' thing. How's that feel, by the way? I noticed everyone's kind of glowing now."

Ruby gave Yang a smile and said "I think it's pretty great. I'm not really afraid anymore. I think we can do this, we just need to be confident."

Yang took a step back, and had a look of sarcastic surprise on her face. "Wow, whatever Amber gave you guys, can I have some? Must be pretty good."

Ruby laughed quietly, and turned back to the stage as Ozpin started to dismiss the students to the Bullheads. The crowd milled around for a few moments before starting to move towards their destination. Ruby made sure to keep her team and Penny tightly together, and close to JNPR, so that they could take the same Bullhead together. She'd try to keep them as together as she could through the battle, but knew that they would probably have to separate at some point.

Boarding the Bullhead was easy, and she buckled herself in tightly before leaning back and watching the others do the same. Out the open hull she could see others piling in, teams CFVY, CRDL, and a whole host of others getting ready. She didn't know any of them too well, but it was good to see that there would be so many familiar faces in the fight with her. She hoped they all made it through okay.

There were a few more minutes of waiting for everyone to finish loading up, including the Paladins, and Ruby spent the time trying to focus her thoughts. The blessing Amber gave her certainly helped to take the edge off of things, but now she had plenty of other things to go over in her head. How would she make sure that she was doing as much damage as possible as fast as possible? It would depend a lot on the area she was in, and on the other people who were there. If she could come up with some teamwork attacks on the fly, that would be fantastic.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the pilot's voice came over the intercom in the cabin, and informed them they would be taking off shortly. A few moments later, the craft gave a rather unceremonious jerk before lifting up into the air, bulkhead doors sliding shut as it did so.

The nine looked around at each other, shuffling in their seats and starting to look over their weapons. Ruby would've liked to get Crescent Rose out to check over, but knew that opening it in a confined areas like this was not a good idea. The last thing they needed was to crash land before even making it to the battle.

Everyone else's weapons look good, at least. Myrtenaster was looking as sharp and deadly as ever, cartridges full of Dust loaded, and its golden glow emitting from the sharpest parts of the blade. Gambol Shroud had a similar light coming from it, with part of the focus on the barrel of the pistol. Akoúo̱ and Miló also shared the glow, a little brighter than either of the other two weapons. Pyrrha held them slightly away from her like she was trying to see if anything was different about it. Ren's StormFlower also glowed, but a little dimmer than the others.

By far, the weapon with the strongest glow was Crocea Mors. It was almost difficult to look at, given the brightness it gave off. Why it was like that, she didn't know. Maybe there was something special about the blade, maybe there was something special about Jaune, or maybe it was just a random effect. She didn't know.

Crescent Rose gave off its own glow, but in its folded form it didn't seem like much was able to be seen. She could imagine that the long scythe blade looked good lit up by the golden glow.

Yang and Nora's weapons lacked the glow, but Ruby was sure that wouldn't hamper their ability too much. Nora was a destructive powerhouse, and Yang had the stamina of a undead, or lack thereof, so nothing would be able to bring her down. And Penny...

Ruby didn't know how Penny would do, but she had no doubt that she was going to do more than enough damage. What worried her was how Penny would be affected by the demons. She wouldn't think that Penny would be too vulnerable to their control, but if she was, Ruby didn't want to think about what would happen.

The ride lasted for what felt like hours. The nine of them talked some, but mostly kept to themselves, going through whatever mental preparation they needed to. Nora imagined herself smashing demons left and right, ripping through them like tissue paper. She felt her muscles start to fill with energy, and she fidget in her seat. She hated waiting.

Ren was silent almost the whole time, the only times he spoke were to tell Nora that she needed to calm down. Her fingers dug into the side of her seat, bending the metal of the ship into her hands.

Pyrrha sat with her shoulder against Jaune's, speaking in a slightly hushed voice with him, discussing what they would do when they got out into the battle. They made a general battle plan, but specifics continued to be ironed out. Jaune tried to be involved in every conversation, but his focus was clearly on the one with Pyrrha. It was good, though, and Ruby listened in, catching the gist of what he was going to do.

Yang talked about the kinds of things that she would do to Cinder if she caught her. Ruby heard many enthusiastic descriptions of graphic bodily harm her sister hoped that she'd have the opportunity to inflict. Weiss and Blake occasionally made contributions to her, suggesting ideas or correcting things that Yang had overlooked. Penny also made a few contributions, though it was nothing about the gore Yang was jokingly focusing on. Penny mostly made tactical suggestions, pointing out that Yang would be well advised to keep as far a distance from Cinder as possible until a substantial opening presented itself.

Yang laughed, saying "Yeah, probably a good idea. At least until Naze gets involved, that is. That's when things will get really interesting."

No one quite knew how to respond to that. It was Naze's plan, they supposed, to confront Cinder eventually. He hadn't given any inclination of how he would do this though, so it was up to their imagination as to how he was going to go about this. It was difficult to imagine the withered old corpse moving fast enough to keep up with her, but Ruby felt it wasn't wise to doubt the person who could bring back the dead. He had to have some tricks up his sleeves, right? Yang seemed to have faith in him, so that did alleviate some of her stress, but she was still definitely worried.

The rest of the ride was mostly uneventful, and it was a while before the pilot's voice came over the speakers again, saying "Alright, we're coming down to the landing zone. Good luck kids, give 'em one for me, would you?"

As the doors slid open again Yang hit the closed cockpit door in acknowledgement, saying "Will do! Thanks for the ride!"

As they stepped out, they were surprised to find that there was an actual camp, at least partially. There were tents set up, with various stations, medical cots, grindstones, and a variety of other things that would be useful in making sure they fought to the best of their potential. Each one was manned by several undead, who slouched over as they watched the students disembark from their rides. Ruby was slightly shocked by the advanced states of decomposition some were in, skin and hair hanging off their bodies loosely or gone altogether, and thin ropey muscles worked over stained bone frames.

The group was called towards another tent, the interior of which they couldn't see. A robed zombie stood near the entrance of it, and Ruby could see something in its arms. As they got closer, she could make out that they were inscribed pieces of thick parchment.

The zombie started to speak as they got close, but Yang held up a hand, cutting it off. "Don't worry, I'll tell them how it works."

She took five scrolls in a fistful, and motioned for the others to get their own. After taking a few steps away, she stopped and turned to her friends, saying "Alright, so this stuff is pretty simple-" she handed the scrolls out to Blake, Ruby, and Weiss before continuing. "-all you have to do is focus your aura on it, and it will basically teleport you to that platform over there." She pointed out a slightly elevated circular platform made of some kind of cloudy dark metal. The series of grooves in its surface appeared to correlate to the designs on the scrolls.

The others looked down at the scrolls before tucking them away wherever they were sure they'd stay. "And remember, you don't have to have it in your hands, so the second you get in trouble, use it. Don't try to be cool, it's not worth dying."

Everyone nodded, and Blake spoke up. "What about you? Are you going to be as careful?"

Yang laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I don't really have to worry about a lot of this stuff like corruption or dying, but it'd suck to get sliced apart."

Minutes passed as they waited, more Bullheads arriving and letting students off, who were ushered to the scroll tent and received a significantly longer explanation of what they were and how to use them.

After the bulk of the students arrived, students started to be dispatched. Cinder's path had already been determined, and ambush spots along the way were picked. Teams with a heavier focus on ranged combat were sorted out and given different posts. Several teams were dispatched ahead of RWBY, but their time came soon. They, along with JNPR, were the third team Cinder would encounter. Penny was pulled to the side, and given a different assignment. Ruby wanted to say something, but just a second before Penny was led through the crowd, she smiled, and said "Don't worry, Ruby!"

A second, short briefing was given during which their tasks were reinforced. They couldn't target Cinder, and they couldn't stay in extended combat. More than ten seconds of exposure to the demons, even with the blessing from Amber, was too much.

Then they were sent off, sprinting through the forest as quickly as they could. When they reached the spot, they found that it was a rocky area, with a large archway over a slightly overgrown path. The trees on one side were thick, and jagged rock on the other meant that Cinder would likely pass right under it. Ruby looked to Jaune, and knew they were both thinking the same thing.

"If we drop down from above, it'll-"

"-give us more time to get out!"

Both blinked, taking a moment to process that they'd finished each other's sentence before shaking their heads and getting set up. Luckily enough, a thin lip on the side opposite Cinder's approach would let them stay hidden as long as they needed to, if they stayed crouched down. They managed to get everyone up, and with the exception of a few harrowing foot slips or chunks of rock falling away, they were able to find positions that would allow them to drop easily without being terribly uncomfortable.

They waited, time grinding on all their brains in a painful manner. Waiting was not something that none of them were keen to do, not with so much tension built up. Nevertheless, they had to. Nora kept a watch over the path, as her senses were undoubtedly the strongest of the group, and she would be able to sense the demons anyways. She was practically bouncing with anticipation, which given the rather precarious position, was making the others nervous.

Eventually Nora gasped, peered intently into the distance, and whispered "They're coming!"

Ruby took a deep breath as she readied herself to drop, knowing that every millisecond had to count. Her ears strained as she tried to pick out any sign of Cinder coming. Nora would tell them when to jump, but if she could have her own input, she was sure that it would help.

She could barely make out the distant sound of pounding feet, but she could tell that it was getting closer at an alarming pace. The others heard it too, and got themselves ready, leaning over the edge as much as they could without losing their balance. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as they waited a few final seconds, then Nora shouted "Go!"

Crescent Rose unfurled as Ruby dropped, and she turned desperately to find a target. She could make out a few figures, but they were moving so fast that making an accurate assessment of where to strike would be nearly impossible. She felt her chest tighten, squeezing the air from her lungs, and her brain grabbed at every strand of information it could. There was one figure at the front who she recognized, and was thankfully going too fast to be caught under Ruby's blade. Her eyes burned like fire though, and even at such a great distance, Ruby could tell she was being stared at.

For a moment she felt outmatched, alone, and doomed. There was so much power behind those eyes, what could she do against it? She was just one little girl, not comparable in the least.

Then her gaze flicked up, just fast enough that she wasn't sure they'd really moved, and she saw her friends. Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. They all shone like heroes, not because of some Priestess's blessing, but because they _were _heroes. And Ruby was one of them.

Her eyes returned to the demons, and one several hundred feet behind Cinder. It would be under them about the time they hit the ground. Resolute in her choice, she let herself fall, pulling Crescent Rose close.

It seemed like only a single heartbeat later that her finger twitched, and sent her into a tight, controlled spin. The others hit the ground, Weiss and Blake firing what they could of Dust infused rounds and glyphs at their targets before striking out at anything that got close enough. Nearly all of their melee strikes were dodged or parried, and a few swipes by passing demons resulted in deep gouges that left both girls reeling. Nora came down hammer-first, Magnhild driving hard into the back of a demon that had almost passed her. The weapon hit at the base of the demon's wings, causing them to bend forwards as the demon was knocked to the ground. Ren landed behind Nora, almost back-to-back, firing at oncoming enemies in an attempt to keep them away. Nora wasted no time in pouncing on her downed opponent, moving nearly as quickly as the demons themselves. The two grappled with each other, vying for the kill.

Jaune and Pyrrha missed their initial drop attacks, but were quick to turn and raise their shields. They made swings when they thought they would hit, but mostly focused on guarding. They kept shoulder to shoulder, working their way as fast as they could to Blake and Weiss. Yang hit the ground hard, raising her fists and bouncing on her feet nimbly as she threw punches, spewing flaming Dust over the demons as they passed, dodging and deflecting claws as she did so. She wasn't fast enough to stop every hit, but she was able to keep them from disabling her.

Ruby brought Crescent Rose down hard, hitting the ground only a half-second after everyone else. She hit perfectly on her mark. A demon screeched as she impaled it through the chest, and pinned it to the ground. She could see the glow coming from her scythe practically disintegrated the demon's flesh around the blade.

Ruby's eyes widened as she saw the demon squirm. It still had a human-like appearance with soft, even somewhat attractive features. She watched as it tried to escape and keep going, enthralled.

Then the world around her returned, and she shook her head. It was a trick, they were trying to control her. She couldn't let it work.

She pulled Crescent Rose's trigger, and the blade jolted towards her and out of the ground, slicing the into two pieces, connected only above the shoulders. Its face continued to move and its body twitched, but a large pile of once human organs spilled out. They caught Ruby's eye, and she felt inclined to keep looking, but forced herself to look away.

The rest of the team wasn't doing very well. Blake and Weiss were both bleeding, though Jaune and Pyrrha had made it to them, and were helping defend. Nora had managed to kill the demon she'd landed on, and was swinging Magnhild wildly, while Ren tried to follow without being smashed. Yang had been able to make a few solid hits, but was also visibly damaged.

"Pull out!"

Ruby's voice was barely audible aver the din around her, but the others caught it. The choice was clear to her. They'd been around the demons too long, and were starting to be affected. The element of surprise was gone, and they'd taken too much damage in so few seconds.

She hesitated, though. She couldn't let anyone get left behind.

The first to activate their runes were Weiss and Blake, disappearing almost simultaneously in bright flashes of light. Nora and Ren were next, leaving a passing demon swiping at thin air. As soon as they realized Weiss and Blake were gone, Jaune and Pyrrha vanished. Yang was the only one left, but Ruby knew she didn't have to worry about her too much.

She started to go for her own scroll, but cried out when long spindly fingers wrapped around her neck, pulling her off the ground. A haze seemed to overcome Ruby, and she forgot how exactly she was supposed to activate it.

She was drawn up to the face of the demon that held her and felt a long, slimy tongue gliding across her cheek. She wanted to scream, or fight, or do anything to get away, but conflicting feelings from her body paralyzed her. All she could do was stare into its longing eyes.

Suddenly an enraged shout rang through the surrounding air, and a bright yellow gauntlet planted itself firmly between the demon's eyes. Ruby was tossed back like a ragdoll, dazed, and could barely hear Yang shout "Ruby, go! Now!"

It took a moment to process, but when she did, she lashed out at the scroll as best she could with her aura. The next thing she felt was an unpleasantly hard jerk, then the battle was gone.

She sat up, feeling the cold metal beneath her, trying to get her bearings. A moment ago she'd been in battle, and now…

Rough hands took hold of her arm, yanking her off the platform. Voices started to chatter all around, making it hard to focus on anything. From what she could gather, the rest of her friends made it back and were worried about her. All she could think about was how funny she felt. It wasn't a bad feeling really, but it was very distracting.

* * *

The Shade watched as Ruby was cleansed of demonic magic by the Priestess. Their strategy of attack had been clever, but they lingered too long. A mistake they were lucky to survive. Yang arrived seconds later, bearing serious damage, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. The teams would be allowed some time to recover and be healed, then be dispatched again. They would be more efficient with consecutive attempts, provided Cinder didn't alter her plan.

Far away, Cinder was entering into another ambush, this one more focused on ranged damage. As demons came into range, shots began to go off, and Naze was not at all surprised to see that most of the bullets were dodged, and what few weren't only resulted in superficial damage.

Magic would be able to catch them if targeted correctly. He would have no issue with that. Cinder, however, would pose quite another problem. She seemed to ignore the students in her way, leaving them for the others who would pass. None of them stopped to fight, opting instead to take passing strikes. He had the inclination that they would stop for the Paladins, though. They represented some real threat to her. It would be worth her time to stop for them.

And in the Black Morass, he would be able to give her plenty of reasons to stop. Not for long, but she could be held up, and her minions could be killed without much issue there. They just needed to be softened up first.

The students from the ranged trap returned to the camp, looking dismayed at their lack of any significant impact. They wouldn't need any help from Amber, so they weren't too much trouble.

Teams RWBY and JNPR started to recover, and Yang urged them to go get another assignment. They'd managed to get two kills, more than the traps before them. There was plenty of combat ahead of them, that much was certain. What they'd seen so far was only the beginning.

* * *

Author's Note:

I know y'all love the fights. Always remember; leave some reviews. Plz.


	64. Chapter 64

Amber tried not to let her horror show as students continued to return in varying states of shock and injury. Some of them were on the brink of death as soon as they were dragged off the platform, and some writhed and fought against their friends, bodies practically burning with demonic taint. They screamed and shouted to be let back to Cinder. They didn't want to run, they wanted to join her.

Knowing that her blessing had not saved them felt like an unexpected blow to her chest, and it only got worse. As more and more students returned, or didn't, her mental picture of what was happening out in the path started to grow. And it was terrible.

People who were more vulnerable to demonic corruption were, predictably, more affected, but Amber hadn't expected the effects to be so dramatic. They had to be held to their cots, or otherwise bound down with thick straps of some dark material she didn't recognize.

She tried to purge their corruption as fast as she could, but those needing treatment continued to build up. Soon there was no time to tend to people who were only wounded. Her brothers and sisters tried to help, but they just couldn't work fast enough.

Amber almost wished that she couldn't recognize the faces. She'd looked out to the crowd when she blessed them, and they'd looked hopeful and strong. Now they looked twisted and broken.

She struggled to pull air into her lungs as she wiped sweat off her forehead, swaying unsteadily and trying to keep her vision from blurring. The glow faded from her hands, and the brown-haired faunus she'd purified blinked several times before focusing on Amber's face and mouthing a few soundless words. She smiled down at the girl, shaking her head.

"It's alright, you're safe now. Don't worry."

A loud crack split the air, and she turned to see another group return. They were bloodied, and all eyes were turned towards the ground, but she was glad to see that none of them were clawing at the others.

She recognized their faces too. It was team RWBY.

They had started out strong, but Amber had seen their strength wear down, battle after battle. Even Yang was starting to deflate. Quietly, they started to stagger over to the tent, as they had many times now. They had gone on at least ten excursions, more than most others. They'd come back battered every time, but they also reported multiple kills every time. How they'd managed, Amber didn't know. After a while she'd simply chalked it up to sheer willpower.

As the group approached she turned back to the cots, reminding herself that time was a luxury she didn't have. More would be flooding in soon, and she needed to make as much room for them as possible. Several undead had started to pick up the slack on treating injuries, but keeping the warriors sane was left entirely to the Order of the Holy Light.

She put her hands over a boy, gibbering wildly and foaming at the mouth, conjuring power from within herself. A calm, almost surreal feeling washed over her. She could feel her thoughts slow down as her panic died away, and she focused entirely on the corruption that held the boy. Moments later, he was free, and the panic came crashing back down on her. Crying, screaming, and mad howls mixed with frantic shouting the frantic shouting, and all the while, the undead looked on, unfazed. It was easy to say that they didn't care, but Amber looked deeper than that. It couldn't be the explanation.

Maybe it didn't matter, in the grand scheme of things. They all knew that the good they could do was limited at best. A big portion of Cinder's forces had been shaved off, but she still had many. More than enough to be extraordinarily dangerous. But if that were the case, couldn't their resources be better spent elsewhere? This certainly didn't seem like the time to waste efforts, and Naze didn't seem the kind who would.

She was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts by a sudden stab of pain in her head. It was like the migraines she used to get, only immeasurably worse. Her body gave in to the hours of miracles she'd forced it to perform, and her thin legs collapsed beneath her. Everything faded to a fuzzy purplish void, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the sensation of crumpling towards the ground.

The feeling of impact never came, though, and she blinked rapidly as her senses started to return.

Something appeared underneath her, and hands held her shoulders tightly as her weight settled. When she was able to see again, she realized that she'd been placed on one of the cots. Confusion took hold of her, and she made to stand back up, knowing she didn't have the time to rest.

Again, a hand met her shoulder, and she looked up, gradually focusing her eyes on Solace's face. He gave her a soft expression, like he understood what she felt, then spoke.

"You cannot keep this up. It's painful, watching others suffer, but you have to rest."

The metal hand of Solace's white armor slid down her back, patting her gently. It felt good. Almost on its own, her body drew in a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh. She was high strung, but that was understandable, right? For the past few hours she'd seen nothing but pain and misery. Even the most driven individuals had to feel this way at some point, right?

She wanted to get up, and keep doing what she could, but the look of Solace's face was serious. After a few moments of quiet thinking, she nodded and looked back up at him.

"Alright, fine. I guess you're right."

Solace gave her a sad smile, then turned away to start helping where he could, like the other Paladins were.

Team RWBY entered the tent, and while its living members started seeking treatment, Yang started to hobble her way over to Amber. She noted that the undead girl's legs were particularly eviscerated, and her left arm seemed to be dangling uselessly. Nevertheless, not the slightest hint of pain crossed her face as she made her way towards Amber.

"Hey! Naze wanted me to tell you that the ambushes are almost done. It looks like a good time too…" She looked around at the other students before turning back to Amber with a hesitant expression. "So how are you doing? I mean, you don't really look like you're doing super well right now. Is there anything I could help with?"

Her voice lacked the enthusiasm she'd started with. Now it was clear that she almost didn't want to hear the answer.

"No, not unless you can learn how to be a Priestess in a few minutes. That's good to hear, though. Were they as effective as Naze hoped?"

"I guess so. He never really had any anticipation of how many we'd be able to kill. I think he was surprised, though. He expected a lot more of us to die or get corrupted. Thanks to you, we haven't had too many losses."

Amber shook her head and looked away from Yang, turning her eyes to the floor. "Any losses are too many. I should've done better."

Yang rose an eyebrow before sitting next to the Priestess, being careful to keep her distance from the holy book at her side.

"Trust me, out there, it's no one's fault. Things just happen too fast. I've got better reaction times than I ever did when I was alive, and I've come back every time sliced up. Demons are just… something else. Honestly, I don't know how Naze plans to take out Cinder. I know he's got a plan, he always does, but I've seen a little bit of what she can do. I don't…"

Her voice trailed off, and she blinked, as though noticing Amber's paling expression for the first time. "Oh, not that I don't think Naze can handle it! I mean, he's one of the oldest things on the planet, of course he knows what to do. I'm just saying Cinder's pretty scary."

Amber remembered what she'd agreed to. The Paladins were to sand between Naze's cursed swamp and Cinder, giving her one final battle with the living before they entered the domain of the dead. Amber didn't know what waited for them there, but she knew she didn't want to find out. Now she didn't know which was worse. Cinder was terrifying enough to strike fear into a dead girl and no doubt traumatize countless trained killers, and the swamp was engineered by a Lich to be as hostile an environment as possible.

Contemplating this wasn't helping her mood in the slightest.

Yang hesitated, seeing the effect she'd had on Amber. "Hey, don't sweat it. None of the students can make holy power, but you guys can just shoot that stuff off like crazy. I bet Cinder will hate that stuff. I know I do. Just blast her with that, it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Amber sighed. "Maybe it will be that simple. I hope so, anyways. Maybe none of us will get hurt."

Yang smiled, looking a little relieved. "Yeah! You've all got shields of holy power. Those demons hit right through peoples' aura, but a holy shield will do a hell of a lot more good! You're playing field is a lot more even, really. They might be stronger and faster, but you've got the powers to make you a threat. Plus, you've got Solace on your side." She glanced over her shoulder, spying the white mass of armor. "That dude is a _tank_."

Amber chuckled lightly, nodding.

"Yes, I guess he is. I know he's going to fight hard, and all the others are too, but I don't know if I will be able to support them enough. If the student battles have been anything to judge by..."

"It's going to be fine. You'll kick butt out there. I can practically see it already, you healing your friends and shooting lasers of sunlight out of your eyes. I wouldn't want to be on your bad side. I hope I'm not, considering, you know, I'm dead and all."

Amber shook her head, looking towards the ground again.

"No, you're fine. I'm sorry about that, really. It's an old belief, and I don't really think all undead are bad. You're certainly not, and I've seen that others are more than willing to set aside differences for the greater good. It's going to be a bit of a change to the Order, but I think it will be a good one."

Yang smiled again, then looked up at the rest of her team. They were quiet, keeping their heads down and isolating themselves. They stared at their feet with thousand-yard stares, and Amber watched as Yang craned her neck to watch them.

"They've been like that a while now. I think we've reached our limit on raids now. They'll start getting over it soon, but it's probably best to just leave them to their thoughts until they start coming back around. Where's JNPR?"

Amber tried to recall the last time that she'd seen the team, taking a few moments to sort through all the faces she'd seen. Last she knew, they had gone out on another ambush, but she didn't know if they had come back.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. They left maybe half an hour ago. I haven't heard anything since. I think they're fine, though, they were holding up well. Nora seemed to be having fun."

Yang laughed, nodding as she did so, and shaking her head. "Nora is… well, she's special alright. Even before she got a demon in her, she was eccentric like that. It figures that she would be fine doing all this, though. I'm sure she's racked up plenty of kills."

The two fell silent, and Yang started to push her way up off the cot.

"Well, I should let you get some rest. Everything will go great, I'm sure, you've just got to be strong, you know? All that faith and stuff that makes your powers work. I have faith in you, if that helps, and I know everyone else here does too."

With that, Yang turned and made her way to her teammates, who still looked to be in some form of shock or another. Amber watched her go, thinking about what she said. It was true, she hoped, that everyone did have faith in her. It was the most she had ever been given. Her life before becoming a Priestess seemed so hazy and distant that she could hardly remember any of it, but she was sure that under this kind of pressure she would have cracked a long time ago.

She was strong, in her own way. Not like the Paladins and Huntsmen, but in a meeker, more humble way. She could hold up her brothers and sisters in battle, and share her strength, allowing a victory.

Her panic started to subside, and she looked up as what sounded like distant thunder rumbled through the air. Heavy storm clouds floated in the distance, over the dark and cursed land where Naze lay in wait for his prey to arrive. She could still feel a tight knot of something deep in her chest, an eager energy she hadn't unleashed.

Her headache had mostly gone, and she could feel her limbs starting to get over their aches. She drew her book from her side, and started to read, despite having memorized every passage and every hymn. It was the best way she had of passing the time.

She didn't have to pass much, as the last few student ambush teams returned within the hour, even team JNPR making it back. Amber could only watch a few minutes of the emotional reunion, however, before it was time for the Order of the Holy Light to embark. Paladins held their heads and hammers high, and she pulled her hood over her blonde hair. The group formed into a procession, walking in a tight group towards the edge of the camp. They knew where they were going, and they knew what awaited them.

Amber tried to keep spirits high by talking to others, making sure that they weren't too nervous about the coming battle. As they reached the tree line, a burst of noise from behind them made them turn.

All the kids they'd helped who were able to stand had followed for some distance, and were cheering them on. There were too many voices to make out any specific words, but the overall meaning was very clear. They had the support of everyone they had helped, and their confidence.

After a few attempts at shouting back, the Order departed, hurrying to make it to their goal. Amber could feel the air growing heavier, and the storm overhead was growing more intense. Thunder continually ripped through the sky, and as they walked, Amber couldn't help but wonder if it was some concoction of Naze's.

As an unfortunate side effect of the unfavorable weather, whether it was planned or not, the wind of the storm seemed to blow stagnant and disgusting air out of the swamp towards them. It made Amber want to gag, but she stopped herself. The smell of rot was almost overpowering, she could almost swear she could feel her nostrils burning.

As they got closer, a path emerged from the trees. It was a wide, open dirt road that lead into the quickly darkening marsh and stopped almost immediately, collapsing into thick mud and muck. She wondered if that was a recent change, or if any road had ever successfully cut its way through.

They took their positions, Solace farthest from the swamp at the front of the group, and Amber at the back. The Paladins between them were spread out considerably, as they'd all heard just how fast demons were. If they were going to have a shot at catching any of them, they needed as wide a reach as possible.

Amber started to pray, bowing her head over her book and pouring her soul into the ancient words. She could feel the air around her growing warmer and more comfortable, and saw out of the corners of her eyes the others being engulfed in a bright golden halo. Each of them had their heads bowed too, muttering their own prayers to bolster their spirits and bodies. As they finished, they hafted their weapons up and stood ready, watching.

In the distance, Amber could make out something, but it was too far to actually make out any detail. She didn't need to see it to know what it was, however. Her body tensed and her mind started to function in high-gear. She felt the knot in her chest tighten painfully, and gasped, hoping that whatever it was didn't become a problem.

She received a few concerned glances from over the shoulders of several of her brothers, but waved them off with a smile on her face. She could bear it, she was sure. It was nothing that would stop her.

She could almost feel the demons before she could see them, the rumbling in the ground almost indistinguishable from the thunder that continued to rip across the sky. She couldn't see any lightning, but the wing was starting to pick up. She thought she could hear things moving in the swamp behind her, but she ignored it. The whole world itself seemed to vibrate with anticipation. Amber tried to keep herself focused.

The distant threat approached with alarming speed, so fast that Amber couldn't gauge how long it would be before they arrived. The distance was too great to judge. By the time she could make out individual shapes, a sense of dread overcame her, and her gaze shot down to her book out of a natural reaction.

Solace called out to the Paladins, his voice echoing off the trees. "Here they come! Be ready, and fight well! I've trained all of you in the path of the light, and each of you have followed it admirably. If we fall now, it is to the light we go!"

An enthusiastic cry rose from the Paladins as they agreed, looking at one another and smiling. Amber looked up from the tome hesitantly, finding some comfort in their confidence, but her chest only tightened further. It was starting to remind her of the panic attacks she'd had before joining the Order. Memories of those times started to flood into her mind.

She flinched as painful, unpleasant experiences started to replay in her mind. When she'd been alone, in pain, and needing help. She shook her head, reminding herself that those times were over. She was surrounded by close friends, and all of them were going to stand together, no matter what happened. The Light would give her strength. It had before, and she had no doubt that it would again.

She looked back up, surprised at the distance the demons had covered in such a short span of time. It was now clear that it was only seconds before they reached each other.

Every Paladin tightened their grip on their weapons, and the glows around them intensified further. Amber felt her shoulders square, and she drew in a deep breath, getting ready to speak whatever blessings she needed to.

Tensions rose to nearly the snapping point as Cinder entered the final leg of her approach, then Cinder did something that none of them could have predicted.

She skidded to a halt, stopping about a hundred yards away, and smiled.

"Oh, it's you. How cute. You actually think you can delay me, don't you?"

Her voice carried over the distance between them easily, and didn't seem to be entirely audio. Amber could hear her words in the back of her mind, whispering to her.

Solace called out to her, keeping rooted firm in his positon, "Come, beast! Face the holy judgement of the Light!"

He sounded confident, and Amber couldn't help but admire the power he displayed. When he addressed Cinder, he didn't move an inch.

Cinder was still for a moment, then started to laugh. It was a mocking, hysterical, piercing laugh that spread an uncomfortable feeling all over Amber's body. She started to say another prayer under her breath, her mouth barely moving.

As suddenly as she had started, Cinder stopped laughing, and began to say something else. Amber's head tilted slightly as she tried to make out what it was. The prayer died on her lips when she realized Cinder was speaking the ancient words at the same time she was. Amber took an involuntary step back, thoughts racing to explain. Either she was already familiar with the prayers, or…

Nothing could possibly hear so well over that distance. She knew that had to be true, and yet Cinder had stopped at virtually the same time she had. As though she could see the look on Amber's face, Cinder chuckled again, and started to strut forward slowly.

"Maybe that delusional corpse hasn't told you, but you can't stop me. Nothing can, not even him. I'm on my way to prove it, and if you get out of my way, I can save you for later. You get to go home, and spend what little time you can with whoever you care about before I make you forget your own names."

Demons started to arrive behind Cinder at this point, coming to a halt behind her, digging their claws into the dirt or flaring out half-formed wings. They all appeared to be grotesque perversions of what a human was supposed to look like, but Amber couldn't deny to herself that there was something alluring about them. She could spend hours simply staring…

She shook her head, and bit into her cheek. She couldn't let herself think like that. As she looked around at the other faces, she was pleased to see that they were all focused and unwavering. Her blessings worked well. With as much strength as she could, she mustered up mental walls, ignoring the otherworldly charm of the monstrosities.

"It won't happen. You face us here, and now! You face the wrath of all that is holy!"

Cinder was close enough now to make out facial expressions, and Amber saw her raise an eyebrow as she looked past Solace.

"Is this it? I imagined there would be more of you. From the way people spoke, I thought I would have a real challenge in the cult leader."

"I could say the same."

Solace's grim response was low, but no volume was lost in his helmet. A heavy silence seemed to settle over the opposing groups, before Cinder started to giggle.

"There's plenty of me to go around, Paladin. Come, I'll show you."

With that, the demons behind Cinder charged forward. Solace let out a mighty battle-cry before dashing forward as well, leading the other Paladins. As they went, Amber glanced down to her text, reading out a hymn she knew would strengthen the others, as well as herself. They would need the help.

A deafening blast exploded as Solace met with the demons, his body sheathed in holy light. He was a man, thus could not compare to the demons' speed, but the Light hardened around him as claws and teeth struck out at him. None could as much as tarnish his white and gold plate armor.

While in a one-on-one battle a demon would've had a greater chance of dodging away from Solace's hammer, the disorganized horde they charged in made this quite impossible. One overhead swing brought the sanctified bludgeon down on one particularly unlucky demon, who crumpled under the blow after struggling for a moment to stay upright. The sound of bones shattering and air leaving the lungs of the beast reached even Amber's ears.

The rest of the Paladins crashed into the wave of demons, matching their ferocity with zeal and courage. Some were able to score the first strikes against their opponents, but most were forced to take more defensive stances. The battle quickly turned into a wild flurry of razor sharp knives and teeth, filled with the din of thousands of noises blending together. Screaming, howling, the crunching of bones and the strange plinking sound of claws glancing off of aura or armor.

Amber's brain tried to process it all for a few moments, then surrendered to the chaos. She started to let her focus jump from subject to subject, keeping a special eye out for anything that could hurt her. Demons rose and fell as they tried to slash their way through the wall of Paladins.

Her prayer shifted from one of strength to one of protection, hoping to minimize any damage that might be able to slip through the shimmering shields. It was slightly more taxing, and she could feel herself starting to become drained.

She could feel the power from the others though, and it pushed her on. She wouldn't stop bolstering their abilities, no matter what. She was going to stick with them, even if it came to a bitter end.

Every second felt like an eternity. For a while, it seemed that the two forces were about evenly matched. Every slice that was able to slip through the golden auras, white armor, and Amber's prayer, another demon felt the unsympathetic weight of a hammer crush their bones to dust. The Paladins used what holy powers they could muster, throwing waves of glimmering holy power that burned their enemies to the touch.

All the while, though, Amber was uncomfortably aware that Cinder was nowhere in the fray. Part of her wanted to be thankful, knowing that she would be able to wreak devastation on the Paladins with barely so much as a thought, but she also knew that not knowing Cinder's location was a very bad thing. She found her eyes wandering to the thick tree line to either side of her, and a chill ran up her spine. She could be anywhere.

Amber's attention was drawn back to the fight when she saw a demon grab a Paladin's head, threatening to drag him down. Her prayer intensified, and she focused on the man, trying to give him the power he needed to escape.

It worked for a moment, he was able to throw his attacker off, but as he went for the counter hit, a long red appendage sprouted from his gut, and blood started to leak from the wound. The Paladin looked down in shock at what had managed to skewer him, and the war hammer dropped to the ground as Amber watched his body start to go into shock. The thing that had speared him was still for a moment, then began to wiggle as though trying to free itself. After a moment, the man was lifted off the ground, and with a final brutal motion, he was slammed on the ground after finally coming loose.

The demon that had done it stared down at their victory, and Amber could make out the hungry glint in its eyes. Something told her that the man would be lucky if the demon intended to eat him, though. Anger built up inside her, and the pain in her chest flared up even more. She wasn't used to lashing out, but she didn't have any choice.

Her hand shot up with hardly any consultation from her brain, and before she knew it, a bolt of holy power was streaking through the air at the demon who'd downed her brother. She didn't have the presence of mind to feel surprise at this sudden unfamiliar ability, the only thing she processed was a feeling of purpose. She watched as the bolt passed over her fallen comrade, bestowing some amount of healing on him as it traveled past before striking the demon in the center of the body, sending it crashing backwards, screeching and smoking.

She glanced down at her hands, fingers shaking. She could feel a stinging sensation under her skin now, like her nerves had caught fire. Her palm glowed brightly, much brighter than she had become accustomed to, so much that she had to look away.

The sound of the battle around her brought her back to reality, and she saw several more Paladins felled by demons. It was too fast for her to do anything, they were dead before they hit the ground. Anger built inside of her again, and she started to throw holy bolts as she read out her prayer. Demon after demon was crushed or blown back by the strength of the Order, writhing and screaming curses before being silenced by a hammer or boot, the chaos continued for minutes before a chill struck at every Paladin's core.

"Enough!"

The piercing cry forced the attention of every Paladin towards its source. Amber didn't need to see the monster to know that Cinder was tired of watching her forces be stalled.

The quick, thunderous footsteps were easy to mistake for the weather, but the bodies that were flung from the front line of combat told the despicable truth. Among those who were launched, Solace was among them, landing in a disgruntled heap only a few feet away from Amber, but instantly beginning to move again. As he struggled to his feet, more were thrown towards them, and Amber suddenly felt a churning in her stomach.

Arms, legs, heads, pieces of unspeakable horror soared over the heads of the thinning lines of Paladins. Corpses, their organs trailing out behind them and features mangled so gruesomely that Amber couldn't even put names to the faces. Her body started to seize as she realized that her own fate was drawing ever closer.

As Solace managed to pull himself back up, he charged again without hesitation, not the slightest hint of fear showing in his body language. The sound of his battle cry snapped Amber back once again, and she continued to fight. Whatever happened, she was going to give her all.

Cinder broke through the line of Paladins before Solace could come close, and her eyes locked with Amber's for a brief moment. She could tell the angry glare had no room for mercy, but she also knew that Cinder had no intention of killing her. No, her fate was going to be something much, much worse. She didn't stop saying her prayer, though. Nothing was going to make her stop, not in the face of such danger.

Cinder continued to dash forwards, too fast for the eye to follow, batting Solace out of the way like he was nothing but am insect. He tumbled to the side, and didn't move again. The awkward angle of his neck make Amber worry about him.

Nothing stood between Amber and Cinder now, and before she could really take in the situation, Amber felt long fingers wrap around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Cinder's face was barely an inch away from hers, and her breath was hot against Amber's skin.

"Now you, you're not like the others. You're not big, or strong, or fast. You've just got this book!"

Amber felt the strap that kept the holy text with her snap, and saw the tome spiral off into the distance.

"Now you have nothing. Nothing except your little 'holy light.' I'll show you just how insignificant it is, next to the power of my master! Next to me!"

Cinder's skin looked oddly appealing, soft and welcoming, and her smile seemed to show that she was sincere. As her hands slid over Amber's body, however, Amber felt no comfort. There was no pleasure in the things Cinder did. The burning pain in Amber's body flared like lightning, increasing a thousandfold. She could no longer hold it in. Cinder was going to make her a mutated servant in minutes anyways, why did she continue to hold it in? She could use the pain to fight, even to the last sane thought she had.

Kicking punching, Amber shouted not a prayer from the book, but one of her own. She'd become familiar enough with the old tongue to do it, and the Light was the one hope she had left.

She prayed not for the strength to resist Cinder, or the endurance to outlast her, but for the ability to stop her. If she could do that one simple thing, and save the rest of the world from this torture, then she would gladly accept whatever she became.

The pain inside exploded, then she couldn't feel anything at all.

Her thoughts were thrown into turmoil, and the lack of feeling made her panic. Was this what it was like to be dead?

No, she didn't feel tired at all. If anything, she felt more rejuvenated than she ever had. Something changed, and she couldn't help but feel it was for the better. She needed to focus.

Like drawing in a huge breath, she tried to bring her consciousness back together.

She found herself standing in the center of a crowd of demons, like she had been before, but she could also see herself, from many different angles. She had grown impossibly bright. It was impossible to tell if she even had a body anymore. Her eyes themselves turned down, and she brought her hands up.

Holy power like she never could have imagined pulsed through her, eager to follow her command. She felt unbound, untouchable. Hardly realizing what she was doing, she rose up into the air, and surveyed the damage.

The corpses of her brothers and sisters littered the ground, and blood-soaked dirt was all that kept them. Her heart sank, and she wished that she'd been able to save them.

No sooner than the thought passed through her mind, bright beams of light came from her body, shining down on her fallen friends. She could feel their lives return to them, and as they slowly looked up at her, their confidence and love in her brought her strength. The last to arise was Solace, and when he looked up at her, she was sure that even through his thick plate helm, she could see a tear of joy running down his face.

An angry howl made Amber's stretched mind become aware again of the demon horde below, and as she looked down at them, she didn't see monsters and mutants anymore. She saw people, addled out of their own control, waiting for release, covered in layer upon layer of depravity and hellish energy.

She put a hand out towards them, and as her gentle rays touched their corrupt visages, they started to yelp in pain and run away. They fled towards the Black Morass, and Amber knew many would die there. They didn't deserve it, though. It wasn't their fault they were this twisted.

Many of them fell before reaching the tree line, and their afflictions were cured. In the place of gibbering demons, ordinary humans and faunus slept, purged of their afflictions.

As she tried to follow them into the cursed swamp, she found an ancient power holding her back. That land was decidedly unholy, and its barrier made its message clear: she had no power there.

As Cinder ran, Amber made one last attempt to save her, pulling the demonic presence out of her, but she was barely able to make contact. The beam of light only seared her flesh away, exposing the vulnerable muscle and bone underneath. She hadn't meant to do that, but as Cinder faded into the swamp, Amber became more concerned with what had become of herself.

And she floated back down towards the ground, the others kneeled before her, and she could feel their reverence.

* * *

Naze gave his head a surprised tilt as his shade observing the battle was blown out of its existence and into the realm of the dead. It was the first time he had been surprised this much in a very, very long time.

There was only one strong possibility as to an explanation, and he wasn't quite sure yet whether he liked it or not.

He had just been witness to the birth of a god, and not just any god, but a holy, not divine, god.

That was going to complicate things significantly in the near future.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hey now, who expected that?

As always, leave what you thought in a review. Getting close to the end now.


	65. Chapter 65

Cinder looked back over her shoulder, hateful glare watching the golden light fade quickly between the leaves and branches of the swamp. Her followers that had escaped were at her side, slowing down, and she let her pace fall as well, lip lifting in a growl. She would deal with the Light once Naze was gone.

When she turned back to face the swamp, she scanned it carefully. Nothing moved. Even the water was entirely stagnant, not the slightest breeze creating any hint of a ripple.

Cinder stopped, knowing that the Paladins could not follow her, and spread her wings out wide. The air was just as dead as the water. She couldn't help but think that it fit the Lich perfectly. Still, worthless, and would not stand in her way.

She started moving forward again, feeling the warm water slosh around her legs. Her nerves tingled, and she grinned, knowing that her master was almost with her. She could feel the egg inside of her continuing to grow, almost to the point of bursting out of her. She wished it would. She wanted nothing more than to become one with her master.

But she wouldn't be allowed to simply stroll into Naze's domain and end him. Naze wouldn't allow it to be that easy of course; he had to make sure he was as much of a thorn in her side as possible. But the question was: how would he do it? The swamp was still now, but Cinder knew there had to be more waiting out there, traps placed with as much cunning and consideration as a skeleton could muster. Perhaps he had been able to devise some things she wouldn't be able to see coming, but she had her doubts.

A strange sound emanated from deeper within the swamp. The heads of her followers all turned in its direction, but something didn't feel quite right. Like a shiver running up her spine, a sudden awareness came over her. Below the surface of the water, only a foot away from her, something was moving.

She lashed out, able to tell its shape from the ripples before she had so much as breached the water, and felt her fingers close around a head.

She ripped it from its hiding place, and held it up so that she could better examine it.

A leathery, rotted human corpse squirmed in her hand, reaching out towards her with wild flailing motions that made Cinder want to laugh. A smile cracked her face, and she spoke out loud to the demons around her.

"Does he really think this is enough to stop us?"

She broke out into laughter, continuing to watch the pale attempt at stopping her. The others started to laugh, and Cinder started to look more carefully at her prey.

Its expression was loose, and milky eyes lazily followed Cinder's face no matter the angle she tilted its head at. She also noticed a numbing feeling in her hand, and when she looked, she found that the parts of her flesh that actually touched the thing were slowly dying, protrusions of grey skin being pushed off and dropping into the water below before being replaced by her incredible regenerative abilities.

Its jaw worked like it was trying to moan, but only water poured out of its mouth along with several other holes in its ribcage.

The speed Cinder's claws moved at to cleave the pathetic creature in two was faster than the human eye could see, yet she felt rather leisurely as she let the shredded remains splash back into the filth it'd come from.

It wasn't a threat, and if Naze thought that it would do any kind of damage, then she was sure the rest of what he'd prepared would be just as mundane and laughable. A warm feeling came over her when she imagined what he would say when she emerged from his makeshift labyrinth unharmed.

The burn on her back twinged, sending the closest thing to pain she could remember through the raw flesh. She jerked, turned her head, and tried to see what was wrong.

The wound hadn't closed yet, and didn't seem to be healing at all. It was strange, but the edges of the seared spot seemed to be trying to close, but it simply couldn't close. Cinder gritted her teeth, but just as quickly turned her attention away from the wound. It didn't matter.

She turned her attention back to her surroundings. Stagnant air and water might be enough to keep some people out, and zombies likely repelled the rest, but it wasn't going to stop her, or her people.

Moving as quickly as they had outside of the swamp was impossible. Her cloven hooves were not suited for walking in mud, they sank into it where it lost its thickness. Sprinting, at least for long distances, would be impossible.

Her eyes turned to the few beams of sunlight visible through the thick canopy of vines and branches. She could break through it easily. Her wings fanned out again, and the others who had wings proceeded to do the same. It only took a single push from her powerful legs to get her off the ground, even though it tried to suck her in like a sponge. Her wings pumped, sending her farther into the air, but just before she crashed through the plants, she started to fall. Her momentum decayed far too quickly, and the air simply disappeared from beneath her wings. To her, the fall seemed slow, and she had plenty of time to right herself again.

When she splashed back down, she felt swamp water splash into her wound, but didn't pay it any mind. It looked like they would be walking, then. Naze had made it so they had to play by his rules, but that only meant it would be more satisfying when she was crushing his skull beneath her hooves. She would make him beg. She didn't know how, but she was going to make it happen.

She moved as quickly as she could, making use of tree trunks and small patches of stable ground to leap from spot to spot. Her minions followed, and they continued to make their way towards the center of the bog.

The air gradually became thick with fumes of decay. The water started to turn into a thick slime, and Cinder didn't need her advanced senses to tell her she was being stalked.

Movement in the shadows caught her eye, and she stopped. Another one of Naze's creatures, no doubt, but she wanted to see what Naze would try this time.

Splashing came from somewhere behind her, but when she turned to look, there was nothing. She could hear no heartbeat, no breathing, and feel no heat. If Naze's intent was to annoy, he was doing a very good job.

"Bring it to me. I want to see this thing for myself before it is destroyed."

Her demons started to move in the direction the splashing had come from, and Cinder took the moment to observe the rest of her surroundings. The smell of rot was thick in the air, but it was no surprise. It seemed like every plant around them was dead, save the vines that crept along the canopy above, falling down in deep loops occasionally, covered in thorns and leaves. The branches they clung to, as well as the trunks they sprouted from, all seemed to be decaying away. Dead roots broke the surface of the slime frequently, and Cinder didn't need ripples to tell her that they formed thick knots just below the surface, just right for tripping someone.

The demons reached the spot where the splash had come from, their claws and teeth ready for whatever monster Naze had sent this time. Cinder could feel their anticipation, and when something happened, they reacted instantly.

The surface of the water exploded as countless bodies sprang from it, moving quickly, even compared to the demons. Cinder dashed forward, slashing and hacking bodies apart without thinking, and when the water settled, she looked around.

The ambush had claimed several of her demons, who now laid in shredded piles beneath the surface of the water, flesh already dissolving in the muck. She turned her attention to one of the more intact attackers, lifting them from the water and examining them like she had the first. It looked like a zombie, similar to the first, but there were radical differences. Most of its flesh and all of its organs were absent, leaving only the framework of a body. Most of its musculature was gone as well, but had been replaced by what looked like some kind of metal fibers. The ends of its arms had been affixed with numerous razor-sharp blades, which sizzled and popped with boiling demon blood. Its remaining limbs twitched with incredible speed, but she could see that there was no real strength in them.

Her skin prickled, and she dropped the useless ghoul as her demons encircled her again. As soon as the circle closed, more splashing came from every direction, and Cinder could see more creatures emerging from the water. They were surrounded, and the ghouls started charging without pause.

Better preparation allowed her demons to dispatch the ghouls more easily, but the undead managed to gain the upper hand in numbers, every zombie that they cut down was replaced by two more.

Cinder watched as two more of her demons were shredded before taking action, pulling demonic power from inside of her, letting it grow, then forcing it out in an explosive burst. Her own followers were unharmed, but the magic keeping the zombies animate was blasted away, and their corpses collapsed back into the water.

More lingered, keeping a distance, peering from behind trees or from below the water, and Cinder saw what Naze was doing. These weren't meant to do any real harm, but to stall her.

A smile crept across her face, and she shook her head. It was cleaver, but not good enough.

The pause in the onslaught was all she needed to dash again towards the center of the swamp, taking swipes at the zombies she passed, and making sure that her demons followed. They did, and she smiled as they started to make progress again. As long as they kept moving, there was nothing that could stop them.

Although the terrain slowed them down, they were still leagues faster than their pursuers. Leaping between trees and ground was much easier than slogging through the slime. A calm seemed to fall over the group as the sounds of Naze's creatures faded into the distance, and only the excitement of putting Naze down remained. Cinder could feel the egg inside of her growing more and more, and her body felt stronger because of it. Her maser was giving her power, showing its favor. With it, she could not possibly lose.

The sound of twigs and branches snapping made Cinder look behind her. She saw one of her demons, hanging in the air, thrashing, as one of the vines she'd seen earlier coiled around its neck. The demon tried to free itself, pulling at the vines, even trying to slash through them, but it was to no avail. After several moments, the demon stopped fighting and hung there, limp.

Cinder could see the vines shifting slightly. They moved subtly, but she could now definitely see a predatory edge now. They had strange masses on their sides, like muscle, and their thorns elongated the closer they got to the demon.

Cinder gave a short pout. So maybe Naze was a little cleverer than she'd given credit for. It still wasn't going to help him. He had done nothing to her yet, he had only managed to kill a few of her followers. The things he placed his attention on seemed rather skewed, but she wasn't going to question her good fortune. They were expendable anyways. She had given them pleasures they couldn't dream of, their lives were the least they could give her back.

Before they could all come to her side, more vines dropped down from their perches, catching several more of her followers like snatching insects out of the air. Each one struggled for a few seconds, their faces bulged as their throats were stabbed and crushed.

The air was thicker with noxious fumes. Cinder could feel them rising off the water, wafting past her skin and into her nose, burning her insides. The feeling tingled, but couldn't really harm her.

Again, movement grabbed her attention, and another zombie slowly picked itself up from behind a tree, staggering out and turning its head to face them. Cinder stayed rooted in place, keeping herself wary of her surroundings. No trap was going to catch her off-guard.

The rest of the area was silent, except for the sound of her followers' breathing and the slow hiss of gas rising from the slime. The zombie splashed closer, and every second Cinder waited felt like an hour, but as she glared at it, she noticed a symbol carved into its flesh.

Her eyes widened as she realized that something very bad was about to happen.

Her wings flared out, shooting her forward faster than a bullet. Her hooves skimmed the top of the water, but at the same time, the rune on the zombie's flesh started to glow,

Her eyes widened as she realized that something very bad was about to happen.

She met it, claws ripping through the feeble body like a hot knife through butter, but she couldn't stop its rune. With a bright flash, the remaining chunks of flesh were engulfed in flame.

It was nearly instantaneous that the fumes rising off the water caught the flame, and it exploded outwards, consuming everything flammable it touched. Cinder only had time to try to balance herself again as she attempted to pull her wings around herself.

Her body, as grand and so close to perfect as it was, was thrown like a leaf in the wind. She felt the flame cause some slight damage to her skin, but as the flame wreathed her body and moved beyond, the air in her lungs was sucked out before igniting in her throat. Her vision blurred as her eyes felt like they were being pulled from their sockets, and her eardrums exploded.

The tremendous roar was replaced by pure, absolute silence.

She spiraled wildly; feeling particles of water and wood pelt her wings before either shattering or boiling away. Maneuvering herself with her wings proved pointless, as there was no air against which her wings could push. She couldn't tell which way was up or down, and her shriveled lungs fought to suck in anything that they could.

When she was finally able to get something into her chest, it wasn't air. Her mouth was filled with putrid, fetid liquid, and she almost immediately began to retch, not even her senses able to find anything pleasurable about it.

Her body crashed into a tree, shattering the already scorched trunk to splinters before being submerged completely in the revolting slime. Once her hooves were back under her, she burst from the surface of the water. The weight of air replacing that which had burned away rushed down on her like a momentary tempest, bringing water and ashes raining down on her before everything was still again.

She breathed heavily as water dripped down her hair, carrying soot and ashes with it but leaving a mucus-like coating behind. The flame had burned what remained of her dress away, but she hardly noticed. She could feel her wounds beginning to mend themselves, but something felt off now, like her body had been unbalanced.

A deep crunching and popping sound accompanied the sudden return of her hearing as her eardrums reformed from the bloody mess they'd been reduced to. Cinder looked around wondering if any of the others had survived as well. They had been some distance away, but judging how much damage they would have avoided was impossible.

The rare exposed patches of mud were now hard and cracked, covered in a thick layer of soot. The surface of the water had boiled briefly, leaving it the cleanest Cinder had seen it so far, but the filth quickly began pouring back in from the surrounding waters.

Her followers began to pick themselves out of the water, where they had survived. They were obviously heavily injured, but their regeneration was already in action to fix what had been done.

From a horde of many, she had only about thirty demons left. It was nothing to spit at, but such a heavy loss in one fell stroke was definitely not what she'd been planning for.

It would be no issue, though. She didn't need their strength, and once Naze was gone, she could replenish their numbers easily. What city would be the next to embrace her? Vale? Atlas? Minstrel? Vacuo? She could practically taste it already. All the delicious souls and minds, belonging to no one but her, and her to her master. She felt the egg move again, and a wave of bliss shot through her.

Her master was so close, only a thin veil kept them apart. Soon, she would join, and their powers would be one. She would feel everything, she would deliver Remnant, and she would rule over it.

The air began to feel tainted again, and Cinder knew better than to hand around. She started to slog her way through the water, followers in tow, towards the center of the swamp.

Her stomach started to twist, and she realized something wasn't quite right with her. Something inside of her gurgled, and it wasn't the egg.

The sound of vomiting from behind her made Cinder look back, and she found that one of her demons vomiting profusely. Their face was hidden, but as they tried to keep up, they looked up. Blood streamed from their eyes, ears, and nose. She opened her mouth to call out, but a mixture of viscera and bile poured into the water around her. She splashed into the water face-first, sinking below the surface and not coming back up.

Cinder's teeth gritted again in annoyance. Naze was even using infection against them? It was cowardly, even for a dead man. She herself had been infected, she could feel the disease trying to rot away her insides, but she could also feel her body fighting it. No agents of disease would weaken her. She would not let them.

Her body grew hotter as it began to purge the sickness from her system. Any normal disease would have been obliterated instantly, but this, whatever it was, was far hardier than that. It seemed that it had already managed to entrench itself firmly through her wounds.

The burn on her back started to go numb. Cinder couldn't feel the holy power continuing to fight against her natural regeneration anymore. Perhaps they had somehow cancelled each other out. That didn't explain why it was numb, but she didn't have the time to worry about it. She didn't stop moving, it wasn't that important.

More choked retching came from behind, followed by a few more splashes. The air seemed to clear slightly of the effluvial rot that suffocated the area before. The water seemed notably less disgusting, and some life returned to the trees. The air seemed to grow warmer and warmer the farther they went, and after some time, Cinder could feel the ground changing beneath her.

Something she was much more interested in, though, was the light that started to shine through the trees in the distance. It looked as though she had reached what she was looking for.

Strength flowed through her body. She could feel her master's eyes on her, watching her every action carefully, not wanting to miss a single sublime detail.

Then she felt something stick to her shoulder, like a cobweb.

She didn't care to react at first, but when she felt the eyes of her master start to slip away, as though she was being hidden, she knew immediately that it was another one of Naze's traps.

Her hooves dug into the muck as she slammed herself to a halt, looking down at what had attached itself to her shoulder. The difference was instantly obvious. Thin, clear, hair-like formations sprouted off the surface of her skin, spreading outwards from its initial point of contact in a slow but steady manner. She could feel it sapping the energy she gave off, feeding on the fell energies she put out constantly.

She brushed at it, finding it strange that it seemed to offer no resistance at all. Instead, it was scraped off as easily as the cobweb it felt like. Cinder's eyes flicked towards the distant light again, and she started to suspect why it came away so easily.

It hid in the steam that rose off the water, so she wouldn't see it at her high speeds. Millions upon millions of miniscule floating specks, each one the same glassy translucent shade as the first. If she had to guess what they were, she would say spores. The disgusting environment the Lich used would certainly fit.

One of her followers approached from behind and, through a mouthful of bile, said, "Mistress…"

She didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence. She became aware of it as soon as the demon had opened its mouth. The spongy floor of the swamp rumbled, but it couldn't be an earthquake. It was nowhere near large enough.

It seemed distant at first, but gradually increased in size and intensity. It wasn't any natural phenomenon. She could feel something drawing closer, but what? It had to be close if she could feel it through the bog ground.

As the vibrations grew closer, she started to pick out a general shape. She didn't like what she found. It was big, dangerous, and most certainly something Naze had cooked up.

The sound of a few more vomiting followers was interrupted when the ground almost imperceptibly started to sink inwards. Cinder shouted out to her followers, "Move!"

She jolted herself to the side, and a second later, the ground she had been standing on fell inwards. Then, the ground exploded outward, and Cinder found herself staring up at something she wasn't entirely sure how to react to.

It was a worm, or at least, something like a worm. A long cylindrical body, several times Cinder's width, and it seemed to end in an open maw of mechanically fixed and spinning rows of teeth. All along its body, metallic supports showed where sections of its flesh had been hacked away, and replaced with harder parts to make it more resilient to damage. Runes were engraved at what seemed like random points.

Cinder stared for a few moments before shaking her head, readying herself to fight.

She lunged forward, hoping to disable it before it had the opportunity to attack. Her claws sliced through its meat with ease, but they stopped short when she felt a cold metal plate. The thing's head turned in her direction, bearing down on her, rows of teeth still spinning like a chainsaw.

She threw herself back, dodging out from under the creature's mouth as it came back towards the ground. As its mouth hit, her followers rushed forwards, taking the opportunity to strike. The worm's body started to move again, diving from its first hole to the new one. Claws ripped into flesh again, the sounds of thick hide being torn away filling the air, combined with their attempts to rip through the dark grey steel. It was much harder than anything they had encountered before.

Cinder buried her fingers as far as she could in the metal, pouring strength into dragging her claws upwards. The metal screeched as it was rent apart, and she tried to peer inside its body.

She saw thick muscles, made of some artificial fiber, pulling tightly as the thing tried to move its body. Deep green gas seeped from the wound, and as it made contact with Cinder's skin. She could feel her nerves starting to dim as the gas tried to choke the life out of her body. It was more magic, of course, and not some mundane poison.

The worm continued to go without slowing, and a particularly stronger part of its structure passed by, forcing Cinder to pull her claws out. She stepped back, and felt a spore land on her arm, spreading almost immediately aver her elbow and working outwards. She wiped it away idly, keeping most of her focus on the vibrations she felt as the last of the worm disappeared. She also took a moment to glance at her followers.

The ones who had still been vulnerable to deadly illness had been killed already, but those who remained were not free of its debilitating effects. Their breath was hollow and wheezing; blood and bile still poured from their eyes, nose, mouth, and eyes. Even through all this, their faces still showed almost overwhelming pleasure. They couldn't be forced down.

They had been affected by the spores as well, though it seemed that it didn't spread quite as fast on them as it did on her. They made quick motions to rid themselves of it, but the numerous spores floating through the air guaranteed that cleaning it off was only a temporary fix. They didn't have the time to focus on keeping themselves free of whatever kind of fungus it was anyways. The worm demanded a much more immediate solution.

The ground shook harder as the creature came in for a second approach, and Cinder looked to where it was headed. Its destination, it seemed, was two of her followers who had erupted into an uncontrollable fit of coughing, vomiting, and sneezing. The others could feel it coming, and cleared out from the area, but those two were unable to move, even falling to their knees, faces only inches away from the water.

Cinder approached, but didn't get too close. If they couldn't get up, she wasn't going to help. They would simply die of the disease moments later anyways.

She positioned herself within striking distance, then waited. A few more spores touched her skin, and she brushed them away just as easily as before. The spongy ground started to sink inwards again, then collapsed, opening into a whirling pit. The two demons disappeared in the teeth, reduced to a red mist and a few loose chunks almost instantly, while the mud and water imply slipped past.

Cinder saw what were probably the thing's eyes. They were faded grey, and a few of them seemed to have burst at some point, but that didn't stop the remaining eyes from looking down at the small crowd.

She lashed out, doing her best to pierce its segmented shell as it emerged. As it rose, one of the runes engraved on its side came parallel to Cinder. Without any warning, the rune exploded, sending shrapnel in every direction. Cinder pulled her wings close and ducked a shoulder back, avoiding several of the projectiles before stepping in closer and getting ready to rip the creature apart.

Like the first hole she had made, she could see numerous artificial muscles working to support the massive thing, but she could also make out a kind of spine, running the whole length of what she could see, making sure that no part of the worm was completely disabled.

The worm started to shudder, and it started to bring the exposed portion of its body smashing down, yet it didn't aim for Cinder. Instead, it went for another one of her followers who had begun to collapse. They disappeared under its weight, sending water and mud in every direction. The worm lifted its body back off the ground, and all that remained of the demon was a steaming spot in the water.

One of Cinder's companions stepped towards her, focused on the worm, and she saw that her leg was almost completely covered in the moss. Not only that, but at the center, where Cinder assumed the spore had first landed, the long hairs seemed to be hardening, forming into a crystalline structure. Her eyes narrowed, and she tried to see what the end goal of the stuff was. Did Naze mean something other than death for those who got covered in it?

Her thoughts shifted when another demon got too close to one of the runes on the opposite side of its body, and was nearly shredded in the ensuing blast. Cinder saw them take a few nicks, but most damage seemed unimportant. More importantly, another cloud of necrotic gas started to seep from the worm's body, and its head swiveled to look at the offender.

It lunged forwards and down, making a motion that would scoop the demon up and into its mouth like it was nothing, but she noticed something else about its movements. It was slow now, or at lease slower. She couldn't see the new wound, but she was willing to bet that something inside had been damaged.

The beast swooped down, but the attack was easy for the demon to dodge. Cinder took advantage of how close it brought itself to the ground, taking a few running steps before pushing herself out of the mud and upwards towards the worm's back.

They didn't need to destroy it, just make sure it didn't bother them anymore. If she could find just one vulnerable spot…

She gave up before she started. There wasn't going to be any single spot like that. The thing was undead. And not only that, but it was massive. Judging by what she had seen already, the thing would keep going, even if it were reduced to only teeth.

The only option, then, was to blast the magic out of it.

Her hooves hit the hard skin, and her claws dug into the soft tissue, finding a sturdy grip. If the worm noticed her presence, it didn't react. Numerous small glands lined the flesh, though they seemed useless now. What they did before, she didn't know, but she didn't care either.

Her body started to shake as she pulled power from inside, directing it out of her palms and outward from there. Seconds dragged by, slow to her heightened senses. She could feel the muscles and skeleton inside of the thing moving, keeping it from collapsing. As she received enough power to do as she wanted, the worm started to whip towards the ground again.

Her jaw dropped as demonic energy, lighting every nerve in her body on fire with ecstasy, spewed from her palms almost uncontrollably. Her body involuntarily straightened as a wide swath of the worm was stripped from existence by a blinding flash blowing meat and metal apart. Necromantic power was dispelled, unable to keep its cohesion in the face of such overwhelming power.

The head of the worm dropped to the ground, limp and inanimate. The rest of the body jerked as large amounts of both muscle and mass were lost.

Its body started to rise out of the ground, wiggling and squirming as it pulled itself free. Keeping her balance on the thing was easy, and when its thrashing became violent, she dropped off the side calmly.

The worm threw muck in every direction, uprooting trees and letting its gas flood out of the new opening. The machinery and flesh near the new hole was lifeless, no longer in possession of the magic that had kept it going, but the rest of the thing was more than animate. It showed no signs of slowing in the least; instead, it seemed to be picking up momentum.

More of its body left its borehole, and what was already out of the ground thrashed even harder. The demons began to back off, keeping a safe distance. They tried to be as wary as they could, at least until with one particularly vicious whip, it brought its body careening in a massive circle.

Cinder jumped, feeling the breeze off the creature as it went by, but not all of her followers were so lucky. Cinder was able to count the sounds of nine impacts against the metal shell, and these were quickly followed by explosions of shrapnel and blood.

Upon completing a full rotation, the other end of the worm revealed itself, sliding out of the ground and flailing like the rest of the body.

It couldn't dig now, and thus couldn't follow them if they continued on. Cinder watched its movements for a moment, determining how wide a berth to give it before shouting out "We're moving on!"

She had forgotten about the spores, so when her legs refused to respond, she was confused. She looked down, and found that most of her lower legs had been totally covered, the fungus solidifying over her joints.

It took unpleasantly jerky motions to break through the coating, and she felt a few shards stab through her thick skin as she shook off the pieces. They fell out easily, and she stomped her hooves several times to shake the rest off. After she was satisfied, she looked around at the rest of her people.

Most were fine, making their way over to her, getting ready to move on, but there were also a few statue-like figures, frozen in place, knee deep in the swamp water.

She didn't feel any pity for them, taking only a second to admire the way the hairs-like structure of the crystals caught every available beam of light, almost making it look like they were glowing.

Then she started to run, curving around the worm's reach as it continued to spasm wildly. She couldn't help but wonder if it had done its job or not, or why Naze had even decided to use it in the first place. Where had he found something like that? Was it always that big?

The sounds of trees and terrain being destroyed faded into the distance as she put space between them. She made sure to keep the spores from taking root on her body any more. She kept her wings tucked close to her back, and her eyes wide open to see any that were coming.

The demons that followed did the same, not wanting to suffer the same fate as their partners. The distant light was getting brighter as they grew closer to the inner edge of the swamp, and Cinder couldn't say that she would miss the place. She wouldn't miss all the traps, either, but she didn't think they would end with the swamp.

As they got closer, her skin started to prickle again, and a presence ahead of her started to emerge. It was large, like a weight pushing down on her, and her eyes widened as she realized what it was. Her steps became faster, and she began to outrun her followers. There was no time to lose, her target was so close now…

Before she could break from the line of trees, however, a far off twanging sound came from somewhere ahead of her, and what appeared to be a long metal spear came speeding through the trees. It was aimed directly at her, and would have hit even at the speed she was moving, if she didn't make the small ducking motion to avoid it. As the thing travelled, Cinder took note of the dark grey metal it was made from, as well as the spines that protruded from its shaft. They were forward-facing, and just long enough to snatch anything out of whatever body they hit and drag it with them, whether it was accompanied by the rest of the body or not. It whistled through the air at nearly the speed of a bullet. Cinder continued to watch as it went past her, striking a demon that was too slow to dodge it in the abdomen, and simply carrying them off into the swamp, giving them barely even enough time to scream.

As they disappeared, Cinder looked for the source of the arrow. It was almost too far to see, but she could just make out a tall, armored figure, with a bow the size of the rest of its body. Burning eyes shone through the trees, illuminating the edges of a helmet on the attacker's head.

She kept her course, knowing that she could dodge anything that was thrown her way. The Lich was so close, she couldn't let him go. If he was out in a place like this, maybe he would be vulnerable. She couldn't pass up even the slightest chance.

As she sped forward, several more shapes started to emerge, each one with the same burning orange eyes, like the inside of their skulls was magma. They had weapons too, that bore the same angry glow, but Cinder didn't take the time to look.

The edge of the swamp was so close; she could feel the fresh air blowing lightly against her skin, almost taunting her with the promise of her quarry nearby.

Her eyes were drawn to a figure in the distance, and she zeroed in on it. The robes, staff, and floating a foot off the ground were telltale indicators, as if his overbearing presence wasn't enough. The eyes of the Lich seared with a piercing icy blue, making Cinder remember the first time she'd seen them. It had been before she found her master, and had the veil lifted from her eyes on what she could do.

She poured every ounce of speed she could into dashing forwards, ignoring the glowing eyes opening all around her. If she could strike down the Lich, she won.

* * *

Author's Note:

So close, yet so far away.

Don't forget to leave a review!


	66. Chapter 66

"Please, we can't just sit here and do nothing! You have to help us!"

Yang held her hand in front of her eyes, trying to hold a conversation with something she couldn't look at. Behind her, a number of other Huntsmen and Huntresses stood ready and willing to get back into the fight. Ahead of her, the Paladins stood with their arms crossed, but she wasn't talking to them. She was talking to the massive glowing figure above them.

"Amber, you know we can't just sit around and do nothing while Naze is fighting! The whole world depends on this fight! We can't lay around with our thumbs up our-"

She was cut off by a bright pulse of light that made her turn away. The others brought hands up to their faces, or squinted to block out some of the excess light. Inside of a nearly blinding halo, they could see Amber's silhouette. Her hands were on her head, and although no expression was visible, they could all tell she was in great distress.

"I can't," her voice echoed with a gentle otherworldliness that seemed to calm their nerves, but did nothing to ease their restlessness. "Naze didn't say anything about this. He said to stick to his plan!"

Yang growled in anger and barked back, "Forget the plan! Do you think he could have planned for this? I can tell you right now: he didn't! The only way he is going to come out of this battle is by the skin of his teeth, and I don't like those odds. Especially when the whole world is at stake!"

A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned, finding Ruby looking back at her with a confused expression. "Can't you just tell him what happened? I thought you could-"

"Not now." Yang snapped back. "He's focusing too hard on the fight. The bottom line is that he doesn't know about this-" she gestured to Amber "-and I'm sure that if he did, he would change his mind! I mean, think about it. Divine power is the best thing we've got against demons, and the second best is Holy! On our own, I doubt we could do much, but with him pulling the strings, we'd know what to do."

As she finished, she turned to look at Amber, before flinching and turning away as the searing feeling returned to her eyeballs.

"Yang, Holy power is also the most effective thing at destroying necromantic magic. If I went, it would be terrible for both sides, and you know that Cinder will exploit even the slightest weakness. You can't even look at me! Please, everyone, I know you want to help, you all do, we all do, but this isn't the way to do it. Naze knew that we wouldn't be able to do anything once they entered his swamp. If he wasn't ready, he would have told us."

Yang shouted her retort back, growing angrier by the second, but Ruby put her hands over her ears. She hated seeing Yang this mad. It wasn't her usual rage, either. This was bitter, Ruby knew it was the closest to hatred she'd ever seen her sister. But there was nothing she could do to stop it. She couldn't even get a word in edgewise. Not between Yang's shouts, Amber's pleas, and the crowd of students' cheering.

There had to be something else she could do. The situation couldn't really be limited that much.

Though she was at the front of the crowd, she could hardly see anything. All that she could see was the Paladins, Amber, and past them, the tree line. When she turned around, all she could see was the mass of Beacon students who had gathered behind Yang, and were eager to get back into the fight.

She had to admit, their courage was something she admired. If Amber hadn't become what she was, Ruby knew she would still be sitting motionless on a cot, or crying herself into a coma. Amber had managed to dull the memories, but they still brought a disgusting feeling when remembered. That only made the other students' persistence more impressive. And if they were going, she was going. There was no doubt about it.

No one would be going anywhere, though, with this bickering. Ruby knew Yang was too stubborn to give up, and that Amber was too concerned about all of their safety to let them go. Not without something else, anyways…

She started to push her way out of the crowd, back towards the camp. She heard Blake and Weiss calling out to her as she left, but another roar from the crowd drowned out anything they might've said. All Ruby could do was give a small smile and wave, trying to indicate that everything was fine, before another one of the crowd's movements separated her from the group.

She pulled her cape tight around her, and felt to make sure Crescent Rose was still at her side as she did her best to push her way through.

Most people didn't even notice she was there, so getting free was mostly easy. She was forced to dodge a few errant elbows and knees, but soon found herself outside the crowd.

Immediately, she turned back to the camp, spying two of the undead who had been assigned to help the assault speaking with each other. She ran over to them as fast as she could, hoping they could help. They watched her coming, and when she skidded to a stop in front of them, one crossed its arms and stared back.

Ruby tried not to let the discolored, rotting flesh stop her from speaking. "Can you, like, help with anything over there?"

The one who had folded its arms looked then the other and shrugged.

"Doubt it. Besides, I'm not taking one step closer to that 'Amber.' I like my soul being here, and awake. Not sleeping until Hell freezes over. I don't know how Yang is that close. Besides, the god is right. Her being there would probably cause more problems than it'd solve. If you could communicate with Naze, it'd be a different story, but like Yang said, he's too focused."

Another blast of shouting came from her sister, and Ruby didn't need to turn around to know what was happening. The two undead glanced past her, blank expressions completely unreadable. She sighed, and turned away. If they wouldn't help, she had to find someone else who would.

Unfortunately, the students who weren't behind Yang were still mostly in the infirmary tent. Their physical wounds had been healed, but not even Amber could fix everything that the demons did to some of them. As much as she hated to think it, they wouldn't be of much help.

She looked over the rest of the camp. Other than a few other undead, there was no one left to go to. Getting something new from them wasn't likely. She needed something else.

In the corner of her eye, she saw something move. Her head jerked to the side, eyes wide and body tense, arms automatically reaching towards her weapon.

Whatever it was, it was quick to take cover in the trees. Ruby's eyes narrowed, and she tried to discern where it had gone. Branches were thick outside of the clearing that the camp occupied, so her visibility was limited at best. There were a countless number of places that that thing could be hiding.

The thought occurred to her of it being one of Cinder's demons. If it were, moving quickly enough to appear as only a blur would be no challenge for it. Images invaded her head of one of those twisted freaks charging out of the forest as fast as it could, colliding with the back of the crowd gathered around Yang, and carving into the unsuspecting students like they were nothing.

She wasn't about to let that happen. If she could take it by surprise, killing it would be easy. And if she couldn't, she could just scream, and get everyone's attention.

With Crescent Rose tightly in hand she ran towards the trees, keeping her footsteps quiet enough that they wouldn't be heard. When she got close to where she'd seen the creature, she looked to the ground, remembering one of the lessons about tracking Grimm in the wild.

Much to her surprise, there were no tracks. No feet marks, no depressions at all, not even disturbed leaves or dirt.

A prickle went up her spine, and she unfolded Crescent Rose from its compact form, bringing it to bear and slowly swiveling her body, ensuring that she had no target. After a few moments of waiting, her grip on the gun loosened. Was she just a little too high-strung? It would make sense, but still, the thing she saw felt too real, even though she hadn't seen any of its details.

She spent a few more moments looking around, making sure that there was no way she was overlooking some kind of track or trail, but still found nothing. Keeping her focus sharp, she put Crescent Rose back in its place, turning to leave. She was tired, and maybe a little traumatized. What she needed was to stay close to Amber.

Just as she reached the edge of the clearing, she heard something that made her freeze. It was a garbled sound, feeling distinctly unnatural in her ears.

"Hey, kid."

More than one voice whispered to her. She could hear them from everywhere. They were coming from behind trees, the branches above, pushing their way through the dirt beneath her feet, even from inside her own head.

Her body reacted on its own as she pressed her hands against her ears and slammed her eyes shut. Something deep inside her, instinctual, told her to stay still.

The voices came again, stronger now than they had been before. They pressed down on her, and she thought she could feel herself starting to black out.

"Don't faint yet, Ruby. I've still got to talk to you. Open your eyes."

She felt her body react without pause. She opened her eyes. She wasn't in the trees anymore. She wasn't anywhere, at least not that she could see. The only thing that met her eyes was a black void. She panicked, her hands shooting up to her face to ensure her eyes were still there.

They were, and not only that, but she could see her hands as well.

She looked down at herself. Her whole body was easily visible, standing out in stark contrast with the surrounding void.

Her attention turned to the expanse of nothingness around her, and she tried standing. If there was a floor, she couldn't feel it, but somehow she stood fine.

The voices came back, echoing through the darkness and rattling through her head.

"Now, Ruby, about that-"

Her hands jumped to her ears, and she started to shout back, saying, "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

Something started to fade into view. It pushed the darkness aside, growing more solid and closer as it did so. Ruby stared at first, curious as to what the thing could be. As it grew closer, however, the feeling of dread from before returned. She was overwhelmed by the sense that she had to run and hide, where that thing would never find her. There was nowhere to hide. There was nowhere in general.

When she turned her head, the thing moved with her. When she ducked down, the direction of the world changed, and she was facing it again. No matter what she tried, nothing worked. Even closing her eyes didn't impact the thing.

It grew close enough that she could see particular details, and her mind started to bend.

It was an unnatural thing, that much she was sure of. Faces covered most of its vaguely humanoid surface, and most of them were faces she recognized. Yang, Weiss, Blake, Ozpin, her father, her mother, everyone from school, as her mind reeled in horror, it only seemed to pull more and more faces from her mind.

It took several seconds for her to realize she was screaming. She stopped once she had enough control over herself, and went for Crescent Rose. It was gone, nothing left in its place. She was left with nothing to defend herself.

The hundreds of faces all smiled in unison, and Roman Torchwick's spoke in an ethereally deafening voice.

"Ruby, quit being so difficult. I know you mortals are frail, but this is pathetic."

Ruby's eyes unfocused, but she found that she could still see each face as though she were studying them intently. She managed to bring herself to say, "What do you want?"

The faces smiled again, and Weiss's spoke this time. "Down to the point. I suppose you're right, the faster that oaf Cramus loses a champion, the better."

This was enough to snap Ruby out of her fear.

"What do you mean? You… want to kill Cinder?"

The mass of faces nodded again, making her insides churn uncomfortably. She tried to ignore it, paying more attention to the thing's shape than its grotesque collection of faces. It didn't work very well, but it was better than nothing.

Yang's face responded next, her voice being mimicked perfectly, saying, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I made a deal with Naze that I'd help him out, and you're going to help me do it. You want that bitch dead too, right?"

She felt uneasy about accepting anything the horrible amalgamation of faces proposed, but it was offering something that she couldn't deny she wanted.

"Well, yes, but I don't think your help is needed. You're a demon, right? I really don't think I should be talking to you."

Cinder's face, like it used to be before she had been corrupted, appeared and said in a mocking tone, "What's the matter? Don't trust me? I can't possibly imagine why." The snide expression fit the face so well, she almost thought she was talking to the real Cinder. That was impossible, though, she reminded herself.

Without waiting for a response, another face started to speak. It was Ozpin's.

"I made a deal with the Lich that I would give him some assistance, if he needed it. Call it a hunch, if you will, but I can't help the feeling that on his own, he won't succeed. We demons are rarely wrong about our hunches."

Ozpin's face slid to the side, and was replaced with Jaune's.

"So I'd really appreciate the help, making sure she dies and all, y'know?"

She hesitated a moment before saying, "You want me to help you kill Cinder? How? I'm not-"

She was cut off by Nora's face, which spoke in her usual enthusiastic tone.

"You're not super strong, sure, but I can help! I mean, worst case scenario, it comes down to demon versus demon. Not like that's going to happen, though. Naze will have his undead, you could bring the other Hunters if you wanted; Cinder won't stand a chance!"

One of her eyebrows rose, and Ruby asked, "What do you mean you can 'help?' You want to make me like Cinder? No, that… that would make things worse. I can't do that."

The next face to speak was Roman's. It seemed to shove its way out from between two others before saying, "Well, ideally, you'd be my champion after that. You've got potential, but I won't force you. I'll even help you out until Cinder dies for free, no soul required. What do you say, Red? Come on, you haven't got much other choice."

Ruby hesitated again, pulling her hands up to her chest nervously.

"A-and how would you h-help, exactly?"

A face she hadn't noticed moved to the forefront of the body, and she found herself face-to-face with her mother. She was giving Ruby a warm smile, the kind you couldn't feel nervous around.

"However I need to, dear. I won't let anything happen to you. All you need to do is to get your friends, and go kill Cinder."

The last sentence was what reminded Ruby that she was taking to some kind of demon. She brought her guard back up, berating herself for being put at ease so simply.

"You won't touch my soul, right? I'm not going to grow any extra arms or heads, right? I don't want you anywhere near my soul."

Ren's voice spoke, drawing her eyes to its calm visage.

"Of course. I could inhabit an object, if you like. Your weapon, perhap-"

He was cut off by Ruby, who shouted, "No!"

A few seconds after, she seemed to realize what she'd done, and put her hands over her mouth.

Ren continued to speak, now looking slightly confused.

"Oh, alright. Well, if you don't want that, then I could use something else. Say… your cloak, for example? It would be easy. The Lich left excess magic energy within, it would make an ideal vessel, if you are really so unwilling. I assume there won't be too much issue with this, right? I can assure you that the cloak will be entirely unharmed."

Ruby pulled a fistful of the cloak around herself, looking down at it. Patterns of flowing blood ran down through the fabric. It was Yang's blood, still alive, in a strange way. And it was one of the few things that made her feel like she was closer to her mother. True, her mother was back, but did that mean she could give it away so easily? She would get it back, unaltered, hopefully. She sighed, and nodded.

"Okay, fine."

The faces all smiled again, making it look like the figure was moving again. A sharp pain started to dig into her skull, and she was forced to close her eyes.

When they opened again, she wavered unsteadily. She caught her balance, and looked around. She was on the edge of the forest again, Crescent Rose held limply in her hand.

"What? Was I…" telling whether or not all of that had been a dream was impossible. There were no tracks ahead of her to indicate she'd gone in, in spite of her memory.

She shrugged it off. It wasn't important now. She needed to get Amber to help her, assuming that the demon was actually going to help her. As she turned to exit, she noticed that her hood was now up. It was odd, she barely ever put her hood up. Getting it to stay up was problem enough. One hand went up idly to put it down as she stowed Crescent Rose with the other.

"Leave the hood up, kid."

Her eyes widened, and she spun around, bringing Crescent Rose to bear on whatever had been slinking in the shadows.

A slight breeze blowing through the leaves was the only movement Ruby could detect. The voice replayed in her mind, and she noticed a certain similarity in the voice.

"Yang? Is that you? This isn't funny!"

"Maybe not for you," the response was practically whispering into her ear, "-but I really quite like it. I wasn't kidding. Leave the hood up. It makes things easier for both of us."

She grabbed for a corner of the cloak, and pulled the fabric up to her eyes. The blood flow seemed different now. It wasn't simple, smooth waves. Now there were faces, subtle and staring, undulating and changing. Ruby dropped it back behind her, not wanting to look for too long.

It was creepy, to say the least, but she just hoped that it would work.

"Can you get Amber to let us Hunters through? There has to be a way, right?"

A small chuckle could be heard, followed by, "Not even gods are free from fear. Under normal circumstances, getting to her would be hard, especially considering that she's got the Holy Light as well, but she was just born, and your sister has already been wearing away at her." The demon laughed a little louder than before, before saying, "It's delicious. She's starting to panic. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be so close to every newborn god…"

The longing in its voice was real, and sounding exactly like Yang only made Ruby more uncomfortable.

"Please stop talking."

The demon obliged, but Ruby could still feel its presence. Her cloak was no longer comforting. Now she wanted to take it off.

She refrained, though, and made her way back to the camp. Amber's glowing light was like that of the sun, warm on her skin, but deeper inside of herself, she could only feel a cold chill down her spine.

"So how are we going to get Amber to do this?"

For a few moments, no response came. Then, in the same whisper as before, Yang's voice said, "I'm glad you asked, little sis! Now I can't get into her head like I might with one of you, but I can still see into that little lightbulb she calls a brain. Yang has almost brought her to a panic, all she needs is a little push. After that, she'll do whatever she can to help you. Tell her…" the voice trailed off, and Ruby got the inclination it was thinking.

As she pushed her way through the crowd, back to Yang and the others, it finished its thought. "Tell her you spoke with one of Naze's shades. It was weak, and dissipated before it could tell you what the Lich wanted. All it could manage was 'Naze requires…' That should be sufficient."

It was strange to hear all of this in Yang's voice, especially when she could also hear the real Yang shouting so close by.

When she managed her way to the front of the crowd, she saw that things had not calmed down in her absence. The Paladins and Yang were practically at each other's throats, shouting over the other and making a wide array of large, and in Yang's case, obscene gestures. Above and behind the Paladins, Amber still hovered, looking down at her followers and the students.

No one had noticed she was back yet. All their eyes were on Yang and the Paladin she was arguing with. Ruby didn't know his name.

In her ear, the demon whispered, "Act tired. You sprinted back as quickly as you could."

She did as it suggested, starting to breathe heavier and make herself look fatigued. In her ear, the demon whispered, "More. More. Is that the best you've got?"

Frustrated, Ruby whispered back under her breath, "God forbid you help."

Her eyes widened as her cloak took on what felt like a hundred pounds. Her legs buckled, and she fell forward onto her hands and knees. On the way down, she bumped into Yang's back, causing her sister to turn around and see her.

"Ruby?" Her cold hands wrapped around Ruby's shoulders, lifting her and putting one arm over her shoulder. Ruby was thankful, but Yang didn't seem to notice the extra weight of the cape. "Are you alright? What happened?"

She was still panting, and as she opened her mouth to answer, she could just barely make out the words in her ear, "I saw…"

"I-I saw s-something out there. In the trees." She pointed weakly. "It was a shade. It said Naze needed something, then disappeared. We have to go!"

For several short seconds, no one spoke. Yang took the opportunity to shoot a glare at Amber before putting her hand comfortingly on Ruby's back and saying, "Really? You're sure it was a shade? What did it say? Tell me exactly what the shade said!"

Again, she could hear the whisper in her ear. "Naze requires…"

"All it said was 'Naze requires' before it disappeared. He obviously needs help!"

Yang looked back at Amber, a challenge in her eyes. "See? How about now? We don't have a choice."

The cloak's weight faded slowly, and Ruby started to stand on her own legs again. Amber hesitated to answer, and the Paladins looked to her for guidance. Ruby felt a change in the crowd behind her; they became more agitated, inching their way forward eagerly, like they were about to charge the god down.

"Well? You're going to do nothing?"

"He needs help!"

"You have to do something!"

In her ear, she could hear a more sinister whisper. "Yes… see how she shakes? Pay attention, it's not every day you see a god have a panic attack."

It was right, Amber was shaking. Not only that, but her glow was starting to fluctuate. The students' demands and jeers grew louder. Amber didn't deserve it. Ruby knew she was doing the best she could. She could still remember when they had talked with each other. Even receiving her blessing before the battle seemed like so long ago; it was hard to believe only a few hours had passed.

"Amber, please, you can help us. It isn't your fault if something happens to us! This is our choice, you can't take any of the blame. If you can just help us get there, it would be fine."

Amber's light flickered a little more, and Ruby felt her grow a little closer.

"I don't… I can't…" it took several moments, but she pulled herself together. "The swamp is full of necromantic energy, much older and more powerful than me. I don't know if I could get through it at all, let alone get all of you through."

Yang started to shout again, but Ruby interrupted her. "You have to try! Please, we all believe in you! We have faith!"

From her hood, she could hear the words, "Oh, nice one," but she ignored it, keeping her eyes on Amber.

Amber looked back, and Ruby could feel it in every cell of her body. A warm, comfortable glow, like sitting by a fireplace in the dead of winter wrapped itself around her. She almost felt at peace, but not quite.

Amber stared for what felt like minutes, before finally bowing her head slightly, and saying, "Alright, I'll… try, at least."

A cheer rose up in the crowd, and Ruby felt a pair of cold hands wrap around her waist and lift her into the air. She flailed her arms wildly, twisting to try and see what was happening, when she suddenly found herself on Yang's shoulders. Almost every face from the crowd was smiling at her, and she suddenly felt very shy. A meek wave was all she could muster before Amber started to move, and they followed.

* * *

The sound of battle echoed from the rim of the crater, but Naze kept his concentration. A spell of this complexity required every effort to maintain. The distance involved only made things harder.

Cinder swiped again with her monstrous claws, but just like every other time, they missed by less than a centimeter. Every movement was carefully calculated. Even as fact as she was, Cinder couldn't touch him. She was practically frothing with anger, blind to everything else in the world.

This was something Naze was sure to capitalize on, having his Death Knights do damage to her whenever they could. Most were preoccupied battling her demons, slaying what they could and pushing the rest back, but the battle was a losing one. Even with their centuries of experience, spells, and nearly impenetrable armor, they were slowly being overcome.

Naze took care to note every injury Cinder sustained. She'd been whipped across the back, stabbed in the ribs, had a variety of slashes across her arms and legs, but she ignored all of them. They sizzled and steamed, closing up moments after she got them. He would need more than that if he were to kill her.

Unfortunately, the spell made striking against her impossible. He was satisfied to lead her on a wild chase, though, as what damage could be done to her forces continued to take its toll. The fewer demons he would have to kill himself was another ounce of death he could give to Cinder, once the time came. That time needed to hurry, though, as he could feel the demonic presence inside of her starting to stir.

"Stop moving! Just let me kill you!"

Her voice carried for miles, and her eyes burned with an intensity that wasn't her own. Naze wondered how much of her original mind was still bouncing around in that now mostly empty head. Not much, if he had to guess. He could practically feel the demon writhing just beneath her skin, trying to push its way out into the material world.

Another blade slashed through one of her wings, splitting the skin and cleaving several of the bones apart. Cinder's eyes never left Naze, but without looking, she threw a claw out in the direction the blow had come from. Her fingers gouged deep gashes in the Death Knight's armor, and her assault on Naze continued.

"What's the matter, Lich? Tongue rotted out? No clever quips now that I'm about to end you?"

Naze's response was cold, as always.

"Nothing I say could possibly humiliate you more than what you've already done. You've shown that you are so weak of will and character that all you need to forgo everything you have ever known is a little pleasure. It makes me thankful I cannot feel whatever perverse emotion twisted you around a demon's fingers so easily."

Yet, in spite of his words, he could feel the dregs of his soul still stirring. It wasn't dangerous, not yet, but a tight control had to be maintained if he were to keep full control of his faculties.

She struck at him again, and he dodged by only the smallest increments possible. Under normal circumstances, his physical reactions were not this fast, but so long as Cinder remained clueless about his ruse, he was fine with letting her futilely spending the lives of the demons she had left.

"You haven't attacked me once. Could it be that you're scared? I can't see any expression on that skull of yours, but I think you're hiding something. Are you just playing hard to get? Stalling? It won't do you any good!"

She slashed at his head again, and he floated just out of reach, almost able to feel the nails on his bone.

He stayed silent, not wanting to give her the pleasure of hearing his retort. Something broke his concentration, however. In the distance, at the edge of his territory, something holy was forcing its way through his necromantic land.

The only force capable of that was Amber. The newborn god was coming, and probably thought she was helping. While she wasn't necessarily wrong, her presence was going to throw things up into the air. Cinder wasn't the only creature who would suffer due to her presence. He would lose power as well, and when the time came that he would have to face her directly, Amber's arrival would cause a significant upset.

The loss of focus caused his spell to falter, and he failed to react fast enough to dodge the next of Cinder's blows. Her claws raked through his ribcage, enough force behind them to shatter the bones completely.

Or, at least, they would, if the bones were really there.

The illusion shimmered before dissolving as Naze let go of the magic holding it together. A great deal of energy had gone into replicating every aspect that Cinder would notice, but it'd worked for long enough.

Cinder looked around, then down at her hands. No sign of the strike had been left, she hadn't even felt any resistance against her hand. She was sure she'd made the hit. A thought crossed her mind, and her face twisted into an angry scowl. It was a cowardly, insidious trick. She could sense the Lich's energies from somewhere else now; down in the crater. She should have expected something like this. He had been playing with her. She would show him what it was to be toyed with.

Her demons were finishing with the Death Knights, either striking them down or disengaging from combat with them. They could sense her need to move on, and would do anything to accompany her.

The Death Knights surrounding Cinder herself struck in unison. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't possibly dodge every strike. She did what she could, ducking and jumping, folding her wings closely around her as she stretched her body out, watching several of the attacks whiz by harmlessly. A whip infused with a variety of magic properties and runes lashed across her back, carving a deep slash in her flesh, and another wicked-sharp dagger stabbed into her stomach.

Power flowed through the weapons, igniting them in an orange fire as they carved trough her thick hide, but it still wasn't enough. She smiled as she twisted mid-air, landing perfectly on her feet and not wasting a single second more on the Lich's underlings, dashing to the rim of the crater.

It was large. Large enough that it seemed separated from the rest of the world. A shroud of mist covered the opening, but her eyes could see through it easily. The Lich was standing there, in the middle of it all, staring back at her. It was the real him, not a copy or a trick. She could tell.

Energy surged again inside of her, and she leapt down, wings spreading out to carry her in her descent. The air, however, did not cooperate. She recalled that it was one of Naze's spells that caused the disturbance, and her eyes narrowed. It was just one more reason to kill him.

Cinder struck the ground with a mighty crash, sending dirt and tree bark flying. Her demons followed, and she started sprinting towards the Lich, starting to glow with the power she had ready.

The trees between her and her prey shook for a moment, then were obliterated in a blinding flash of white. Cinder was forced to stop, digging her hooves into the ground as she felt her flesh being burned away. As quickly as it had come, it was gone, and Cinder looked up to see Naze, his runed staff pointed directly at her, and his ancient, frayed grey robes almost blending in with the thick mist. Innumerable charms, runes, and fetishes hung off his body, and the very air around him seemed to distort, bent to his will.

Cinder's skin glowed now not only with the energy of her master, but also the light of arcane fire. The earth that had been caught between the two was scorched clean, and she smiled as she realized that Naze had just given her a much faster route to take to him. She could hardly believe he had done something so foolish, but he was getting desperate. She'd broken his illusion, and now she could break him.

She started to sprint again, on the very edge of the barrier between her master and herself. All she needed was a few minutes. By then, the Lich would be dead, and she could complete her transformation in peace.

The distance between her and the Lich was nearly cleared in half a second, but she slowed as she saw Naze preparing another spell. Dark green energy swirled around the metal spike at the end of the ancient wooden artifact, and almost immediately it burst forth, a thin, concentrated rush of death magic.

Cinder's smiled widened as she watched it approach. Had he forgotten that demons were practically free from death? Her body would heal any damage the attack could. She would humor him, and let him see just how much good his precious necromancy would do him against an opponent like her. Maybe she would even see a flicker of emotion before he was destroyed.

The beam struck her in the center of the chest, but it didn't stop there. It tore at what little remained of her soul, ripping every bit that it could into nothingness.

The demonic egg inside of her, her connection to her master, screamed in protest. What little Cinder had left to feed it was gone, and she knew that there was little to be found in the land of the dead.

"No! No! I'll kill you for that!"

If Naze still had the muscles to do so, he would have smiled. With the power he'd just destroyed, he had bought himself a few more minutes until Cinder became complete. Now all that was left was to kill her before that could happen.

* * *

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay between these chapters, but school is a thing, unfortunately. Things are getting a little hotter now, I wonder what's gonna happen?

Leave a review! tell me what you think!


	67. Chapter 67

Traveling with Amber proved to be a very strange experience. It was fun, in a way, being so close to her. She gave off a glow that made it impossible not to feel hopeful, and built up great strength in everyone around her. But along with that, Ruby had the voice of an arch demon being whispered softly into her ears.

On top of that, she spoke with her friends, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. Ren was holding up impressively well, considering what he had been through recently. Ruby even saw him smile a few times, and contribute to the conversation once or twice. She couldn't remember ever having seen him so emotive. Nora was still Nora, hyperactive, and now with a body honed to guarantee that she could accomplish whatever she could keep her mind on. In the presence of Amber, she seemed a little more focused, if anything. Her arms were around Ren, and at some point while they were walking, she had hoisted him onto her shoulders, giggling as she did so.

Weiss and Blake both seemed to be fine, though neither spoke much. With their wounds healed, and the trauma of what they'd seen cleaned away, they composed themselves for what they assumed would be the final battle they would take part in. They both knew personally what kind of havoc someone possessed by an arch demon could do, so they were sure that they would need all the help they could get.

Jaune and Pyrrha were both chatting to each other in a way Ruby hadn't seen before. Jaune was more confident than she could remember, and seemed to carry himself with a more upright posture. Pyrrha walked close by his side, looking very happy. The two seemed to catch more of Amber's light than the others, except for maybe the Paladins themselves. Ruby wondered why that was.

Yang was keeping her distance from Amber, but Ruby walked close to her, talking about what was going on around them. No one else but Yang seemed to notice it, but the group was moving much faster through the rough terrain of the swamp than they should have. Neither of them was complaining, but Ruby couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by the fact that none of the mud or slime was sticking to her legs, or seeping into her shoes.

"Gods do many mundane things," the voice in her hood whispered. "Some without even realizing it. Don't worry, your friend is making this travel easier.

* * *

Cinder's charge met with Naze, but before she could strike him, the air between them shimmered, and a tall figure seemed to step out from some kind of fold in the light. It was clad in thick black armor, wielding a long polearm with a slightly curved blade, burning with a piercing orange light and inscribed with glowing runes.

Her claws rushed forward, but the new Death Knight moved quickly enough to parry the blows. The weapon was strong enough to withstand the blows, and behind the Death Knight, Cinder could see Naze's staff beginning to glow as another spell formed.

She jumped back, taking in everything she could about her new opponent. Its stance was steady, dug into the ground and in a defensive stance. Its helmet covered all facial features, except for two starkly glowing pinpricks showing through a narrow slit. Cinder got the feeling that they were trying to intimidate her, and gave a small chuckle in return.

"Get out of my way. You don't know what you're getting into."

The venom in her voice practically curdled the air, but the figure didn't react. After a second of silence, a slightly female voice came from the helm, hollow, but hard as iron.

"I will not let you touch my master, beast. If you will battle, it will be me you face."

A smile crept across Cinder's face, and she leaned to the side, speaking past her.

"You have your dog trained rather well, Naze. Unfortunately, I don't think I have time for this."

She lurched forward, slashing out towards the Death Knight's lower body, but with speed Cinder didn't expect, she brought her blade down, sweeping the blade over Cinder's arm, slicing deeply into the flesh.

As the Death Knight shifted her balance, Cinder flared out her wings, using them to propel her whole body forward. The damage to her arm wasn't trivial, but her healing would mend it in seconds, and it didn't make the limb any less useful. She grabbed the long pole just below the blade, and pulled herself even closer with it. When she was practically face-to-face with the undead soldier she brought her other hand up, and slashed as viciously as she could at their breastplate. The metal was thick and resilient, but she could feel her claw dig further in with every strike.

From beyond the pair, a bright flash of light split the air with a loud crack, and Cinder felt magic stab at her again. Her grip faltered, and the Death Knight threw her off, following up with a one-handed slash.

Cinder twisted through the air, angling herself so that she could leap back without delay. She watched as the blade came swinging towards her, tracing the pole with her eyes all the way back to its wielder. The dark armor they wore served a second function as well, though she didn't know if it was intentional. Without any flesh visible, Cinder couldn't see the Knight's muscles working, and thus couldn't predict her opponent's movements as accurately as normal.

Luckily, however, it became apparent that her opponent was not as fast as she had originally appeared. She could see the weapon arcing down in slow motion. As soon as she felt her hooves touch the ground, she pushed off with as much force as she could muster, folding her wings back in to make herself more streamlined.

Before the Death Knight could react, Cinder was behind the blade, lunging out to grab ahold of her again. Her claws dug into her armor again, and she delivered another flurry of blows. The gauntlet of the Knight's off-hand came around, smashing into Cinder's cheek with the force of a bullet. Cinder found it distracting, but not much more. The Knight continued to punch, and Cinder continued to rend her way through the armor, determined to find whatever husk of a body was left under the metal.

"Get out of my way! Naze will die!"

With one last blow, Cinder jammed her fingers forward, piercing the shredded armor and setting about prying it open. It screeched as she bent it apart, but a smile came over Cinder's face when she saw dry, black flesh underneath.

She didn't have to think at all before her fist met bone, and she started doing as much damage as she could. As tough as the armor was, flesh was no issue for her. The Death Knight fell down, yelling obscenities, and Cinder looked back up at Naze.

"Now, maybe I can show you my appreciation for everything you let my master show me."

The Lich wasted no time in pointing his staff forward, unleashing a torrent of electric bolts that arced through the air towards her. She made to dodge, but was struck before she could get away.

Immediately, her muscles started to spasm, but it did little to throw her off. She continued to advance towards Naze, gritting her teeth and rushing forward. When she got within arm's reach, the lightning stopped, and was replaced with a beam of arcane energy. It was aimed directly at her heart, and even though she jerked to the side as quickly as she could, it seared a line across her chest.

Naze let the beam fade, shifting his gaze to the Death Knight, who was now struggling to get back to her feet. "Bella, return to the Ziggurat."

The Knight's voice was weak compared to how it had been at first, and Cinder was more than happy to hear it. If the Lich thought that she was going to allow him the time to have a calm conversation, he was mistaken.

She charged forwards again, pulling as much demonic energy from within as she could. Her body started to glow, and her blood boiled in her veins. Her mouth twisted into a wicked smile, and she made a point of bringing a hoof down on the Death Knight's throat. Her lack of reaction was disappointing, but Cinder focused entirely on Naze. When he reacted, she wasn't going to miss a single movement. No illusion would trick her this time.

The distance between them closed rapidly. Compared to hers, Naze's movements seemed sluggish, but there was something else about them. They were calculated and exact, she couldn't help but be irritated watching them.

His staff began to light up again, runes along its length sparking into life. She didn't know what they meant, but the pale green was all too familiar. She doubted there was much left that Naze could do to her soul, but if he saw fit to try, she wasn't going to let him.

A wide cone of necromantic power exploded outwards, forcing Cinder to slow slightly as she took in the situation. The cone was too wide to go around, but Naze likely wouldn't expect her to continue advancing. Her legs launched her off the ground, and her wings unfurled to direct her in her ascent. She felt the tissue of her hooves begin to rot as they brushed with the top of the blast, and she looked down at Naze.

Now was her chance. He was open, if she could get a good hit in, it would be devastating. She could disable his staff arm, which would weaken his spells considerably, she was sure. She tilted her body down, throwing herself forwards and speeding towards him like a rocket.

Naze's head tilted towards her as she put her arms out, ready to tear the skeleton to shreds. He was beginning to pull his staff back defensively, but he simply wasn't fast enough. Her claws whistled through the air, and Cinder could tell there was no way he could stop her. Not without pulling another rabbit out of his…

Her attack was brought to a halt when she seemed to collide with something solid, though there was nothing there. The intervening space was clear, what could be blocking her?

When the full force of the strike hit the invisible barrier, Cinder saw one of the many talismans hanging off Naze's withered robes shatter, and her eyes narrowed.

"Why do you have to be so annoying? Just die!"

She screamed in rage as she pelted him with blows, each one causing another of his charms to crack or explode. He couldn't keep this up forever, there had to be a limit. A Lich wasn't invulnerable. She just needed to make him vulnerable.

She grit her teeth. He was going to make it as difficult as possible, she was sure.

* * *

Naze watched the demon throw itself against his wards, taking a short second to enjoy the expression on her face. It wasn't quite panic, and it wasn't quite a mindless rage. He brought himself back to the situation at hand, squelching the emotion and focusing.

He brought his staff to the ground, and a blast of necromantic power emanated from him in all directions. Cinder was carried backwards by the blast, but found her footing again almost instantly. She charged again, and as he summoned another spell, Naze spoke.

"Why did you prioritize me as your first target to destroy?"

His voice scraped through the air, unnatural and monotone, but the question was a genuine one. If there was any more he could know about the process of possession, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to learn. She might even say something pertinent to the battle.

Cinder scowled, but before she could get close, Naze let loose a wave of arcane energy, forcing her back.

"You were the biggest threat, and your existence is cold and pointless. You can't feel my master's gift."

He turned the statement over in his mind, examining every angle he could. She obviously resented him, and he couldn't help but wonder if the feeling was really her own, or was simply manufactured by the demon that had claimed her. She had made an offer to him early in his return for a spot at her side, and he had the impression that before being possessed, she wasn't the type to take rejection so easily.

Cinder once again recovered almost instantly, but this time refrained from charging. Instead, she started to stalk around in a circle, looking for any weak points she could take advantage of.

Naze had to admit, the ferocity of her attacks were beyond what he had expected. His wards and shields were strong, but if she were allowed the time, Cinder could rip through them without pause. If that happened, the dynamic of the battle would have to change significantly. He would have to outmaneuver her, as he wasn't so cocky as to think that in a contest of physical ability he would come out on top.

She was weakened, he could tell, by the diseases he had created for her. The way her breathing was ever so subtly shallow and raspy was a fine sign that the illness was performing its function. They'd gotten enough of a foothold in her body to resist being outright exterminated, and kept her from having any real rest. If she stopped regenerating the damage they constantly did, she would die. He didn't know if her regenerative abilities had any limits, but he intended on finding out.

He let his gaze wander from her slightly, testing to see if she would take the opportunity. In what would have been faster than the human eye could see, she leaped forward, now adjusting for the fact that she would have to break through his wards first.

He prepared another spell to knock her out of the air again, when the familiar burn of holy magic ebbed his power away. It was elsewhere in the swamp, but startlingly close given the time since he had felt it enter his land.

His reaction was automatic, stretching across the distance and taking hold of the necromantic energies around the light and attempting to crush it. To his surprise, the holy power refused to yield, not even faltering under his force. It was more than Paladins that were coming, that much was clear.

His attention was grabbed again by Cinder as she brought her fury down on his wards. Several more of his charms exploded as they absorbed more kinetic force than they could handle. The protective layers around him lessened, and he struck out at Cinder not only with magic, but with his staff as well.

When he saw that Cinder was off-balance, he thrust the dark iron spike forwards, using the runes to hasten the strike. The blow was timed perfectly, so that between staying upright and continuing to strike, Cinder wouldn't have time to react.

The spike penetrated her skin, finding its way between her ribs by way of her armpit. Naze could almost feel her heartbeat through the staff, and he wondered if he had pierced her heart. Regardless, he funneled necrotic energy through the artifact, feeling the flesh around it die. After a second of this, Cinder began to resist, and he gave one final pulse of magic into the wound.

What tissue he had managed to kill was immediately put into a state of advanced decomposition. A thick slime of partially dissolved meat oozed from the wound as Naze pulled his weapon out. He examined Cinder's reaction carefully. She didn't show any sign of pain, but her displeasure was clear.

If she were a normal person or, perhaps, a lesser demon, the wound she'd taken would have begun to fester immediately, spreading rot through her body that would leave nothing but a heap with the consistency of mud. Instead, the wound began to sizzle and pop, flesh around the area rotting, being burned away by Cinder's body, regenerating, and dying once again. It was exactly the kind of cycle that he would need to overwhelm her healing, if such a thing was possible.

If the battle worked out as he anticipated, it would come down to a battle of attrition, an area the undead usually dominated. Against Cinder, however, he knew it wouldn't be so simple. She was too fast, too strong. He could evade her, but he could not attack. Not enough to create the wounds he needed while also staying relatively safe.

Naze hovered backwards quickly, throwing another beam of arcane energy out as he did so. Patience would be key, and though he wanted Cinder dead as quickly as possible, he felt no rush.

He and Cinder stared at each other for a moment, before Cinder cracked a smile.

"I can feel it. It's coming."

Naze looked to her somewhat distended stomach. She was right, the increase in demonic energy being given off by the egg inside of her was causing visible distortions in the air. He didn't have enough time to wait. He needed another way to kill her.

* * *

The Huntsmen and Paladins tried to keep their eyes forward as they continued to move through the swamp. All conversation had died out when the trees grew thick enough to block out the sun. Bizarre noises echoed from past the darkness, and they were all sure they could see skittering shapes just on the edge of Amber's light.

Amber, on the other hand, tried to be completely aware of every surrounding. It was a difficult thing to do, focus that much, when she had just a few hours ago become a god. Something in her mind still hadn't quite come to grips with that yet. A god? Her? Or was it goddess? It didn't matter, she supposed, but she couldn't help wondering.

Her mind felt stretched, yet somehow confined at the same time. She could feel the thoughts from her followers, and could feel the presence of each of the Huntsmen. Each except for two, Yang and Ruby. Not being able to sense Yang made sense to her, but something strange was going on with Ruby. She couldn't tell what it was. She was tempted to ask. If it was anything she could help with, she wouldn't hesitate. But Ruby kept to herself, her arms around her sides, muttering to herself. Amber knew that she wasn't insane, but she still worried about the girl.

Another sound came from somewhere in the swamp, but something set it apart from the others. It was fearful, something that the zombies and creatures they had seen so far very clearly couldn't experience. It sounded human.

Eyes from the whole group turned in the direction of the cry, including Amber's. She peered through the darkness, looking for any sign of what lay ahead.

"Who was that? Did we lose someone?"

Solace was quick to answer her question, looking up at her and shaking his head.

"No, we've made sure to keep everyone in sight. No one could have wandered off. It must be one of Naze's tricks."

She wasn't sure about that. Naze's traps would be designed for demons, not good Samaritans. On their charge to the swamp, Cinder hadn't let her people off their charge at all. She doubted that they would have gone after some random prey.

"I don't think so. Listen to it, it sounds too… I don't know, too real."

The shouting was getting closer, and was accompanied by a frantic splashing sound. Amber put a hand out, shining light through the dense trees, and gasped when she saw the source of the noise.

Roman Torchwick sprinted as quickly as the slop he fought through would allow in their direction. On his back, a small girl was clinging to his shoulders, her legs around his waist. The girl was looking over her shoulder, as though checking if something was following them. An instant later, a curtain of vines hanging from a tree was torn apart as a dozen zombies tore their way through.

The zombies were thin, lanky things, but moved incredibly fast for being dead. How Roman had outrun them for however long they had been chasing him, Amber couldn't guess. What she did know, though, was that they didn't have any kind of mind or awareness. Nothing would persuade them to stop, and so, for lack of any other option, she threw a bolt of holy magic in their direction.

As soon as the magic was out, she felt the death in the air press down on her, like she was submerged under water. It didn't pose any real danger, her power was more than enough to keep it at bay. Then, almost as fast as it had come, it was gone.

Blinding golden light engulfed the zombies, and when it was gone, the onlookers could see that the small horde had collapsed in the water, floating face-down, unmoving. Roman didn't seem to fully realize what had happened, and kept running through the knee deep muck.

Amber lowered herself nearly to the surface of the water, holding out her arms and saying, "Please, stop. You're safe now. How did you get here?"

Roman looked up at her, and his expression changed from wild panic to one of pure bewilderment. He slowly came to a stop, ending up about ten feet away, stunned.

"What the hell…"

He spoke over his shoulder in gasping breaths to the girl on his back, saying, "Neo, is the swamp gas getting to me, or is there really a floating gold lady in front of me right now?"

Neo looked Amber up and down, narrowing her eyes for a brief moment before nodding. Roman looked back to Amber.

"Safe, huh? I didn't think Naze would let these brats into his turf." He motioned to the multitude of Beacon students. "Doesn't really sound 'safe' to me. And before you kids get any ideas, let's just get it out of the way; I'm working for the same guy you are. We're on the same side here."

He turned his attention back to Amber, straightening up and stretching an arm across his chest. "So who are you? You don't seem like Naze's usual help."

Amber gave him a warm smile, responding, "No, I'm not one of Naze's people. I'm with the Order of the Holy Light. What are you doing out here?"

Roman shrugged dismissively, and said, "I was working with Naze, probably the same as you. I was supposed to stab her in the back at some point, but I never got the chance. I stuck with her through most of their charge, but we got left in the dust after a while. Been trying to catch up. I've got to say, I didn't think this place would be as bad as it is."

He looked around himself, taking in the gloomy surroundings and, more importantly, keeping an eye out for any more enemies. As he did this, Amber felt a sudden shift in the air as something much more sinister began to bleed into it.

She was still unsure of her new body, it seemed to be made out of pure light, and she was sure that she couldn't vomit, but this new sensation made her feel sick all the same. It was demonic power, and far more than Cinder had possessed before. If they wanted to make a difference, they would have to hurry.

"Come with us, then. I can keep you safe, and get you to Cinder. Are you hurt? I can heal you as well."

Roman raised an eyebrow, suspicious, before turning to Neo and giving her a questioning look. She didn't look back at him, though. She had been staring at Amber the whole time, wide eyed and unmoving. Roman waited for several seconds, then snapped his fingers in front of her face. She blinked and jerked back slightly, then looked back to Roman with a blank expression.

"Can we trust her?" He tilted his head towards Amber as he spoke, and Neo nodded vigorously. Roman was surprised, she was never this enthusiastic about trusting anyone new. Roman had to admit, something about Amber did feel good, in a weird kind of way.

Something occurred to him, and one hand jumped to the amulet around his neck that Naze had given him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found it was cold as ice.

He nodded, stepping towards Amber.

"Alright, sure. Yeah, we'll go with you."

Amber nodded, smiling. "Good. We'll set off right away!"

She floated higher off the ground, and the group started to shuffle onwards again. Roman watched for a moment as they moved past. He kept a special eye on the faces, looking to see if any of them appeared particularly worried. There were a few anxious faces, but on the whole, they seemed to think they had a chance.

What grabbed his attention more than this was when he spied familiar faces.

"Red! How have you been?" He would've recognized the hood anywhere. As he moved towards the girl, her sister stepped between them, stone-faced.

"Don't touch Ruby."

* * *

Ruby pulled her cape around her tighter, hoping that Torchwick wouldn't notice her. She was wrong, though, and he started towards her. She breathed a sigh of relief, though, when Yang stepped between them, and said, "Don't touch Ruby."

That seemed to stop Roman in his tracks, and he fell back slightly in the crowd. Yang rubbed Ruby's head before walking slightly ahead. She knew Ruby didn't want to talk, even though her sister hadn't told her why. Ruby couldn't just come out and say she'd made a deal with a demon, especially when people dealing with demons was what caused all of this to begin with.

The demon hadn't spoken in a while, something that Ruby was grateful for, but it was still unnerving knowing that something that big and bad was watching her, just waiting. She regretted letting it into her cape, too. It sent shivers up her back to think that something might change about the cloak, even her perception of it. She couldn't change her mind now, though.

In the distance, an earsplitting roar sounded, echoing out through the trees and causing several of the students to clap their hands over their ears. Amber was quick to react, a small flash of light pulsing out of her, dampening the sound as it slammed into the group. After is faded away, Amber said, "Perhaps we should hurry up."

The Paladins all nodded, and the students were eager to fight. With a much faster pace, they resumed their journey to the center of the swamp.

Ruby took in how much it had changed. Before, it hadn't been much more than a swamp, full of as many insects and leeches as would be expected. Now the place just felt dead, empty, and unnerving. The massive change had happened so fast, it seemed. She wondered if Naze preferred it this way, or if he had kept the region mostly alive and well for so long after waking up for a reason.

"Keep your eye on Roman, Ruby. He does have a deal with Naze, but still, be careful."

Ruby's eyes raised up to find Yang looking back at her.

She replied, "Yeah, but he seems like he wants to help. I guess we need everything we can get against Cinder, right? He seems like he could be useful in a fight, right?"

Yang smirked. "Yeah, I guess he could be. Not as good as us, obviously, but sure, he could help. I would be more worried about Neo, though. She's a weird one. Anyways, are you still feeling good about all this? I don't need to worry about you getting your head kicked off or something? Because as cool as Naze is with a lot of stuff, I don't think he's one for resurrecting random people."

Ruby nodded, assuring herself that she wouldn't need to ask Naze for something like that.

"I wish Mom was here. I know guarding Vale is important, but couldn't just a few of the Huntsmen come with us? I mean, what are the chances that and demons are going to get away anyways? They were all going straight here."

Yang shook her head. "Naze doesn't want to take chances with the demons. If even one gets away, it could start this whole thing over again. The Hunters keeping watch over the borders of the kingdoms is the best way that they can stop this. Naze said borders would have to be guarded like that for a long time, and he wasn't going to keep using the Hunters much longer. I know Mom would want to be here too, but they need her out there."

Ruby didn't like it, but Yang was right. She hated to think that Summer would be left all alone, having to know her kids were doing something as dangerous as this, but things hadn't played out any other way.

She started to feel her palms sweat, and wiped them on her skirt. What she was doing was very dangerous. Incredibly so, maybe even the most dangerous thing she would ever do. Could she go through with it? Yang had told her that dying was nothing to be afraid of, but that was like a doctor telling someone that shot would only feel like a slight pinch; it didn't help at all.

She looked to her side, seeing the expressions on her friends' faces. Except for Yang and Nora, they all seemed to have some nerves about the upcoming battle. Weiss held her hands tightly together, but Ruby could see them shaking ever so slightly. Blake kept her face expressionless as best she could, but her eyes darted from place to place, inspecting each of the shadows that danced on the edge of Amber's light, as well as glancing back at Roman with an odd look on her face. He seemed to look back at her, and of all the things that Ruby could have seen on his face, she saw hesitation. What Roman had to feel hesitant about, she didn't know, but she was sure that she would find out before too long. Ren was still on Nora's back, but his arms hung around her neck tightly, like he was hugging her, and didn't want to let go. For her part, Nora was bouncing along, as happy as a clam, just like always. Ruby couldn't help but envy the way Nora always had such boundless energy and optimism. Being possessed by a demon hadn't changed her too much, Ruby supposed. She had to wonder how much of Cinder was left in the demon they were chasing. What was she like before all of this? She would never know, she supposed.

Jaune and Pyrrha were still talking to each other, and Ruby noticed they were holding hands now. It didn't seem like they were entirely confident, but they were at least giving each other some comfort. Yang was as ready at ever, walking near the edge of Amber's light to avoid being weakened. Ruby could tell she was just itching to get into a fight, and take revenge for what had been done to her friends.

The voice in her hood spoke again, making her jump.

"I could help you, you know. I mean, I already am, but I'm not opposed to amending the deal. I keep you _and_ your friends safe, free from charge."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Free?"

The imitation of Yang's voice chuckled, and said, "Perhaps not entirely, but free of permanent cost. I gain partial control of your body for the duration of the fight. It's necessary, you realize, because you couldn't possibly keep up with Cinder enough to keep everyone safe. I, on the other hand, could give you not just the power, but the ability to use it to its fullest. What do you say? Are you willing to risk your friends?"

Ruby's heart suddenly felt like a bass drum pounding away in her chest. She had to be very careful before agreeing to anything.

"I get control back when it's over, right?"

The demon answered, "The instant Cinder dies. Or before, if you want. You can take it back any time, though I would be unable to save your friends if you do."

Ruby walked in silence, thinking. After wracking her brain, trying to consider every possibility, she looked up at her friends again.

"Fine, but only when we get there."

A shiver went down her spine as the demon responded, "Of course, Sis, of course."

* * *

Naze repulsed Cinder off of his wards again, wondering how she was still alive. By all logic, the diseases, magic, and damage she had taken so far should have reduced her to little more than a puddle of liquid organs. Yet she still fought on, showing only a few signs of slowing. Her mouth foamed slightly, and her breathing was more labored, but she had almost gotten though all of his wards, and he was no closer to striking her down.

His fighting had shifted to much more defensive, holding her off rather than attacking. The holy presence was continuing to draw closer, and he could only assume it was Amber coming to interfere.

Perhaps her intervention wasn't quite as unwanted as he had first thought. Holy power would have a much greater effect than his spells. Cinder was starting to change, her body was growing and shifting as more and more demonic energy flowed through her. Becoming permanently linked with her master couldn't be far off now.

She dashed towards him, and he had only an instant to formulate a spell. In a bright flash, Naze was gone, appearing at the far end of the crater. Teleportation wasn't easy, even for him. Cinder passed through the empty air before skidding to a halt and reorienting herself, turning to face him and sneering.

"Stop running! You can't stop me! Accept it!"

Perhaps she was right. It seemed that necromancy was far too slow, and nothing else had the punch needed to do any actual damage. She was only growing stronger, and he wasn't matching. He could, he supposed, shift gears, and use more dangerous spells. They would take time to prepare, but if he could manage to cast them, they could blast Cinder to oblivion. The only issue was that he needed a distraction, and there was no chance that she would be fooled again by a simple image again.

It was good, then, that Amber was on her way. She would make for an excellent distraction, as well as being able to damage on her own.

With his new plan, Naze reassessed his situation. Amber would reach them before Cinder finished her transformation, but he questioned whether or not Amber would be able to work with him. Their opposing powers meant that they would both have to show restraint for fear of destroying the other. That was something best avoided, though he was certain that if it came down to it, Amber would be willing to sacrifice herself.

Pushing his staff forward, he conjured another blast of arcane energy, and watched as Cinder leapt to the side. He adjusted his aim, keeping the beam constant. It swept over brush and dirt, vaporizing everything it touched. Cinder attempted to dodge again, but was engulfed by the blast. Naze continued to fire, noting that the other side of the crater was beginning to show major signs of damage. Rock was superheated and being flung in every direction, and the beam gouged a deeper and deeper divot.

He was still vaguely aware of Cinder's location inside of the beam. He could feel the disturbance of her body blocking the energy's path, and he could also tell that she hadn't stopped advancing. She worked herself forward with heavy steps, hooves digging into the ground each time, and wings folded close to her body.

He could tell she was being flayed as she went, but the damage was healed as fast as it was done. He increased the intensity of the blast, but still, she moved forwards. As Naze prepared to increase its power a second time, Cinder lurched forward with blistering speed, and before Naze could react, she snatched his staff away, lashing out with her other hand as hard as she could.

He jerked back, able to keep the blow from hitting his wards straight on. A few more talismans burst on his chains, but he kept his eyes trained solely on Cinder.

He liked that staff. Though it was a simple thing, and an old thing, he had used it for eons. It helped to make his spells much more precise, when he needed it. And now Cinder was touching it.

A devilish smile slid across her face as she pulled the implement closer, getting a good look at the immaculately carved runes. Their color died as the staff left Naze's hand, but she didn't seem to notice.

"It's about time you got your little toy taken away. Even if you have something else, I'll take it too. My master is too strong for you! Give up!"

Naze pulsed magic into the staff, activating a rune small enough to be nearly invisible near the base of the artifact. With a small pop, it blinked out of existence, appearing at nearly the same moment in Naze's open hand.

A small voice in the back of Naze's head reminded him that action needed to be taken immediately, but for the shortest of seconds, he ignored it. He didn't often get the opportunity to feel anything positive, but now seemed to be one of those rare times.

Cinder let out a scream of rage, her hands flying to her head and grabbing fistfuls handfuls of hair.

"Stop!"

The brief moment of levity vanished as he shunted his emotions away again, and he prepared another teleportation spell. Cinder attacked again, and the last of Naze's wards fell.

Her claw passed by him, barely a millimeter from the fray of his robes. Without further hesitation, Naze teleported again, this time to the rim of the crater, giving himself more time. He crushed his emotions as thoroughly as he could, cursing the timing of the little outburst of feeling he'd experienced. It wasn't going to happen again, he would make sure of that.

The vertical nature of the ground between him and Cinder seemed to mean very little to her, as she was clawing her way up almost as fast as she had been running. Naze tapped his staff against the ground, pulsing out the magic of a geomancer, causing the rock face Cinder clung on to crumble. The cascade of stones caused her to drop several feet, but before she could lose significant ground, she used her wings to propel herself into the new rock face, sinking her fingers into the stone and resuming her climb.

Naze gazed at her briefly before something else caught his eye. The unmistakable glow of Amber's light shone through the trees on the other side of the crater. Even from this distance, he could feel the unpleasant presence of the magic even from this distance. As her brilliantly-glowing form came to the edge of the crater, Naze saw others emerge from his swamplands. The Paladin group was first, as meager as it was, but they could be expected to follow Amber around like dogs now.

What Naze noted more, however, was the students behind them.

The Beacon students had accompanied Amber to fight the arch demon's champion. Why Amber would agree to something like that, he didn't know, but he could figure it out later. For now, he needed to make things more advantageous. As Cinder reached the lip of the crater and flung herself towards him, he jerked to the side, hastily moving away, floating over the edge and turning to face Cinder as he continued to move backwards, in Amber's direction.

Cinder didn't follow like he thought she would. Instead, a sharp-toothed smile crossed her face, and she started to summon up more demonic energy. As opposed to the latent energy she gave off constantly, this energy felt directed and purposeful.

Naze summoned up as much energy as he could, channeling it through his staff and creating a shield. The projection danced with light, the brilliant white of the arcane, the dim unearthly glow of death, and everything in-between. He would need everything he could get if he were to avoid being destroyed.

* * *

The group froze as they pushed their way out from the tree line, eyes widening as they became aware of what was happening. Cinder was blasting Naze with some kind of energy, and he was holding it off. Every one of them could feel the earth begin to shake as blinding lights and deafening sounds assaulted their senses. Ruby held a hand up, hoping to make out everything she could.

All she could see was that the shield Naze used, whatever it was, began to falter. She wasn't even sure how she could know that, but somehow, she was sure that it was the case. Maybe the demon in her cloak heightened her senses, maybe it was simply a meager explanation of an inept mind to explain what it saw. It didn't change the fact that Naze appeared to be losing.

There seemed to be a very long second, during which Naze glanced back at them, and for one miniscule instant, she was sure that she could see something on his face. Something that made her think of hope.

A second later, his shield shattered with a concussive boom, and Naze disappeared. There was no flash of light, there was no sharp crack of teleportation. He simply vanished.

In the next instant, the wave of fury Cinder blasted overtook where he had been, ensuring that anything left of the Lich was completely and utterly obliterated.

Ruby could only stare, stunned. She couldn't process what had just happened. Had he died? Did Cinder win?

Something was off, she could tell, but there was no time to think about it. Amber started moving forward, and Ruby felt a rush of energy. Whatever happened, she was going to fight.

Her throat opened as she let out a cry, charging forwards, eyes locked on Cinder. She wouldn't stop for anything. Not until Cinder was dead.

* * *

Author's Note:

Been a while since the last chapter, I know. I'll do my best on getting the next one out faster. And this gets posted on my birthday too, what a pleasant coincidence.

Remember to review and follow if you like! I would imagine you do, if you've read this far.


	68. Chapter 68

Ruby's body rocketed to the bottom of the crater, practically acting on its own. Others cried out from behind her, telling her to stop, or wait, but she couldn't hear them. The only thing she could hear was her heart pounding with every step, filling her with an energy she'd only felt once before.

Her muscles burned like red hot steel as she rushed Cinder down, flipping Crescent Rose in her hands before pushing off the ground with all her might. The wind rushed through her hair as she arced upwards, gaining height more quickly than she'd ever done before. When she felt herself start to slow, she pulled Crescent Rose's trigger, propelling her faster and faster along.

As she raced towards Cinder, the demon's eyes flicked to hers, and bore into Ruby with as much intensity as seemed physically possible. Fire burned in Cinder's pupils, and when Ruby stared into it, her body started to slack. Would it really be so bad to just keep staring? It felt good, to say the least.

She shook her head, biting down on her tongue to keep her focus. Cinder's trick wouldn't work. Not if she kept herself as sharp as possible.

She fired off one last round before swinging Crescent Rose around again, cocking it back for a strike. Cinder looked somewhat surprised at how Ruby didn't falter, but smiled and opened her arms, seemingly welcoming the attack.

Ruby brought her scythe swinging around, aiming for the spot just above Cinder's shoulders. If she could just end this now, no one else would have to get hurt.

The blade whistled as it flew, but just as Ruby thought it would hit, Cinder raised a wing to intercept the blow. Crescent Rose's blade punched through the leathery skin, but caught on one of the bones. Ruby realized that she was going to lose all momentum, which would leave her as vulnerable as a sitting duck. The force of the blow dissipated into the bone, and despite Ruby's best efforts, she couldn't cut through. As a result, she simply clung onto Crescent Rose for dear life, hanging a few feet off of the ground.

Cinder laughed quietly to herself, shifting the wing to bring Ruby closer. Ruby tried to not even breathe as she looked over her shoulder, hoping that she was going to get some backup. Unfortunately, most students were still making their way down the opposite side of the crater, nowhere near close enough to help. She was on her own, then. She turned her face back to Cinder, whose smile now stretched almost all the way across her face.

"I-I don't suppose you'd l-let me go, would you?"

Cinder's response came as a whisper right in Ruby's ear. "Why would you want that? Let me show you what I could offer first."

As her words moved through Ruby's ears, she could feel herself starting to calm. There was something melodic in every syllable, it made her want to-

She bit down on her tongue, and tasted blood start to well up. Cinder wasn't going to corrupt her like that. She would fight. Inside of her hood, she heard another whisper, not Yang's anymore, but very distinctly not Cinder's.

"I think now would be a good time for me to take over, yes? You seem to be in a spot of trouble."

Cinder's face was growing closer, and keeping her eyes open was getting much more difficult. "Fine!"

She drew in a sharp gasp as the sensation of thick needles slipping between her vertebrae presented itself. Every muscle in her body tensed for a few seconds, before loosening again. She tried to cry out, to scream for help, but nothing worked. She wasn't in control anymore.

Her body started to move again, and with a strength she'd never felt before, she pulled down on Crescent Rose, completely silent while doing so. The blade ripped flesh and severed bone, and she fell back to the ground, carving Cinder's wing the whole way down.

When her feet touched the mud, she plunged all the force she could into the blade, pulling it through the bottom of Cinder's wing. Without hesitating, Ruby brought the scythe back up and made a slash at Cinder's gut. Her opponent jumped back, avoiding it, but looked at Ruby with a suspicious expression.

"What happened to you? Don't you want-"

Before she could finish the sentence, Ruby lunged forward, aiming at Cinder's hooves this time. Again, she dodged, but this time it seemed slower to Ruby. She could keep up better with Cinder's movements a little better. Ruby brought Crescent Rose back to a guarded position, and stared at Cinder with hateful eyes. Cinder stared back, looking Ruby up and down, an eyebrow raised. She half expected the demon controlling her to say something, but instead, they continued to stare as the moments painfully dragged into seconds.

She was just barely aware of what the demon in her was thinking, but she didn't need to be in order to understand the same thing. There was no way that she was going to hit Cinder in a one on one fight. She needed to get the others involved somehow. Without looking back, Ruby took a few wide steps, then threw herself backwards. Her cape rippled and whipped as she fell, and she could now clearly see screaming faces in its everflowing blood.

She couldn't help but feel that she'd bitten off a little more than she could chew.

* * *

Amber watched as Ruby spiraled towards the ground. She started to move forward, but paused again when she say Ruby align herself back to the ground, landing almost elegantly, and without a single scratch. Something was wrong. How had Ruby been able to pull that off? She didn't doubt Ruby's abilities, but something about it seemed unnatural.

She couldn't help but feel that something strange was going on. The students were all charging forwards, though, and she couldn't let them go alone. She snapped back to attention, and motioned for her Paladins to move forward. Before she joined the charge herself, she turned back to her side, looking down at Yang.

"Yang, can you tell what happened to Naze? Is he… Well, can you sense him?"

She looked like she wanted to charge after Ruby, but her feet were rooted to the ground.

"I… He's not dead. Gone, I mean." She waved her hand dismissively. "Cinder didn't blow him out of existence. I don't think I'd still be here if she did. He did something. Maybe this is part of the plan."

She didn't sound too sure about that last part, but Amber liked to think the same thing. If Naze had planned all this, she would be significantly impressed. Not that he hadn't done enough already, of course. When she tried to feel him, the same way she felt the rest of the necromantic power around her, she couldn't sense anything. Nothing, at least, that felt like a Lich. There was something new in the crater, but Amber didn't know what it was. It felt like some type of magic, but she didn't have enough experience to know for sure. It seemed to be hovering in the air where Naze had disappeared, but beyond that, she couldn't discern anything.

Could it just be some kind of echo? Naze had been using huge amounts of magic when he disappeared, could some have just been left behind? She shook her head, wrangling her focus back to the situation at hand. There were too many questions right now, she hadn't even come to terms with what she had become, but it could wait. It had to wait.

Cinder looked across the crater, taking a measure of all the students she would be battling, before leaping off the edge, moving to engage. Ruby darted backwards as Cinder fell, not wanting to be stuck in another stalemate. Amber noted that, as she fell, Cinder didn't extend her wings, simply letting herself drop.

When she hit the ground again, the students were about halfway across the crater, screaming and cheering as they charged. Countless weapons were raised, a few even started to take potshots at her as they ran.

A few hit, but even those that made contact failed to do any damage. They didn't even make Cinder flinch, and as she started to run forwards, she started to dodge them, making slight adjustments in her stance or step that were almost unnoticeable but lead to every incoming attack missing.

Amber rushed forwards, flowing through the air like she was carried by a strong current. She didn't understand what was going on, but she wasn't going to let those students go into a fight like this alone. Not after the courage they'd already shown.

Her light brightened, and she could feel the hope emanating off of the students. It made them strong, and made Amber strong too.

When Ruby rejoined the body of students, she turned on her heel and took immediate part in the charge, dropping just behind the head of the charge. As Amber watched, she felt again that something was off about Ruby. She seemed to exude some kind of grim energy, although she couldn't tell what it was.

Amber decided letting it go was the best thing she could do. Being in a strange mood was understandable, considering the stress.

* * *

Jaune raised his shield as Cinder grew closer, glancing to his side, making sure that Pyrrha was still there. She was, looking forward and every bit as determined as he was. He turned to his other side, finding Nora sprinting next to him. A devilish smile was plastered across her face, and a manic glint in her eye told him that she was having the time of her life. At least someone was having fun. Next to her, Ren was sprinting as well, his face showing a degree of concentration that almost made Jaune feel uneasy.

He turned his face back to Cinder, what they'd all come to kill. It was hard to imagine that she'd ever been human. She looked so grotesque, or, at least, that how she seemed now. He couldn't deny that there was a somewhat disturbing allure she had. It would probably be irresistible, if Amber wasn't giving them strength. His grip on his blade tightened, and he felt his heart swell in his chest. No matter what happened, he wasn't going to let her get under his skin. He was better than that. Every single person behind him was, too.

Jaune's heels dug into the ground as Cinder lunged forward, moving almost faster than the eye could see. He pulled his shield up, and stumbled backwards as he felt what felt what felt like a train slam into his shield. The sound of metal rending apart filled the air, and pain shot through Jaune's arm.

His foot sank into the mud, forcing him to topple backwards. For a second, his guard was down, and it was all he could do to stare up at Cinder in horror. She stepped forward, bearing her claws out to pounce on him, but before she could, Pyrrha stepped between them. Cinder lunged, but Pyrrha stepped back as she deflected the blows, shifting her shield to make sure it wasn't outright shredded.

Jaune scrambled to his feet again, ignoring the warm feeling spreading across his arm. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he help. He leaped just to Pyrrha's side, bringing Crocea Mors stabbing towards Cinder's chest.

The blade hit its mark, but Cinder's thick hide was almost too thick to penetrate. Even with all the force he could muster, he couldn't force it any deeper than a few inches.

He was about to leap back, getting out of her reach again so she couldn't retaliate, when Nora rushed past. Magnhild was low at her side, but he could just register that it was moving up in a swing that could crumble a building. The hammer's head impacted Cinder just below the ribs, pushing up into her diaphragm. Jaune's eyes widened as he saw Cinder's hooves lift off the ground for a small moment. An instant later, a cascade of bile poured from her mouth, splattering on the ground and hissing as it ate away at the mud.

Nora cheered, pulling Magnhild back for another swing, but before Cinder's hooves even hit the ground again, she swiped at Nora, hitting her on the side of the head with the back of her hand. Nora was sent flying, arcing through the air before hitting the ground and rolling like a ragdoll. Jaune watched her go, worried that she might have been injured, or worse. Thankfully, Nora started to move again almost immediately, climbing back to her feet and glaring at Cinder with a worryingly wide smile on her face.

When Cinder turned to hit Nora, it revealed a discolored spot that almost looked like it was rotting away. Jaune didn't take the time to think about it, instead lunging forward, praying that this strike would be more effective than the last. The gleaming blade sunk into the small of Cinder's back, and Jaune found at the flesh was spongey and soft. Crocea Mors sank halfway to its hilt before Jaune started to pull it out. He didn't need to lose his weapon.

Cinder turned again, but the flow of students was on her now, and she didn't have the opportunity to pick her targets. Completely surrounded, all she could do was lash out at whoever was in front of her. This happened to be Ren, who had his pistols bared, simply waiting for an opportunity to fire. As soon as he saw her focus shift to him, he pulled the triggers, spewing a volley of dust-filled rounds into Cinder's front.

Ren's eyes widened and he started to back up. The crowd was thick behind him, making getting any real distance away impossible, and when Cinder lurched forwards to grab him, it was all he could do to turn StormFlower's barrels up, hoping that he might do some damage with its blades.

Before Cinder reached him, the crowd behind him was shoved violently aside, and Ruby exploded out. With inhuman speed, she grabbed the back of Ren's collar and threw him backwards, out of Cinder's reach. She then swung Crescent Rose around her side, angling to impale Cinder through the chest.

Cinder jolted to the side, dodging the swing, but finding herself in range of the wall of students. Great swords, rapiers, bullets, an uncountable number of attacks came down on her, accompanied by the jeering and screaming of the crowd. While the attacks didn't do much damage, they had the potential to hit one of her more vulnerable areas.

Jaune tried to think of a plan. If overwhelming her was the best they could do, than it was what they would do. It put lots of people at risk, but it was the only way he could see doing any damage.

He glanced down at his left arm, feeling somewhat dismayed at the damage his shield had taken. Massive gashes were carved into the metal, utterly ruining the sliding plates that allowed it to collapse. Past the edges of the slashes, he could see the ripped edges of his sleeve, and blood welling to the surface past that, soaking the fabric and trickling down his wrist. The wound was starting to close, though, he could feel his aura working.

Ruby's vicious attacks didn't stop, or even slow as she continued to make sweeping attacks. Jaune caught a glimpse of Ruby's face in the midst of her barrage, and paused slightly as he saw her expression.

Her mouth was twisted into a bizarre grin, barely noticeable and showing no sign of exertion. A shiver ran up Jaune's spine as he watched her move. There was simply something off about her, she had never moved this way before. It was the stress of the situation, he supposed. It was weighing heavy on everyone.

A few erratic movements in the crowd jostled him around as a few of the more enthusiastic students shouldered their way towards the fight. The circle around Cinder was closing in, but Jaune could see that it was giving Ruby less room to maneuver, and she was the only thing keeping Cinder occupied.

There was only one thing he could think to do, and that was step forward, put his arms out to the sides in front of as many people as possible, and shout, "Back!"

His voice could barely be heard over the cacophony around him, but the people immediately around him seemed to get the picture. They took steps back pushing the people behind them, and shouting for them to give space. In Jaune's peripheral vision, he could see Pyrrha doing the same thing. A little bit of weight seemed to lift from his shoulders. It was good to know he had someone to count on.

Still, the battle was going to need more direction than simple commands to move back and forth, and there was no way for him to get those out. Pyrrha could help, but there was no way that she could spread the word through the whole mob, and the delay of waiting for word to spread was too big.

Even with teams of people to spread the word, the delay could be an issue. If he could speak to everyone at once…

He turned, and looked up at Amber, who was hovering over the crowd, keeping a concerned watch, her powers dancing at her fingertips, ready to help anyone who was injured. He couldn't count on that power, though.

He waved his shield arm, trying to get her attention, and when she looked directly at him, he felt a warmth fill his body. Time almost seemed to slow as Amber's voice echoed though his head, not quite loud, but impossible to ignore.

"What do you need? Are you injured?"

Jaune shook his head. "No, I need you to help me talk to everyone here. This just rushing Cinder down is too dangerous, a lot of us could die. There needs to be some direction. If you make everyone hear me, I'll tell them where to go!"

Cinder looked down at her hands for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I can do that." She looked back to Jaune, now noticing the cuts on his arm. "You are hurt! Let me-"

He cut her off, turning back to face Cinder, saying, "It doesn't matter! Just make sure they can hear me!"

The back end of Crescent Rose went swishing past, half an inch from his face, and he jerked back. He stumbled back, and regained his balance when Pyrrha caught his shoulder. He gave a small nod before looking at the battle, thinking of what could help. Ruby was still locked in combat with Cinder, allowing her no opportunity to turn her attention to the others. The students tightly encircled the two combatants, doing their best to dodge or deflect any stray hits that came their way, but the circle was getting too tight. Ruby barely had any room to swing Crescent Rose without the risk of catching someone else with the blade. The crowd gave another small surge, shunting Jaune forwards.

He took a deep breath, hoping that Amber would do like she'd said, and shouted, "Everybody, back off!"

His voice sounded normal to him, but he could see everyone, aside from Cinder and Ruby, react to his words. Most of them looked up at Amber for a moment before doing as they were told, and though it took a moment for everyone to comply, they did.

Jaune glanced over his shoulder, seeing how tightly packed the group was. "Spread out! Give each other enough room to use your weapons! If Cinder gets away, you'll have to move fast!"

The crowd around the fight started to thin, and Ruby's movements started to widen out a bit. She was faster, but still couldn't seem to outmaneuver Cinder. He looked around at the edge of the crowd, looking for anyone with weapons that would help. They needed well-placed strikes, but ones that could be delivered quickly, and have the capacity to hurt or even disable Cinder.

Pyrrha had such a weapon, and he had no doubt that her skills would be more than adequate. It would take more than her, though. He spied Weiss on the opposite end of the circle, and waved, getting her attention. Her focus was locked on her battling friend, but after a few moments, he was able to catch her eye. Myrtenaster would be excellent for quick precision, and he was confident in betting that Weiss was more than willing to aim for vital organs.

Next to Weiss was Blake, standing at the ready, Gambol Shroud in her hands, waiting for just the right moment. Jaune pointed to her, then himself and Pyrrha, hoping that Weiss would get the picture. She nodded, and he continued to look. If Nora were present, he would include her, but Magnhild wasn't the wieldiest of weapons, even in Nora's hands. What it had to compensate, though, was a long handle, with plenty of reach. She would be almost impossible to control, though. He continued looking.

Ren was standing at the ready, behind a few people who still crowded the front. Jaune hesitated, unsure of whether or not he should include him. He was agile and fast, but using StormFlower's blades would require him to get much too close to Cinder. Jaune didn't like it, but he moved on without signaling to him.

Those were all the faces he recognized in the immediate area. He was surprised to not see Yang, but she had seemed fairly stunned when Ruby charged off on her own. She was probably somewhere by the outside of the crowd, probably pushing and shoving her way inwards. He hoped that no one tried to stop her, for their sakes. Yang would no doubt fight tooth and nail just to get to her sister, let alone fight at her side. Jaune wasn't confident enough to think he'd be able to hold her back.

Jaune spoke, only talking to those he had chosen. "Alright guys, we've got to organize a little bit. While Ruby keeps Cinder busy, we're going to do as much damage as we can! Everyone else is backed off, so they shouldn't get hurt. If you see an opening, go for it, but make sure it's a good one!"

He saw nods all around, and his fingers tightened around the grip of his blade. He narrowed his eyes, watching Cinder, trying to keep up with the blur as she fought against Ruby. The spot he'd stabbed earlier still had not closed up, and slime stilled dripped slowly out, steaming once it hit the ground. Other spots of discoloration caught his eye, and he kept special watch on them. He wouldn't miss a single opportunity.

Cinder raised an arm over her head, planning to bring it down on Ruby, but just as it started to fall, Weiss dashed forward, and Myrtenaster punctured a spot just between Cinder's ribs. She roared, and changed the direction of her swipe to hit Weiss. A glyph appeared at Weiss's feet, throwing her backwards. Cinder lunged after her, but as she stretched, Blake ran forward, swinging Gambol Shroud at her legs.

Cinder twisted mid-air, pulling her arms into her chest and spiraling away from the blade. Pyrrha leaped forward, thrusting Miló in its spear form towards Cinder's throat.

Cinder pulled her legs up, sending herself into a spin, a hoof knocking the spear away nearly hard enough to knock it from Pyrrha's hand. She was barely able to hold on, but keeping her grip forced her to lean back, taking her off her guard. Another kick followed just behind the first, and Pyrrha was barely able to pull Akoúo̱ up in time. A dark glow around the shield told Jaune that she'd used her Semblance to move it.

The hoof impacted the center of the shield like a gong, punching a large round dent in the metal, causing the edges to vibrate and give off a warbling, twisted sound. This noise didn't do anything to cover the sound of bone snapping, though. Pyrrha cried out in pain as she slid back, digging her heels into the ground and trying to say upright.

Jaune's eyes widened, and he exploded into action, placing himself between Pyrrha and Cinder without a second thought. He brought his shield up, despite it being a mangled mess, and started to walk back, keeping Pyrrha behind him.

"Are you alright? Get back!"

He turned his attention back to Cinder as she landed on the ground, straightened herself, and looked directly at him. He suddenly felt like his broken shield wasn't going to be enough protection. She started to move towards him, but Just as she started to move, Ruby came flying from the side, striking her in the small of the back with Crescent Rose.

The blade penetrated her skin, pushing its way through inhumanly thick chorded muscle and dissolving organs before splitting the skin on the other side. Cinder was fully impaled on Crescent Rose, blood and bile leaking from the hole. She didn't show any sign of pain, but looked down to see the curved steel sprouting defiantly from her abdomen.

Ruby didn't stop her assault, instead pulling the trigger, and letting the gun's kick drag the blade up, tearing through more skin and bone. She got three shots off before Cinder pulled herself off of the scythe, her attention turning back to Ruby.

Jaune gave a relieved sigh before turning back to Pyrrha, stepping away from the battle. She held her arm close to her chest, trying to move it, but wincing with every effort. Jaune could see an unnatural curve to her forearm now. It almost hung limply off of the shield, her limp hand holding it in place. Jaune felt his stomach turn looking at the unnatural angle, but he kept focused, turning his attention to Amber.

"We need help! She's hurt!"

Pyrrha shook her head, saying, "Jaune, I'm fine." She waved him back to the battle, but he shook his head.

"Not until I know you're safe!"

A moment later, bright light engulfed both of them. Jaune saw the twisted bone of Pyrrha's arm set itself before fusing with itself again, fixing the damage that had been done. After a few moments, he felt his own arm starting to knot its flesh back together, sealing the wound and returning his strength. He curled his fingers, then glanced again at his shield. It had been good while it lasted, but he didn't know if it could be repaired. It'd done its job, though, he was sure he would have lost his arm without it.

* * *

Jaune gave Amber a quick thumbs-up before pulling Pyrrha back to her feet and turning to the battle. They raised their weapons, eager to get back into the thick of it, but all Amber could do was watch. She wanted to help, to strike out against Cinder with her own power, working away the foul presence that had taken her soul as its own, but she couldn't. The corrupting demonic energies were not the only kind inside of Cinder.

She could feel the presence of rot inside of Cinder, so aggressive and malignant it almost seemed to be beating out the flame of demonic energy inside of her, or at least keeping it at bay. It pulsed through her body like a cancer, spreading and destroying everything it could, but her constant regeneration fought back.

Amber took a moment to watch Cinder's movements carefully, comparing them to when she hadn't entered the swamp. She moved wider, and in a less calculated manor, slowing down ever so slightly. It was indicative, perhaps, of her body starting to give out. The others were helping to spread this rot through the rest of her body beyond what it could accomplish itself with every strike, but Amber worried about whether or not it would be enough. Was it even possible for Cinder to die from a disease like this, or had Naze only weakened her for them?

One thing she was certain of was that without being corroded from the inside, Cinder would be a much more dangerous opponent. As it was, she was slow and vulnerable. Amber didn't know the full extent of her powers, but she was sure that if she blasted Cinder with it, the disease would be purged as well, and she had no way of knowing if the blast would kill her. If it didn't, Cinder would have the only thing limiting her power removed, and Amber was sure that none of the students would stand a chance.

She saw her Paladins creeping forwards, toward the fight with shields up, and their wills like iron. It pained her to do so, but she whispered a word to all of them at once.

"Stop."

They did as they were told, but she could feel a collective heart beat skip between them. Almost immediately, she was beset by questions, her followers asking concernedly if something had happened, whether they should try to get the students out, or if they needed to take some other special task. She shook her head, explaining as quickly as she could.

"Holy magic will only make things worse! Naze did something to Cinder, made her very sick, and I'm sure that Holy magic would burn the disease away! Support the students if you can, but don't attack Cinder."

They obeyed, spreading themselves among the students, where they would be able to help if Cinder broke free of Ruby's constant attacks. Amber turned he focus to the hooded girl, concerned about how she was holding up.

Crescent Rose was practically a blur as it twisted and twirled around Ruby, dancing around her fingertips in an impressive display of mastery over the weapon. Every strike seemed to flow like water, but have the force of a train. How Ruby maintained the levels of what must have been exhausting effort, Amber didn't know, but she could almost feel the energy radiating off of her.

Her eyes narrowed, and she tried to ignore the nearly-overpowering levels of necromantic magic in the air. Cinder's demon magic made it hard to sense anything else, but something else was definitely there. The more Amber focused, the more demonic energy she sensed. Cinder was spewing it like a geyser, but it Ruby appeared to be completely hidden by it.

She watched for a few more moments before realizing that there were two sources, not one, of demonic power. Amber wasn't sure if she still had blood, but if she did, she was sure that it would run cold. Was Ruby giving off demonic energy as well? Why? Had Cinder done something to her?

Amber stretched a hand out, intending to purify Ruby of whatever taint Cinder had afflicted her with. She stopped herself abruptly, light shimmering at tips of her fingers.

Was it a bad thing? She berated herself; of course it was a bad thing, but was it a bad thing she needed to fix immediately? Ruby was the only one keeping Cinder from being unleashed on the other students. If she were gone, Amber wasn't sure how many she could save.

She would fix Ruby as soon as the battle was over, she decided. It felt wrong, but she didn't know what else to do. Was it right to leave her like that, just because it benefitted the rest of the group? It was what Naze would do, surely, but that wasn't much comfort. She lowered her hand again, trying to clear her head. Maybe trying to think like Naze wasn't such a bad idea, if only for a little while. She wasn't even sure if _she_ would be able to defeat Cinder one of one. Maybe caution was the better option.

Something else caught her attention, moving quickly through the crowd and shunting anyone in its way to the side. It didn't take long for Amber to recognize Yang, her bright blonde hair was easy to identify, and the necromantic power around her only made it easier.

She closed the distance between her and Cinder impressively fast, her head bowed like a charging bull. She might as well have been, considering the way she charged through the crowd. When she got close to the ring around Cinder, her pace quickened, and the air around her started to spark.

Flames exploded out of her fists, and she leaped into the air, soaring over Pyrrha and Jaune, shouting, "Get away from Ruby!"

Distracted by a particularly brutal flurry of attacks from Ruby, Cinder didn't have time to duck, jump, or otherwise dodge the crushing display of brute force as Yang's knuckles collided with her temple.

Cinder staggered back, shifting her weight to keep her balance, but even the second spent doing this was valuable time. Ruby lashed out again, bringing Crescent Rose forwards in a wide horizontal swing, building as much force as she could. The blade hit her square on the hip, the blade passing all the way through again. The others jumped forwards all at once, striking every blow they could against Cinder in the brief moment she was halted. Crocea Mors pierced her chest, plunging down almost a full hand's length deep. Miló slipped between her ribs, slicing organs and muscle apart. Myrtenaster pierced her ribs higher up, sliding almost hint deep, accompanied by a blast of frigid dust, injected directly into Cinder's body. Gambol Shroud carved a deep gash in her belly, breaking the layer of rotted tissue and spilling her guts to the ground. Even Ren dashed forwards from the side, bringing one of StormFlower's short blades down on Cinder's spine, just between her wings.

For a single heartbeat, everything seemed to stand still. Each of the fighters looked at each other, taking all the information they could from their glances.

They were smiling. They knew that they were doing it. Cinder was weakening, they could feel it.

Another beat of their hearts pounded blood through their veins, and time resumed. Each one pulled their weapon out and dashed back to their places, knowing that Cinder's retaliation was coming. None of them wanted to be in arm's reach when she managed to compose herself again. Even Ruby ripped Crescent Rose out, gouging as much as she could on the way out.

Yang didn't back up. Instead, she followed her first strike through with an uppercut, aimed right under Cinder's chin. Ruby also stayed close to Cinder, making sure that she could take any shot she could.

Yang's fist connected, knuckles buckling under the force of the blow, and fire being thrown out from the impact. Cinder's head jerked up, and Ruby moved again almost instantly, swiping Cinder's legs out from under her. She toppled, hitting the ground with a soft thud.

They stopped for a second, staring down at her.

"Is she… Did we kill her?"

Yang stayed on guard, but glanced over to Ruby with a questioning look. She expected Ruby to look back, but she kept her eyes locked on Cinder, not relaxing in the slightest.

"Uh, Ruby? Are you feeling alright? You look a little-"

She was cut off by her sister, who jerked her head to the side, saying, "Tell Amber to blast the distortion Naze left with as much power as she can muster. She will start to feel it destabilize. Do not let her stop. We are close, but alone, we're too late."

Ruby's voice sounded strange, and her eyes glowed with an intensity that Yang had never seen before. It reminded her of her own semblance, but Ruby didn't seem angry. She didn't seem anything, now that Yang took a good look. Her face had an even, neutral expression, almost like her face was a mask. A pang of worry shot through Yang, and she squinted at Ruby's face, trying to make out any hint of Ruby's normal mannerisms. Yang supposed that it could have been her imagination, but Ruby's voice sounded like it had an echo, or like there was more than one voice coming from her throat.

They stared at each other for a moment as Yang tried to make sense of the way Ruby was behaving, before Ruby pointed at Amber, said, "Soon, please," then turned her focus back to Cinder.

Yang hesitated for another moment, before turning to face Jaune, saying, "You got all that, right?"

He nodded, and turned to face Amber. Yang didn't linger enough to hear what he said, instead turning to face Cinder again. She was moving now, twitching, and giving off an eerie glow. Yang could feel the demonic energy starting to pour out of Cinder as she started to pull herself back to her feet, despite barely being able to stand.

"Do you… really think-" she rounded on Ruby "-schoolchildren can stop me? Children, and corpses?" She started to laugh. "This world will be mine! My master has promised it! You are nothing but an annoyance!"

Ruby cracked an uncharacteristically crooked smile and tilted her head to the side. "It wouldn't be the first time its lied to its lackeys, would it?"

As though in response, Cinder started to pour even more demonic power out, forcing the circle around her to widen. Those who were closest started to flinch and gasp as blisters appeared on their exposed skin. Everyone could feel that Cinder was starting to change, even the look in her eyes was turning to a smug glare. Something was going her way, and they couldn't stop it.

Ruby looked at Yang again, and shouted, "Get back! She's becoming one with her master!"

* * *

Author's Note:

Yes, I'm not dead. only a few chapters left before this thing is done.

And anon who just asked like a minute ago who I can't reply to because you're an anon so I don't know why you asked a question; this chapter is up now.


	69. Chapter 69

Amber frantically tried to do as she had been advised. The distortion Naze had left seemed to react to the power she threw towards it, but she couldn't help but feel that she should be doing something to stop whatever was happening to Cinder. The students were starting to back up nervously, and she wanted to join them. The air was filling quickly with demonic energy, but that wasn't what had her worried. What had her worried was the growing sense of a presence. A terrible, overbearing presence. It felt like part of her mind was being pushed back further and further as the presence grew stronger.

She was able to keep from being too distracted, but she could feel the presence working its way into some of the minds around her. If she had the power to spare, she could help them, but if there was a chance to bring Naze back, she had to take it.

"Be strong! Paladins, guard the others from her influence! Something else is coming, be ready to fight!"

Shouting was all she could do. After all, Naze would know a way out of this. He had to.

Cinder was on her feet by now, and she seemed different than she had been before. Her movements were slow, and although they were no less exact; it was like she was a marionette. A smile covered her face, and her eyes were rolled back in her head. The very air around her seemed to be splitting apart, revealing something horrifying and monstrous that tugged at the soul of every being that looked upon it. From the corner of her vision, she couldn't make out any details, but she didn't need to in order to know that holes to the demon's realm were opening up, intent on swallowing Vale- maybe even all of Remnant- whole.

She shut her eyes for a moment, reminding herself that she had to focus. The light she flooded the distortion in gained a new brightness to it, and it, too, seemed be splitting some layer of reality apart, but which one, Amber hadn't the slightest idea. What would Naze leave in his place, if not himself? And what kind of place did a Lich flee too?

She blocked out the noises of the students, and of Cinder. They needed Naze.

* * *

Ruby could feel the waves of power pulsing through the air, rocking her down to her very core. The demon protected her from the brunt of its effect, but she could still feel it. Disembodied hands started to emerge from the warped reality around her, grasping in desperation for anything they could find. In the midst of this, Cinder continued to grow and change, though she was barely visible now.

Ruby's body hunched over, and she made Crescent Rose ready. For a second, Ruby didn't know what was about to happen. Then, as she started moving forward, the shock fully processed of what the demon was having her do.

"Are you insane? You called for them to back off! We'll get torn apart! Why not just wait for Amber to-"

The voice in her hood cut her off, saying, "Damaging the vessel now is the only option left, unless the Lich arrives soon and does something to suppress its emergence. We might buy time this way."

Ruby's thoughts sounded indignant as she asked, "'Might'?"

The only response she received was, "It's a calculated risk," before her semblance activated, and she shot towards Cinder at full speed. A part of her wanted to fight and try to pull back, but that would only put her in more danger.

Time seemed to slow as the hands closed towards her. Translucent fingers passed mere centimeters away from her skin, so close that she could feel the crackling, corrupting energy practically pouring from them. Her body dodged away in moves so precise that it felt as though she was a leaf in the wind, evading and ducking every set of twisted fingers that stretched towards her. Her demon was careful to keep her eyes straight forward, and she was glad for it. She was sure that nothing good would happen if she were to catch any wayward glance of the holes the hands sprouted from.

As she closed in closer to Cinder, her scythe raised, and an unearthly focus settled in her mind. Her vision almost seemed to blur, afterimages of things that hadn't happened yet sliding into her brain like she was being slipped information from the future. The presence of the demon that moved her was almost unbearable now. It felt like her thoughts were being smashed out of her head. Her mind was sure to break soon if the demon kept this focus.

She showed no outward signs of this stress, though. With a blank expression on her face, she brought Crescent Rose slashing down into Cinder's shoulder.

She didn't react at all. The blade sunk in nearly up to its base, it must have struck countless organs on its way down, but Cinder simply didn't move. She didn't even look at Ruby. A chill ran up her spine as she pulled Crescent Rose back out, readying for another swing.

One of the afterimages split her vision, too vibrant and lifelike to ignore. She saw herself, being grabbed from behind by one of the hands, her body twisting out of her control as her will was stripped away. She ducked, rolling away and turning to swipe at the hand. Crescent Rose cleaved through the immaterial flesh like it was nothing, the severed part fading out of existence, and the stump retreating back through the rift it emerged from. Countless others descended down on Ruby, from all directions, and she knew that her time was quickly running out.

With a deft precision, the demon driving Ruby forward shifted Crescent Rose into its war scythe form, and brought it arcing towards Cinder's neck. The flesh seemed more vulnerable than ever. She made no attempt to protect herself, only continuing to twitch and tear everything around her apart. The blade of Crescent Rose bit into her skin, slicing through muscle and spilling blood from her arteries. What was meant to be a beheading strike failed to separate her skull from her spine, however, in spite of all the force her body could muster going into the blow. The blade simply came to a halt when it hit her spine.

For a moment, the demon hesitated. It didn't feel like it was at a loss, only that it was waiting. Cinder's boiling blood continued to spill out of the wound, and after a moment, she started to move again.

It wasn't the kind of blisteringly fast counterattack or devastating blast of demonic energy that Ruby had been expecting. Instead, Cinder lifted off of her feet and into the air, dark light enveloping her body. Ruby didn't know what was happening, but the thing looked rather troublingly like a cocoon.

The rips around Cinder widened, and more hands spilled out. She could hear gasps and screams from the surrounding students as the ring around Cinder was forced to widen again. Voices called out to her, but she couldn't hear them over the deafening presence watching her, commanding her.

That presence only seemed to grow stronger as the situation worsened. Hands darted towards her from every angle. Her body jerked violently as it was pulled to spin Crescent Rose, arcing wildly around her. To her amazement, not a single one managed to push through. The onslaught didn't stop, though, as more hands sprouted from the rifts. Ruby's eyes flicked back for a moment to look at Amber. She was still blasting the spot that Naze had disappeared, just as she had been told.

A single hissing breath of annoyance pushed from her teeth as she turned back, the demon whispering in her ear, "She certainly takes her time. At this rate, the egg with hatch. Something else must be done."

They dodged the next wave of hands, being forced back a few feet by the sheer volume of incoming attacks.

"There could be another way to bring her down, but it would require a much more intimate connection, and you would be put at much more significant risk. I don't suggest we use it now, but on the occasion that it becomes necessary, I will need your full cooperation. You are willing to do this, correct?"

The voice echoed in her mind with deafening volume, making thinking more than a little difficult. The thoughts she did manage to create were fragmented and incomplete, but she was able to form a response.

"Yes."

There was no reply as she continued to banish the hands back to their realm of hell, and she could only watch as she continued to fight. The visions in her head started to become jumbled, Ruby couldn't tell the future from the present anymore, or the present from the past.

In every vision, though, there were commonalities she could latch on to. The cocoon Cinder was raveled up in started to expand, pushing out and becoming slightly more transparent. At its heart, Cinder was just barely visible, a small silhouette amidst the twisting light around her. At the center of her chest, there was something that drew Ruby's nearly shattered attention. It wasn't a heart, it was too large for that. Giving the thing a particular shape would have been hard even if she could focus, but she could still register that it was moving, and that it made her feel very uncomfortable.

From inside the cocoon, a deep, penetrating roar bellowed out, followed by another wave of demonic power. The ground shuddered, and Ruby was fairly certain that she fell down, but it quickly became impossible to tell as her senses were overwhelmed.

* * *

Yang watched Ruby collapse, then felt a wave of demonic power slam into the rest of the crowd. Most students were already doing their best to not snap and go crazy already, even with the protection of the Paladins, so Yang didn't know how much more they could take. It was strange, but she actually felt lucky to be dead. At least her mind could go mostly unclouded in the face of something like this.

She could feel the gaping hole where the connections to other undead had been, left by Naze's disappearance. Her body felt less responsive than usual, but she was sure that she could still fight. The question was whether or not she could really stand up to Cinder. In spite of her urge to, she knew that charging her down would be a horrendous idea. She needed to help Ruby, though, that much she couldn't ignore.

She exploded forwards, using Ember Celica to kick off her charge, a burst of bright yellow dust exploding from the gauntlets. She could hear voices shouting out after her as she parted from the group, but ignored them. All that mattered was that she get Ruby out of the way of those hands. They were reaching towards her, and while she had managed to get out of their immediate range, they were stretching towards her, the constantly twisting and writhing fingers were getting disturbingly close to Ruby.

Her feet thundered against the soft ground as she bowed her head, watching the hands carefully. As she got closer, she could feel the presence in the air grow thicker and thicker, until it even started to interfere with the powers keeping her own body animate. She felt her limbs start to grow numb, and for the first time in a long while, she was aware of the void pulling at her soul again. She could only grit her teeth, and keep herself focused.

As she closed the final few yards from Ruby, she dug one heel into the dirt and let herself tip over, sliding to a halt next to her unconscious sister. She didn't remain halted for more than a fraction of a second before grabbing a fistful of Ruby's hood, and taking off in the same direction she'd come from.

Ruby trailed behind her, and for a second, Yang felt a grin sliding across her face. Then she felt something wrap around her leg, tripping her. She pitched forward, pulling Ruby close to her chest, turning to absorb the impact.

It was good that she didn't need the air that was knocked out of her lungs. Immediately, she started to struggle against the grip of the hand, but her leg started to go numb almost instantly. Kicking and fighting quickly proved to be hopeless, as the limb stopped responding to her efforts altogether. Even worse was the fact that she could feel the numbness spreading quickly from the leg into other parts of her body.

With a grunt of annoyance, she fired a barrage of shots using Ember Celica, but the dust rounds did nothing against the barely physical adversary. The rounds didn't even detonate when they hit. Instead, they slowed down slightly, before passing through their target entirely. Yang brought her metal hand up, focusing as best she could on the emotion of anger, what they'd made her sister do, how close she'd come to being snatched by Cinder.

A ball of fire roared to life between her fingers, and she lobbed it towards the hand as hard as she could. It didn't quite explode when it hit like she had hoped it would, but it did seem to disrupt whatever foul force kept the hand together. She felt its grip weaken and threw her arm back, digging her fingers into the mud and pulling herself away as hard as she could. With her other hand, she still held tightly to Ruby, making sure she didn't slip away.

The hands kept coming towards them, and Yang's legs didn't show any signs of recovering. The numbness didn't stop moving through her, either, and she knew it wouldn't be long until she couldn't move at all.

She tried to think about what options she had as she pulled herself thought the mud. Ruby stirred slightly, making a small mumbling noise and putting a hand on Yang's arm. It sounded like she was trying to say something, but Yang couldn't make out what.

"It's okay Ruby, I've got you. Come on, we're almost there!"

They weren't remotely close to the line of students and Paladins, but if Yang could get Ruby back up, she might be able to make it on her own. That was all that mattered, really. Yang didn't care if she got paralyzed, or worse. As long as she could make Ruby safe, she couldn't complain.

Ruby muttered something again, and this time her head turned to face Yang.

"Get away."

It almost made Yang stop and stare at her sister incredulously.

"What? Ruby, you're a little messed up right now. Just help me get you-"

She felt Ruby's arm wrap around her waist, and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could, Ruby stood, taking Yang with her as though she was nothing but a ragdoll. Yang found herself put in front of Ruby's face, and she noticed that something was definitely wrong. Ruby's eyes were a distorted shade of blue, and seemed to reflect something that Yang couldn't quite place. It seemed to constantly shift, and when Yang thought she saw a face, it was gone the next moment, replaced by more twisting nothingness.

"Yang, please, just trust me."

For the briefest second, Yang could see her sister in those eyes. The words were gentle, and her gaze was soft, almost pleading. Then they hardened again as the strange force overtook her body again. With one fluid motion, Yang was flung away from Cinder, back towards the students. All she could do was yell, and try not to land face down, wondering just what it was that had gotten to her sister.

She hit the ground, bouncing slightly before coming to a rest not too far from the front lines of students. She could crawl if she tried, but what would be the point? She would just wind up inside the Paladins' Holy protection, and lose what little power she had left.

All she could do was watch Ruby, but laying on the ground unable to move made her aware of something else. It was faint, but the necromantic energy in the air was growing more erratic. Though it was still almost smothered beneath the magic Cinder was giving off, she could feel the powers of death starting to shift, working to push the demonic power back.

The power radiated from the spot Amber blasted with Light. Something was starting to happen, but what it was, she couldn't tell. The air seemed to be bending, almost to the point of snapping, and she couldn't help but compare it to the holes in reality Cinder created. There was something familiar about it, though, she just couldn't place what.

* * *

Jaune's fingers tightened around the handle of his shield as he watched Yang hit the ground with a thud audible even at a distance. He couldn't help but cringe. She had to have broken at least a few bones, he was sure.

The fog in his mind started to cloud his thoughts, and he shook his head to remind himself that he had to stay focused. He felt Pyrrha touch his shoulder, and glanced over to find her giving him a frightened look. Her mouth hung open, like she wanted to say something, but couldn't quite find the words.

She didn't have to. Jaune felt the same as her.

"It's fine. We just need to keep holding out. Amber has got to finish doing whatever it is she's doing soon, then we can hit back. She just needs a little more time."

He looked directly at Cinder, who was now nothing more than a faint black shadow in the midst of the twisting light around her. There had to be something he could do. He couldn't just sit back, and let Ruby take the brunt of stalling the demon.

Whether it was because she knew him so well, or if she saw it on his face, but Pyrrha squeezed his shoulder, saying, "Jaune, wait! You don't really think that you can help, do you? I mean, Ruby said-"

He cut her off.

"I have to try."

His voice sounded bitter, almost angry. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't stop himself. He started to walk forwards, pulling what was left of his shield up to his chest and bringing his blade into a ready position. He didn't care how outmatched he might be, he had to fight. He wasn't going to simply sit back and let someone else risk their life on their own like this.

He wasn't more than a few steps away from the line of students before he noticed that Pyrrha was at his side, glaring forward, her shield and spear at the ready as well. Jaune felt an anxious know in his chest loosen slightly. If there was anything that could help set him at ease, having a friend by his side was it.

From the opposite side of the ring, he saw someone pushing their way though. His pace slowed for a moment, before he saw Nora's head above the crowd. She managed to get through the wall of students and Paladins, Magnhild in hand. Her eyes locked with Jaune's for a moment, before a smile crossed her face, and she pulled Magnhild up with the kind of giddy expression that had always made him feel extraordinarily nervous in practice fights with her. Ren emerged from elsewhere in the crowd, a solemn, serious expression on his face.

Weiss and Blake both stepped forwards as well, bringing their weapons to bear on Cinder. More than enough ferocity was burning in their eyes to convince Jaune that they wouldn't falter, no matter what kind of force they found themselves against.

Ruby was standing still now, glaring at Cinder. Her face was completely hidden by her hood, and by what quick analysis Jaune could make of her, she seemed unharmed.

The further away from the others he got, the heavier the presence in his mind felt. He had expected it, but it was almost overpowering. It wasn't like what Nora had done to him when she was a demon, it was far more potent than that. He could feel the power worming through his mind, changing around his thoughts and making it far harder to focus than he'd thought it would. Still, he fought on. He could still feel Amber's energy and blessings flowing through him, and he wasn't about to let them go to waste. She just needed a little more time, and there was no way that Ruby was going to be able to-

Something ahead of him exploded. A blast of light blinded him almost instantly, forcing him to bring a hand up to cover his face. He could feel his exposed skin grow hot, his fingers blistering and burning on the sides facing the burst.

Just like the heat burned through his skin, something else shot through his mind. He tried to lower his hand, but found that he couldn't. He was completely paralyzed. The confidence he'd had moments ago was gone. His blood felt like ice water in his veins, and he started to sweat. He tried to speak out, to say something, maybe he could get someone to help him.

A voice crept through his head, not unlike the way Amber's had at first, but this one carried with it a kind of wrongness. It reminded him of Cinder's voice, only more insidious.

"Come now, Cramus! Surely you realize this is a lost cause! I've berated your intelligence before, but now I really think you're making it too easy for me." There was no response, other than the ground shaking in what Jaune could only assume was the thrashing of the thing Cinder was engulfed by. "Now I suppose you think you'll pull this world into your own little corner of Hell, do you? Fine then, try. Let's all see what the might of the Arch-Demon Cramus can do against a human puppet, a newborn god, and a wizard dead for eons!"

The voice started to laugh, and Jaune recognized the voice. It was warped, almost too much to be who he thought, but something about the laugh made him certain. It was Ruby.

He felt some modicum of control come back to his body, and stiffly lowered his arm. His eyes took a brief moment to adjust to the sudden change of lighting, but when they did, he found that Ruby was now hovering several feet off of the ground, her arms out to her sides in a taunting pose. Her cape blazed with light, but it wasn't a comforting kind. It was harsh, and for the life of him, Jaune couldn't figure out what color it was. It seemed to be in a constant state of flux, never staying the same for more than a heartbeat.

It billowed out behind Ruby, many times its original length, flaring up in a fierce windstorm that only seemed to affect the cape. By the angle the cloth took, Jaune couldn't help but liken the display to wings. They did seem to flap, but he wasn't sure it was only his imagination or not.

Jaune could see the hood of Ruby's cape. It covered the upper half of her face entirely. For a second, he thought Ruby was totally blind, but it didn't take long for him to realize who the 'puppet' the voice had been referring to was.

Crescent Rose was still clutched firmly in her hand, and she didn't show any sign of turning on the crowd, but still, Jaune's whole body was nearly numb with a dull sense of panic. Something had to go wrong, but he didn't know what.

Without any hesitation, Ruby rushed forwards almost faster than the eye could see. Time around her seemed to slow as she started to carve her way through the forest of disembodied hands, slashing whole clusters of them into nothing as she passed. Ruby appeared to simply shrug off the intensity of the demonic presence she was now so close to. How she did it, Jaune couldn't process. Even at the distance he held, moving was nearly impossible.

He could hear the sounds of bewilderment rise from behind him as well, as students and Paladins watched in awe. Ruby's body was little more than a blur as she charged the Arch-Demon down, Crescent Rose destroying everything that came close to touching her almost instantly. She closed the final stretch of distance, now within arm's reach of the glowing cocoon, and swung the scythe in a wide arc, planting it as firmly as it could be in the ethereal shell. For a moment, it seemed to do nothing. Then both large wing-like strips of cloak seemed to take on a life of their own, turning inwards and stabbing into the dark light, digging as deeply in as they could.

Almost instantly, the color of Cinder's cocoon started to change, becoming less stable and breaking apart. The light in Ruby's cape seemed to grow slightly dimmer as this happened, before Cinder started to react. A long, amorphous arm stretched from the cocoon, several times the size of Ruby, and swiped at her. She managed to leap backwards quickly enough to dodge the attack, dragging Crescent Rose with her but leaving the wings in. They continued to pump whatever corrosive energy they held into the cocoon, and gave Ruby a way to swing around the arm, striking into the body with even greater force. Once Crescent Rose dug in a second time, the wings shifted again quickly, burrowing into the hole just as they had the first. The area around that would started to wither and die, but another arm emerged, swinging at Ruby in tandem with the first.

Two arms were significantly more difficult to evade that just one, and Ruby was forced to detach from the cocoon fully. She retreated, blown back by the same invisible breeze that kept her cloak aloft. Crescent Rose gouged out a large chunk of energy, but it flowed back into the hole, mending the damage before any advantage could be taken.

At the center of the cocoon, something was starting to form. Exactly what it was, no one could tell, but it was gradually growing darker and darker, increasing the presence of the demon. If Jaune had to guess, it looked like something was forming around Cinder herself, bringing the demon that controlled her closer to their world.

Ruby renewed her attack as soon as she could, bringing Crescent Rose swinging around for a third time, but the demon anticipated the blow. Before she could even touch it, both arms swung in on her, closing around her in a way that looked as though she was going to be crushed. Her momentum stopped, her body freezing in midair before rushing back towards the ground. Ruby wasn't fast enough, and the limbs slammed against one-another, with Ruby caught in the middle. The force of the impact was hard enough to be sickening, even from a distance.

Seconds seemed to stretch beyond their natural length as the crowd watched their strongest fighter crushed. The arms continued to push against each other, adding insult to injury as whatever was left of Ruby was no doubt ground into nothing. Screams rose through the audience, loudest of all from the rest of team RWBY. Yang's cry of rage was the loudest of all, the chords in her throat tearing as she roared wordlessly.

At the center of the demon, Cinder looked like she was starting to disappear. Her body was dissolving into the energy around her, filing out the form that leeched off of her. It was impossible to know just how much of her was left. No matter the answer, they knew that they were nearly beyond hope.

Amber made some unintelligible noise from behind them, and Jaune turned to glance over his shoulder. His eyes widened again when he saw what was happening.

It looked like Amber was tearing open some kind of portal. It hung in the air without any defined form, but it was clear that it was getting bigger. Amber had stopped feeding it power, and was now staring at it with an unsettlingly startled face. For a short moment, all attention turned to the portal. The portal brought with it a presence, but this was different than the demon's aspect. This one seemed more direct, making the air stale and pushing back against the demonic influence.

The portal widened, and a chill started to run through the air. Jaune recognized the feeling. The hair on the back of his neck prickled, and he found that he couldn't look away. Whatever the portal opened to, it was difficult to make out. Something writhed against the edge, trying to push its way through. It was a dull color, almost translucent, like mist, but the way it writhed made it seem like there were more than one. Faces, half-formed and shifting around, pressed against the invisible barrier that held them back. Their eyes darted around wildly, and Jaune realized that they looked like people.

The portal continued to grow, now about large enough for a person to squeeze through. Jaune saw something moving through the ghastly pale figures, and felt himself draw in an involuntary sharp breath. Even at a distance, the skeletal visage of Naze had an impact. Bright blue burning eye sockets seemed to pierce through him for a moment before roving across the rest of the crowd.

After what seemed like an eternity, Naze drifted towards the opening. As he came to the edge, he put a bony had out, and pushed it through into the air. A small amount of smoke started to rise from the ancient marrow, but whatever he was testing for seemed to be acceptable, as there was no hesitation as he moved through. The air cooled, and Jaune suddenly felt like he was going to be sick.

.

* * *

Naze glared at the growing demonic form with some degree of surprise. The situation had gotten out of hand, to say the least. He could sense the barrier between worlds deteriorating rapidly, bringing Hell much closer than he would have preferred. But he could take advantage of this, too. If the demon thought that Hell was the only realm that mattered, it was going to be sorely surprised.

The exterior of a few of his bones popped and crackled as Holy magic was overpowered by his necrotic presence. He could feel Amber behind him, the constant outpour of the Light interfering slightly with his own power. It would be of little importance, though. Amber seemed to have diminished herself slightly with all the effort she'd expended opening the portal, but her strength would come flowing back soon enough.

Cramus's budding form was smashing a second, weaker demonic presence. For a moment, Naze wondered where it had come from, then he recalled Timor's deal. He was likely trying to buy time for Amber to call Naze back. The amount of demonic power emanating from the being was large, but not quite a constant enough flow to be a demon. He must have chosen a host from the students. From between its arms, Naze saw a bright flash flair out, fluttering like a piece of cloth. He recognized it, even in such a twisted form.

Ruby was an interesting choice for the Arch-Demon of fear. Perhaps not quite what he had expected, but it did make some sense. She would have felt a great deal of fear as she watched the chaos of the battle grow around her. Maybe even more so than most others.

Regardless of the reason, Ruby had been chosen. The power flooding from the cape was evidence enough that she wasn't channeling the demon directly, indicating that she wasn't in too deeply. She could still be saved, though it would take a certain degree of effort. It was an amount of effort difficult to take in the midst of a battle.

He put his staff forward, pointing at Cramus and summoning a burst of arcane power. It cut through the space between them, lighting up the sky like a second sun. As the power hit the glowing body Cramus had begun constructing for itself, bonds were torn apart, demonic energy breaking apart as its structure was blasted.

Naze aimed for its arms, and it wasn't more than a moment later that the energy within the limbs was withdrawn back into the main body, leaving Ruby to fall back to the ground. Her body was limp, but her cape shot out, two wing-like protrusions jamming themselves into the ground then straightening to hold her up. Crescent Rose was still clutched loosely in her hand, though it was clear that she wouldn't be swinging it anymore.

She didn't look too injured. One arm jutted out at an odd angle, and there was a steady trickle of blood from her head, but there were no signs that she was dead. Naze shifted his aim to the demon's main body, but shifted his gaze behind him. Amber seemed to be pulling herself together again, which he knew would be a boon in the fight.

He spoke out, hollow voice splitting through the noise of their surroundings as it echoed unnaturally in the heads of those who heard it. "Amber, your help would be greatly appreciated."

She shook her head, and her eyes slowly started to focus as she looked towards the Lich.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Amber seemed to jerk back to full lucidity. Naze pointed towards the demon, saying, "You'll do more against it than anything else. Weaken it, and I believe I can banish it back to Hell."

Amber nodded, saying, "Right!" before turning her attention to the thing that had brought so much pain into her world. Without hesitation, she rushed forwards, Holy light spilling out of her front. As the energy slammed into the demon, Naze turned his own attention back to the portal he'd come through. Spirits writhed against the thin barrier he'd made, trying their best to burst through and rejoin the world of the living. They howled and wailed mutely, screams held by the thin membrane that now separated the world of the living from the world of the dead.

Each one had a fixed glare on what remained of Cinder. Naze hadn't had time to turn as many to his will as he could have, but it was a small price to pay. A flood was a flood, and if Amber brought Cinder low, overwhelming her wouldn't be an issue. He needed only drop the barrier.

He began to weave a shield around himself of necrotic magic, protecting himself from the cascade of holy energies Amber conjured. The crowds of students was forced to avert their eyes from the blinding display, even Naze found it difficult to retain his gaze.

A scream of ear-shattering volume exploded from the demonic mass. It was almost instant that blood began leaking from the ears of the students as they fell to their knees, covering their ears and shouting wildly at each other. Amber didn't relent in her attack, though. She continued to push forward, both hands out, bearing down on the beast with all of her might. The golden glow she gave off now was nearly blinding to Naze. He could just make out that the energy coalescing into a body for Cramus was starting to break apart. He redoubled the power of his own shield, and turned his attention back to the portal he had emerged from. With a small flick of his mind, the block was gone, and spirits rushed forth into the material realm.

* * *

Author's Note:

Dear god, it's been a while. But hey, I'm back. Remember to leave a review! And again, this comes less than 24 hours after an anon tells me to hurry up... Weird.


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